Cincinnati City Guide

Cincinnati is located in the US state of Ohio and is known for its many historical buildings and several eclectic neighborhoods. Cincinnati is situated along the banks of the Ohio River near the border of Ohio and Kentucky.

A peek into the city’s history reveals that the city developed as an inland boomtown in the early 19th century when it was an important river and rail hub. Such was the city’s industrial prominence that it led American poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to proclaim Cincinnati as the "Queen City of the West" whose importance and wealth rivaled other larger American cities located on the east coast.

Cincinnati lost some of its prominence in the late 19th century as it was overtaken by other rapidly developing cities of the Midwest, like Chicago. However, today the city continues to function as an important hub of commerce that is also home to a fabulous architectural heritage, which contains some of America’s best examples of French influenced art-deco and Italianate architecture.

The city is also a well known arts hub that hosts several fantastic museums. For art enthusiasts, vacations to Cincinnati are unparallel to any other destination. Additionally, the city is also known for its many annual events and festivals like Ohio Jazz festival, the Midpoint music festival, the Cincinnati Flower Show and the Taste of Cincinnati food festival.

Besides arts, if sports fascinate you too, book your seats for Cincinnati vacations with us now. Cincinnati boasts of a vibrant sporting profile as well since not only is Cincinnati home to prominent sports teams like the Cincinnati Reds (Major league baseball) and the Cincinnati Bengals (NFL) but it also host major sports events like the annual Cincinnati Masters Tennis tournament and the Thanksgiving Day Race, which happens to be one of the oldest 10k racing events to be held in the country.

Cincinnati offers a wide array of hotels. Several big name hotel brands have a presence in the downtown area of the city, an area which is a favored accommodation option for most visitors to the city.

Downtown Cincinnati is the epicenter of all the action in the city and this is where tourists on vacations in Cincinnati flock to. Cincinnati’s downtown is home to some of its most prominent buildings like the Union Terminal, Carew Tower, the PNC tower and the Netherland Hotel along with the city’s bustling central business district and the city’s star attraction of Fountain Square. Further, this area offers a vast array of fine shopping and dining options along with several entertainment options like museums, theaters and celebrated sports stadiums for Cincinnati vacationers.

The Cincinnati Art Museum is located atop a hill within Eden Park in the city’s Mount Adams neighborhood. The museum, which was established in 1881, houses an extensive collection of sculpture, photography, African and Native American art, and decorative objects that cover most periods and genres. It also features many renowned masters like Botticelli, Titian, Mary Cassatt, John Singer Sargent, Picasso, Andy Warhol and several others. It’s a must visit place for Cincinnati vacations.

This zoo, which was established in 1875, is America’s second oldest zoo and is also considered to be one of its best. This 75 acre zoo offers exhibits of more than 500 animals and 3000 plant species, which are arranged in various enclosures like the Elephant House, Reptile House and Passenger Pigeon memorial. The Cincinnati Zoo also includes a Children’s zoo and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.

The Cincinnati Museum Center is housed in Cincinnati’s erstwhile rail road station and was built in 1931. This stunning Art Deco building has been acclaimed as one of the most significant buildings in America and houses three must-see museums for Cincinnati vacations; namely the Museum of Natural History and Science, the Cincinnati History Museum and the Duke Energy Children’s Museum.

This center, which is located in downtown Cincinnati, catalogues the centuries old history of slavery and oppression around the world. The center highlights the period of American history, which was associated with the slave trade, and examines the position of the abolitionist states like Ohio versus the slave holding states like Kentucky. The center offers several sobering exhibits like a slave holding pen along with gripping films and artifacts that display the bravery of the abolitionists who were involved in the Underground Railroad, which was a clandestine network and helped slaves escape to freedom.

Author Harriet Beecher Stowe’s house in the historic Walnut Hills area of Cincinnati is another important attraction, which is related to dark period of slavery in American history. The famed author lived at this residence from 1832 to the early 1850’s during which she penned her most famous work- “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. This famous book describes the pain of slavery and the quest for freedom on the Underground Railroad.

This small home museum, which is housed in an 1820 Federal style mansion, was the private home of Anna Sinton Taft and her husband Charles. Charles Taft was the half-brother of President William H. Taft, and he and his wife were wealthy residents of Cincinnati who had an excellent eye for art and the means to acquire it. This museum houses their exquisite collection that consists works of old European masters like Rembrandt, Hals, Turner, and Gainsborough along with many antiques including a stunning collection of Limoges porcelain.

