A weekend in Cincinnati - aka the most underrated midwest city
After what felt like the longest period of time without our suitcases being dragged across hotel floors or tossed onto airport security belts, Peter and I reached a breaking point. It was time to ditch the city of Rock 'n Roll for some new scenery.
The only problem? Deciding where to go. We frantically searched for somewhere to visit, quickly realizing that flying anywhere over Easter weekend would be devastating to our wallets. So, road-tripping was the move. Our top prospects were Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Niagara Falls. After a little snooping we realized there would be a Reds game on Saturday in Cincy and took that as our sign to head south!
Before heading to Cincy we asked our friends for any must-see spots to check out, and surprisingly, the overwhelming response was that ‘Cincy is alright’ or ‘not as cool as Columbus’, but MAN, we LOVED it. A lot.
We started the 3.5 hour trek to downtown Cincinnati on Thursday night, with the plan for me to spend Friday working from the hotel room while Peter explored the city on his day off (lucky duck!).
Day 1: Over the Rhine + Kentucky Bourbon
As all good days should, we started Friday with a morning walk downtown for Starbucks (listen, I’m all for supporting local, but it was the only thing open okay people!). While I worked in our room, Peter hit the town by foot, eyeing the best spots for us to hang this weekend.
If there is anything you need to when in Cincy, it’s visit Over the Rhine. It’s like a hipster’s paradise, with incredible thrift stores, cool coffee shops and lots of restaurants. It served us European/New Orleans energy, with buildings full of color and beautiful architecture.
Of course I popped into a few stores, snagging a pair of jeans from The Native One (although I could’ve easily bought their entire store it was amazing) and eyeing lots of fun tees from the vintage stores nearby.
If you find yourself here during spring, make sure you stop by Orchard Street (that’s the literal street name) where you can take pictures with these beautiful trees + creep on some beautiful homes!
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After some shopping, we headed back downtown, which was roughly a 20 minute walk, to dinner at Mitas. It’s a yummy spanish-style restaurant, where we enjoyed tapas and sangria, and shared lots of laughs … like lots, I’m not sure what was in that sangria ;) . Although it was good, we both would suggest saving your money and eating elsewhere, you definitely pay for the fancy vibes + renowned chef here.
In case you didn’t know, Cincy is actually across the river from Covington, Kentucky aka the first stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, which meant our Friday night was about to continue with a nice glass of bourbon in hand. I’m not usually a huge bourbon gal, but when in Kentucky, right? Covington is definitely worth a stop, but I will say don’t plan much time around it. Thanks to Pete’s expert Yelp skills, we found a seat at Bourbon Haus 1841, a local favorite. It’s a cozy little bar serving up a full menu of bourbon. From high-end bourbon on the rocks to house cocktails, they had something for even the pickiest of drinkers. It was here that I found my new favorite drink: Kentucky Mule. It’s ginger beer, bourbon + lime juice. I’m here for it, people! If you go, make sure to try their Old Fashioned. We got a couple with Buffalo Trace and it was insanely good, with strong notes of orange, it was the smoothest bourbon I’ve ever sipped.
After a few drinks, we decided to make our way back to the city. While we could’ve called an Uber, we decided to walk our way back over the Roebling Bridge, which is reminiscent of London Bridge in my opinion. In total, I think it took us about 35-ish minutes to get to our hotel, which was well worth it for the night views of the city!
Day 2: Booze + Baseball
I know I said that if you could only do one thing in the city it would be visiting Over The Rhine, but Findlay Market is just as worthy of a visit! After a night full of bourbon goodness, we were more than ready to grab some coffee + breakfast at Findlay Market, which I will say is kind of a hike from downtown, although do-able if you don’t mind getting some steps in.
Although the morning started with a bit of a chilly breeze, things started to warm up as we wandered our way through this Disney-esque market. It looks like a movie set with bright buildings and funky fonts. It was amazing. We first walked inside, where rows of vendors hollered, slinging fresh meat and produce from their display cases to customers. The aisle was congested and the energy was high, with locals swarming the vendors for their weekend grub.
As we exited the market and perused the outdoor tents full of local jewelry and apparel, a line outside a coffee shop near the market caught our eye. The woman in line in front us told me that it was a gluten free bakery with the best lemon bars in town. She had me at lemon. We waited for about 20 minutes before getting inside Cherbourg Bakery, where busy bakers were cooking up pastries behind the bakery cases. Unfortunately they were sold out of lemon bars, but of course I spotted a S’mores bar that made my inner Girl Scout proud + a chocolate donut that looked divine. With our mouthwatering sweets in hand, we found a table in front of the market where we could bask in the sun and enjoy our treats.
