Cincinnati is the third largest city in Ohio and offers numerous attractions with its historic architecture, diverse cultural offerings and sports scene. What can you expect from this city, which is also called the “Paris of America”, “Athens of the West” or “Queen City”? Here are some highlights that can make a trip to Cincinnati unforgettable.
Museums in Cincinnati
The Contemporary Arts Center is an art museum in Cincinnati. The building that has housed this museum since 2003 was designed by architect and Pritzker Prize winner Zaha Hadid. The museum does not have a permanent exhibition, but concentrates on new developments in painting, sculpture, photography, architecture and performance art with changing exhibitions. This principle led this museum to exhibit many early works by artists who later became famous, such as Andy Warhol, in the past.
Another very worthwhile destination for art lovers is the Cincinnati Art Museum. This has a collection of more than 67,000 works. Among them are paintings by such well-known artists as Peter Paul Rubens, Frans Hals, Lucas Cranach the Elder and Andrea Mantegna.
Sports facilities
Sports fans can visit several stadiums and arenas in Cincinnati that play baseball, American football, basketball, ice hockey, and soccer. The baseball team of the Cincinnati Reds – five-time winner of the “World Series” – plays its home games in the Great American Ball Park, which has space for more than 40,000 spectators. Even larger is the Paul Brown Stadium with 65,000 seats. This stadium is the home ground of the Cincinnati Bengals American football team. Ice hockey fans can attend Cincinnati Cyclones games at the Heritage Bank Center. Since 2015, football fans have also been getting their money’s worth: In this year, FC Cincinnati was founded, which plays in the 26,000-seat TQL Stadium.
Since 1999, the “Flying Pig Marathon” has taken place every year on the first Sunday in May. A total of more than 30,000 athletes will take part in the weekend’s running events.
Parks in Cincinnati
If you just want to relax with a walk in the countryside, you can stroll through Piatt Park in Cincinnati, the oldest park in the city. Here you can walk in the shade of the trees or see the statues of the two US presidents from Ohio – James A. Garfield and William Henry Harrison.
Eden Park is much more extensive. From here you can overlook the Ohio River and spot the neighboring state of Kentucky on the opposite bank. In this park is the Krohn Conservatory, a well-known greenhouse with a palm garden, bonsai collection, orchid exhibition and tropical house.
Cuisine
Cincinnati has many culinary options, from gourmet restaurants to bars (“Arnold’s Bar and Grill”), ice cream parlors (“The Creamy Whip”) and burger joints (“Zip’s Cafe”). A special regional specialty is Cincinnati chili, a spicy meat sauce used with pasta and hot dogs. The Taste of Cincinnati festival attracts over 500,000 visitors each year. It always takes place in May on Memorial Day. More than 40 restaurants take part in the festival each time with their creations and compete for numerous prizes.
Attractions in Cincinnati
The Music Hall
If you like classical music, you should definitely visit the Cincinnati Music Hall. It is a magnificent building designed in the Venetian Gothic style, completed in 1878 and listed as a historic monument since 1975. In the large main hall, the Springer Auditorium, there is room for more than 2200 listeners. The ceiling of the hall is decorated with magnificent paintings and, since the 1970s, has also been equipped with the now famous Music Hall chandelier, on which there are 96 individual light bulbs. In this grandiose atmosphere, you can enjoy performances by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Ballet or the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra.
Tyler Davidson Fountain
The Tyler Davidson Fountain, also known as the “Genius of Water,” is one of Cincinnati’s landmarks and is one of the most recognizable works by German sculptor August von Kreling. The fountain, built in 1871, is one of the most visited sights in the region. It is located in the center of Fountain Square and is surrounded by hotels, restaurants, shops, and office buildings. The impressive bronze sculpture in the middle of the fountain is 13 meters high.
The Aronoff Center
The Aronoff Center opened in 1995. Here, the inclined culture lover can attend musicals, plays, concerts and stand-up comedy shows. The building was designed by star architect César Pelli.
Oktoberfest Zinzinnati
Oktoberfest Zinzinnati is based on the German Oktoberfest and is considered the largest event of its kind in the USA. Here you can choose from over 100 different types of beer and marvel at numerous fun activities: the dachshund race “Running of the Wieners”, the supposedly “world’s largest duck dance”, the “Cosiness Games” and bratwurst eating competitions.