Cincinnati being a city situated in the Midwest experiences a climate, which is characterized by ‘warm and humid’ summers and ‘cold and snowy’ winters. Most visitors planning Cincinnati vacations tend to head to the city during the summer months of July and August when temperatures generally range between 86 °F (30 °C) and 90 °F (32 °C). Winters in Cincinnati are typically cold and snowy with January generally being the coldest month touching an average temperature of 29.7 °F (-1.3 °C).

However for many other visitors on Cincinnati vacations, it is not the climate but the city’s many unique festivals, which constitute its main attraction. No matter when you decide to schedule your Cincinnati vacations, we at Fare Buzz can always secure cheap hotel rooms for your trip since our Cincinnati hotel deals are available year round.

If you want to experience an airport that functions as precisely as the clock; then you got to experience the Cincinnati International Airport. With a monopoly of Delta Airlines, getting Delta deals is easy for Cincinnati. You can nevertheless try other cheap air fares on Fare Buzz and kick start vacations to Cincinnati with savings.

Cincinnati is equipped with a public transport system that consists of the SORTA Metro bus system. However besides these Metro buses, the city is also served by the Tank Buses which belong to the Northern Kentucky transport system. These TANK buses serve parts of Cincinnati as well.

Cincinnati is also served by a fleet of taxis which are easily available outside the many downtown hotels. Taxis in Cincinnati are however allowed to pick up customers only at taxi stands and cannot be hailed in the street.

Under such circumstances, it perhaps makes sense to go in for a car rental while visiting Cincinnati. Affordable car rentals are also a part of the Fare Buzz travel deals repertoire which also includes cheap flights, package holidays and reasonable car rentals in addition to cheap hotel rooms.

The Queen City of Cincinnati offers a wide variety of shopping options guaranteed to meet every need and preference. If you enjoy mall shopping, then you will enjoy Cincinnati’s shopping options immensely, for it is equipped with expansive malls like the Kenwood Town Centre. This mall offer a plethora of choices at its main anchor tenant stores like Dillard’s, Macy’s and Nordstrom. These anchor tenants aside, the mall also hosts a gaggle of outlets belonging to well-known brands like J.Crew, Williams Sonoma, the Limited, Ann Taylor, the LOFT, Gap and many more. Onsite at the mall are many popular chain and specialty restaurants along with a food court, dining spots which provide shoppers a chance to grab a bite as they shop up a storm. Similar mall-shopping experiences can be had at other malls in the city like the Northgate Mall and the Cincinnati Mall.

Besides malls, Cincinnati also hosts various other shopping locales like its O’Bryonville district, and its Mt Adam’s neighborhood, both of which offer additional shopping options at their many upscale arts, antique and gift stores. Additionally Cincinnati offers unique shopping experiences at well-known destinations like its Findlay Market, Ohio’s oldest, continuously operated public market which is also happens to be one of the oldest markets in the nation. Findlay Market is located in Cincinnati’s historic neighborhood, Over-the-Rhine which features much 19th century architecture. The market is open year-round and hosts several merchants who sell a variety of products like fresh produce, meat, fish, flowers, cheese, deli and ethnic foods from stalls located indoors at the market. On weekends, from the months of April to November, Findlay market plays host to a farmer’s market which features numerous vendors of fresh produce along with street performers and many other avenues of entertainment.

Yet another food-themed shopping attraction in Cincinnati is the city’s famous Jungle Jim’s international market. This gargantuan supermarket hosts six acres of food and food products within its confines. On offer at this renowned store are countless imported and domestic eats including 10,000 types of wines, 1000 brands of beer, 1600 varieties of cheese and 1000 kinds of hot sauce along with much fresh produce and more. If you enjoy shopping for food, you can’t afford to give this market a miss.

Cincinnati is equipped with a pretty varied dining landscape that features many nationally acclaimed restaurants. The list of ‘best’ restaurants in Cincinnati currently includes innovative eateries like Senate (a gastro pub), Nicola’s (Italian), Via Vite (Italian), Abigail Street (Mediterranean), Cumin (New American), Bouquet (French), Elis Barbecue, Jean-Robert’s Table (French) and Orchid at Palm Court (New American).

Cincinnati, which was named in Esquire magazine as one of the “Top ten cities that rock” offers an invigorating nightlife scene that features bars, dance clubs, cocktail lounges, rock music bars, which offer both locals and visitors a chance to banish the stresses of the work day and relax. Buzzing nightlife haunts in Cincinnati include spots like Northside Tavern, Igby’s(a cocktail lounge), Luxe bar and nightclub, Velvet Red Room(nightclub)Mt Adams Bar and Grill, Longworth’s (a pub), Scene Ultra Lounge, the Comet, and the Abbey(both bars).