Things to do in Cincinnati?

June 2, 2010 8:44 AM

We (a literate, slightly boho, slightly arty, middle-aged couple) will be in Cincinnati next weekend for a reunion of his Army company. I will be spending some time alone sightseeing. What sights/attractions/events (like museums, bookstores, libraries, plays, concerts) are not to be missed? And what are some great restaurants? We'll be there from Thursday night through Saturday night. We'll be in bed by eleven or so every night, so no recommendations of dance clubs are necessary, although we do like jazz and other music of most kinds.
posted by Jenna Brown to travel & transportation around Cincinnati, OH (12 answers total)

I was in Cincinnati for a wedding a few months ago, and here's what I enjoyed:

-Contemporary Arts Center: This was really cool and I'd highly recommend it. The Shepard Fairey exhibit was good. The upstairs tactile kids section was really fun for grownups too.

-Graeter's Ice Cream: Raspberry chocolate chip.

-Tonic On Fourth: High end cocktails. We went around 9 or 10 PM on a Saturday night and it was surprisingly chill and quiet. My friend and I were able to carry on conversation at a normal volume. Good high end (and seasonal!) cocktails, which I wasn't expecting in Cincinnati. There was a DJ somewhere towards the back, but there was no dancing/loud horrible thumping bass etc.

-Krohn Conservatory: Pretty flowers.

-We had drinks at the Nederlander Cincinnati Hotel. The cocktails weren't super amazing (how do you screw up an old-fashioned?!) but the space was gorgeous and there was a live jazz band. The music was more like jazz with tolerable vocalist playing the standards than something I'd make a point to go and see, but it was a nice ambiance.
posted by soleiluna at 9:22 AM on June 2, 2010

I grew up in Cincinnati, and here's a few places I've always enjoyed (and tend to visit when I'm back to see family):
Museums -
Since you said you're artsy, the Cincinnati Art Museum and Contemporary Arts Center are great art museum. The CAC even has a Shepard Fairey exhibit right now.
Libraries & Bookstores -
The Mercantile Library is a beautiful, historic subscription library. Also, Joseph-Beth Booksellers is a big semi-local bookstore that has authors in a few times a week for events.
For restaurants, there's a lot of good eating in Cinci - if you're looking for somewhat nicer places, the Cincinnati Magazine's annual 10 best list is a good place to start.
Last, CityBeat is the areas good local indie weekly - you should be able to find listings for most things that are happening. They also have a yearly "best of" for all things in town that's also on their website.
posted by dicaxpuella at 9:25 AM on June 2, 2010

My wife's a Cincy native, so here's what I like when I visit.

Food:
Skyline Chili - Best place to try Cincinnati style chili
Graeter's Ice Cream - Good, local stuff

Places:
Ludlow Ave in Clifton - a eclectic neighborhood with shopping next to Burnet Woods park, near UC
Cincinnati Zoo - Near Clifton, it's a fun little zoo to wander in...
Cincinnati Museum Center - In an old train station, a nice museum with an Imax theater
Underground Railroad Museum - Haven't been there, but I'm told it's good
Serpentine Wall - Good place for a walk by the river
City View Tavern - Nice little bar with view of the city, duh...
posted by Argyle at 9:30 AM on June 2, 2010

Carew Tower has a nice view of the city.

Are you going to be downtown? Your location would determine my restaurant recommendations.

CityBeat, our alternative weekly, always has a great, comprehensive list of goings-on about town. It's published on Thursdays, so you can go online next week (right? or this weekend?) and see what's going on.
posted by cooker girl at 9:42 AM on June 2, 2010

It may or may not be your thing, but the Cincinnati Fringe Festival runs through Saturday the 12th...

There's also a Shepard Fairey exhibit at the Contemporary Arts Center and a dozen or so new murals around town.
posted by TuxHeDoh at 9:44 AM on June 2, 2010

You have lots of good advice above and I'll echo the request to know where your home base will be during your visit. If you are downtown, there is a Graeter's location directly on Fountain Square. Besides the top 10 list above for food you can't go wrong with nada which serves upscale contemporary Mexican food and has some nice outdoor seating across the street from the Contemporary Arts Center. The crispy pork belly tacos are not to be missed. Another place for dinner down the street is Bootsy's which is a collaboration between the Funk musician Bootsy's Collins and a local restaurateur. The cuisine is a mix of Japanese and Spanish and the place is decorated in only described an intergalactic funk ashram. Also nearby if you want swank, dark, ultra-lux steak, then Jeff Ruby's is where it is at. For nearby cocktails I really like The Righteous Room for happy hour (it may get too loud late...and the prices double). If you are more of a beer or Scotch fan then Nicholson's have you covered with an extensive selection of each and very knowledgeable bartenders.

