You can find plenty to get excited about in Cincinnati.
Visiting a historical town doesn’t have to mean that you’re buying a ticket to Snoozeville. Cincinnati beats with a historical heart, but its stories are much more interesting than the ones that you read in high school textbooks. Even if those classes sent you to sleep, you can find plenty to get excited about in Cincinnati.
Places with high historical standing
Other cities might boast of their historical attractions, but many of them are all bluster. There are 251 Cincinnati landmarks on the National Register of Historic Places, so you know that this Ohio city is the real deal. They include the terracotta-tile-covered Doctors’ Building, the dramatic Cincinnati City Hall with its nine-story clock tower, and the beautiful, Gothic-style Covenant First Presbyterian Church. Hipmunk.com’s map search can help you easily find Cincinnati hotels near these landmarks and many more.
Beautiful, historic hotels
Why just look at Cincinnati’s historic sites when you can stay in one? There are many historic Cincinnati hotels that have much more charm and character than the big chain establishments.
When the Cincinnatian Hotel opened in 1882, it was the tallest building in Cincinnati. At that time it was called the Palace Hotel and had 300 guest rooms and shared bathrooms. Understanding changing modern tastes, the hotel downsized to a more intimate 146 guest rooms, which all include private bathrooms with oversized Roman bathtubs.
Like the Cincinnatian Hotel, the Best Western Mariemont Inn and the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza are also protected by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
A rich brewing history
Tourists and locals walk the streets of Cincinnati every day, unaware that there’s a massive brewing infrastructure underneath their feet. A network of lagering caverns and tunnels used by local brewers for storing their wares in the days before refrigeration are buried 30 to 40 feet under the ground.
The underground maze was largely forgotten until the Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine walking tour began taking visitors down below. Sadly there’s no more beer to be found there today, but there’s plenty of it above the surface. Local craft breweries such as Rhinegeist Brewery, Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, and Christian Moerlein Brewing Co. are following in the footsteps of the grand brewers who came before.
An airport with a colorful past
Most travelers take it for granted when they board flights to Cincinnati. However, it’s taken some time for Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky Airport to become one of the Midwest’s busiest business centers. President Franklin Roosevelt approved funding for the airport to replace Lunken, which was prone to heavy fog and floods, way back in 1942.
It began as a military airfield, a place for B-17 bombers to practice during World War II. However, when the war ended, the airport readied itself for commercial services. It welcomed its first commercial flight, an American Airlines plane from Cleveland, in January 10, 1947. And it hasn’t looked back since.
If you want to be part of the airport’s ongoing history, read the Flights to Cincinnati guide that I wrote on Hipmunk.com.
Do you prefer Cincinnati’s more modern side or its historical roots? Make sure that you share your views with others below!
Bio:
Lauren Katulka is a happily married freelance writer living on Australia’s Central Coast. When she’s not playing around with words, she loves roller skating, spending time in the kitchen, watching indie films, and cuddling her Devon Rex cat, Gizmo.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