After inhaling our S’mores bar + soaking in some Vitamin D, we walked our way up the street to Rhinegeist Brewery, which was the #1 thing that was recommended for us to do. Workers with walkie talkies guided us up several flights of stairs to our spot on the rooftop with a beautiful view of the hillsides behind me contrasting the city views in the other direction. It was the best atmosphere for spending the afternoon outside, relaxing with a brewski in hand. I opted for a couple ciders while Pete had their beer. I’m no beer connoisseur, but Pete’s more well-versed in the world of beer, and really enjoyed his brews so I’d say it was a good spot.
We both agreed that Rhinegeist is worth a visit for any tourists, especially on a summer day. Although, it could also be enjoyed on a rainy day because they have a massive indoor picnic-type seating area, with tons of room for large groups.
Let’s talk chili…
Something interesting about Cincy is its obsession with chili. I actually hate the taste of chili, so trying the local cuisine was Pete’s undertaking. He ordered the traditional chili at Rhinegeist, which is a pile of spaghetti noodles with blended chili and cheddar cheese on top, along with a chili dog. I, on the other hand, had to get the sloppy joe because 1. If you knew me from age 6-20, that was my favorite food, and 2. I’ve never had a sloppy joe at a bar! Anyways, we both agreed that the chili dog was far superior to the traditional version, but I would say if you’re a fan of chili you might as well order both!
There’s a big debate in the city about where to get the best chili, but I heard that Skyline Chili is a staple for Cincy locals!
Cincinnati Reds
As I mentioned at the beginning, one of the main reasons we wanted to check out Cincy was because there was a Reds game on Saturday night (that just so happened to also be opening weekend). Confession: I had no the Reds were a MLB team, but after seeing how awesome the city was, I decided I was a fan.
We swung by the team store before the game to grab some gear + made our way into the stadium. The cool thing about Cincy is that all their stadiums are on the water and only a short walk from the heart of downtown, which makes it a perfect tailgating spot for young fans (+ those who are fans of day-drinking). There’s actually a whole street full of bars right outside the stadium entrance that was packed with youngsters enjoying some bevvys.
We absolutely loved the stadium and game experience! Our seats were nosebleeds, with a perfect view of both the city and water. It was our first big post-covid professional event, so we weren’t sure what to expect, but it was actually really nice because most seats are ziptied for social distancing, which meant we had no one around us and could stretch our legs the whole game. You never realize how close the seats are until a pandemic hits - haha!
The game was awesome, there was even a bench-clearing brawl from the players, which is something rare in baseball (so I’m told). As you can imagine, I was standing along with all the fans in the stadium, hollering + cheering it on :’).
Ending it off right…
It wouldn’t be right to end the trip without another bourbon experience, this time at Nicholson’s Tavern & Pub downtown. We grabbed a seat and enjoyed warming up with some Old Fashioned’s and bar snacks in this incredible Irish restaurant. The character in this building is very unique, and the waiters were all attentive and kind! We couldn’t recommend it enough!!
Cincinnati Highlights
I love mixing in our stories with my travel guides to paint a picture of the city and our experience, but if you are going to take anything away from this blog, here are some of the highlights from our 3 day weekend in Cincinnati!
Where to stay:
Downtown is definitely the spot! It’s a perfect walking distance to everything you need! My friend actually recommended checking out the Hilton Netherland Plaza Downtown which is a National Landmark + has a great restaurant too!
Where to eat:
Nada: Mexican, you’ll definitely want to make a reservation, but this place has the best vibes!
Skyline Chili: although we didn’t go, this is a must-see Cincy spot
Here’s some places that we either tried or heard were good:
Cherbourg Bakery -the whole store is gluten free! + their lemon bars are a must!
Camille & Arnaud - amazing crepes!!
Where to drink:
Bourbon Haus 1841 in Covington, Kentucky - try the Old Fashioned or Kentucky Mule!
Rhinegeist Brewery - this is a great spot to grab an afternoon beer + some light bites with pals! Plus the inside space is just as fun as the rooftop!
Nicholson’s Tavern & Pub - this spot downtown is the BEST! Very local vibe for sure
Horse & Barrel Bourbon House - do note that there’s sometimes events like weddings that shut this place off from the public, but it looks like a great spot for bourbon on the Ohio side!
Coffee Emporium: - it seems like there’s tons of seating and lots of drinks to choose from!
What to do:
Visit Findlay Market for lunch/brekky, even just a mid-day snack! It’s best enjoyed while sitting outside
Catch a pro-game of any kind if you can! The stadiums are beautiful
Make sure to wander around Over the Rhine, it’s the perfect spot to grab lunch and shop around!
Grab a beer at Rhinegeist (yes, I know I already mentioned it, but really, go)
Take a picture with the ‘Queen City’ sign, down by the Reds stadium
Walk across the Roebling Bridge to Covington, Kentucky
Enjoy some bourbon, I promise you’ll be glad you did
Tips + Tricks:
As with any city, parking will definitely add up so make sure you consider that when budgeting for your hotel.
If you are looking to snag some local gear, Homage (in Over the Rhine) is one of my fav stores with high quality tees!