In addition to the Contemporary Arts Center and the Cincinnati Art Museum, there is the Taft Museum of Art. It is located on the south-eastern edge of downtown within walking distance.
posted by mmascolino at 10:42 AM on June 2, 2010

Argyle: "Cincinnati Museum Center - In an old train station, a nice museum with an Imax theater"

I'll second this recommendation (Cinti is my hometown). The museum is also known as Union Terminal, from its train station past. It's a beautiful old building (you have to see the main rotunda), and a great set of museums. Inside there's a natural history museum, an American history museum, and a children's museum.
One small correction though - the theater is not technically an Imax, which is a huge flat screen. It's actually called Omnimax, which is a giant DOME screen (which is pretty darn cool). They normally have one or two documentaries playing, which often relate to any special exhibit they've got going on.
posted by Gordafarin at 10:47 AM on June 2, 2010

Having recently read the fascinating The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge, I would immediately head for the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge.
posted by neuron at 11:13 AM on June 2, 2010

Our current favorite restaurant is Local 127, which is attached to Tonic on Fourth. Also love Orchids' at the palm court; the palm court is in the Hilton Netherland Plaza and is the most amazing space -- would certainly check it out. For Jazz, there is the blue wisp jazz club. Country/folk/pop/rock stuff happens regularly at the Southgate house in Northern Kentucky. If it's the afternoon, you might consider Northside, which houses Shake It Records, Take the Cake Cafe (amazing menu changes daily, can be seen on Twitter), Melt (more awesome lunches), and other random stuff. The parks along the river are great. The Underground Railroad Freedom Center is nice. The (first place!) Reds might be in town. The Newport Aquarium is fun, but if it's hot it might be overrun with kids, especially if its the weekend. There is the Classical Music Hall of Fame. Playhouse in the Park has generally awesome performances, and they've got shows going on. The butterfly show at the Krohn Conservatory is great. The Arnoff performing arts center is showing Dreamgirls, and that link will also show you performances of a contemporary dance performances. Cincy Shakespeare is performing the complete abridged works that weekend.

Damn, I'm gonna need a babysitter that weekend.
posted by dpx.mfx at 11:23 AM on June 2, 2010

Also: Harry Connick at Riverbend (probably won't get you to bed by 11, though). Hang out at the gigantic pool at Coney Island. The Zoo has a new Dragon exhibit that looks fun (and the zoo is great, anyway).
posted by dpx.mfx at 11:29 AM on June 2, 2010

We (a literate, slightly boho, slightly arty, middle-aged couple)

You just described the inhabitants of the Clifton neighborhood. Go, as Argyle suggests, to Ludlow Avenue and walk around for a while. There's a good arthouse movie theatre (slightly less arty in recent years, but still better than the AMC in Newport, KY), lots of Indian restaurants (I recommend Amol, but Ambar is good, too), some funky, arty, shops, and good people-watching. And yes, go to Graeter's and Skyline.
posted by coppermoss at 11:50 AM on June 2, 2010

Cincy native here. Graeter's, Skyline, Ludlow, LaRosa's Pizza, Clifton, Contemporary Art Center, Cincinnati Zoo, Mt. Eden, Shake It Records, Roebling Bridge, Krohn Conservatory, Fringe Festival, Fountain Square, Carew Tower, Cincinnati Museum Center, Hofbrauhaus (technically Newport, KY, but it's literally across the river).

If Cincinnati chili is your thing, there are lots of other chili restaurants to try. My favorite besides the usual go-to Skyline, I really enjoy the taste of Dixie Chili. It's also in northern Kentucky, but like I said, it's a hop-skip-and a jump from the river.
posted by ThaBombShelterSmith at 1:39 PM on June 2, 2010