Mt. Adams and similar? (Cincinnati, Hamilton: houses, neighborhoods, theater)

[MarketingGuy]

Visiting Cinci in a few weeks for my third time. Trying to find new things to do.

I haven't made it to Mt. Adams yet, but its #1 on my list when I get there to check out.

What other areas, similar, should I see?

[Joe 4520832257]

Nothing is really similar to Mt Adams. Just make sure that you check out Eden Park (with the free Art Museum and Conservatory) in addition to the neighborhood itself.

There are plenty of nice little walkable neighborhood centers nearby East of I-71. Oakley Square, Hyde Park Square, Mt Lookout Square, O'Byronville, Hyde Park East, and so on. However none of them really strike me as tourist destinations. They are neighborhood squares, basically.

On the other side, Ludlow Ave in Clifton (along with the woods) is a nice vibrant little area. But I don't really know where you've been and where you haven't.

[Wilson513]

Mt. Adams really offer nothing more than a sidewalk viewing of high-end homes, most of which cannot really be seen from the sidewalk. There are a half dozen memorable bars and a couple of charming little restaurants. All of which are worth the trip, I guess, if your expectations are not too high.

What Mt. Adams does have is 3 worthwhile public venues: The CAM is one of the very best non specialized art museums in the country. I've been in more than 50 city art museums around the country and outside of New York, Washington, and Chicago, you won't find a better museum. Eden Park has been mentioned. Include the Krohn Conservatory in that. The Playhouse in the Park is an intimate, well run theater. Don't miss it.

[aquila]

Why limit yourself to the city itself? Mt. Adams and Eden Park are great, but they aren't the end-all/be-all of things to see in the region. Unless you simply want to see a bunch of houses along a hillside, you're really not going to find any other similar areas in the tri-state.

Go check out the zoo. Head out to Kings Island. Stop by Jungle Jim's in Fairfield. Drive out River Road to Anderson Ferry, and hop on a ferry to Kentucky. Grab a canoe ride along the Little Miami in Warren County. Check out the fossil beds at Caesar Creek, or visit Lebanon. Go for a hike in Hueston Woods, or take a drive out to Barn 'n Bunk in Trenton.

I'm not in a bad mood when saying all this, so don't take it that way....but I really get tired of everyone thinking the only worthwhile things to see are around the downtown area. Southwest Ohio is so much more than that.

[MarketingGuy]

Oh I'm open to anything. I'm just trying to compile a list of the dining options, etc. Seemed like Mt Adams has some restaurants to check out, and I'd love to find more "walkable" areas that have similar to offer. I'd like to see it all, over the next few years while my family still lives there.

Zoo, Kings Island, Jungle Jim's, and Hocking Hills are already on the list. I'll definitely look into the other things you've mentioned as well!

[Ohiogirl81]

I'll second the Lebanon idea -- a beautiful little hsitoric town loaded with antique stores and other shops, a historic inn called the Golden Lamb, and some nice residential neighborhoods to traipse around in.

[bherman]

Originally Posted by MarketingGuy

Visiting Cinci in a few weeks for my third time. Trying to find new things to do.

I haven't made it to Mt. Adams yet, but its #1 on my list when I get there to check out.

What other areas, similar, should I see?

Have you been to Newport on the Levee. tons of places there to see. Brio's is my favorite, esp. on Wed and Fri nights

[MarketingGuy]

Oh yeah. Getting burnt out of that place already. lol.

[goyguy]

Did somebody say Northside? OK, I will. This is a gem of a city neighborhood in that it's been "discovered" for ten years or so yet hasn't met the ultimate fate of all too many gentrified communities (original residents, and many would-be new ones, priced out of the market along with a lot of the businesses that lent the "flavor" which drew the urban pioneers in the first place.) You reach it by car or bus most easily by taking Ludlow Ave west out of Clifton and across the viaduct. Pass through Knowlton's Corner and you'll be on Hamilton Ave, its main drag.
Northside takes twisted pride in being "Cincinnati's used-appliance capitol," evidenced by the numerous vendors of same. Interspersed right along with these kinds of stores, and neighborhood watering holes, are trendier establishments such as Shake It Records and "hot" restaurants/bars like Melt and The Comet. The side streets are filled with sturdy early-20th-Century houses dwelled in by residents long-standing and recent alike. Flanking the neighborhood to the northeast is Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati's "garden" burial ground, where the city's retail and industrial pioneers found final rest. It's a gorgeous sanctuary for the living, too: 171 acres of wooded and landscaped tranquility.
Visit Glendale (north of the city) and Mariemont (to the northeast) for a taste of Cincy's high-end WASP magnets - "I can say that because I am one," lol. Mariemont is anchored by its town square along Wooster Pike, with a big mock-Tudor building housing shops and offices at the center. There's a branch of local treasure Graeter's (world's best ice cream) in the square, as well as the "hot" Quarter Bistro, a small cinema, and more. The residential sections there and in adjoining Terrace Park are filled with large stately "manor" houses and immeasurably tall trees. Glendale's residents are similarly housed, while they do their boutiquing in Village Square just off Sharon Rd by the railroad tracks. "The" place to wine and dine thereabouts is Grand Finale, so named for its renowned desserts, at Sharon Rd and Congress about a mile west of Village Square. (Their Sunday brunch is incredible.)
Seemingly perpetually poised on the brink of "discovery" is Hamilton, the next county seat north of Cincinnati, along Routes 4 and 127. (Its county is Butler, while Cincy's is Hamilton, go figger.) There's been a lot of renovation/restoration going on downtown, along the banks of the Great Miami River. A few restaurants, shops, etc have opened, enough to easily occupy an afternoon and evening. The latest "draw" to the area is Pyramid Hill, a so-called sculpture park southwest of town on Route 128, chock full of "art installations" placed outdoors.
A lot of people go on and on about Newport on the Levee without mentioning nearby Covington. Covington's where you'll find the grandest (arguably) basilica in the region, as well as the spiffed-up shopping/eating area called Mainstrasse. Although the riverfront area is upgrading only in fits and starts (still plenty of pawn shops and raggedy rowhouses) a couple of "destination" restaurants - owned until recently by the notorious Jean-Robert Cavel - have taken root on Greenup St. Echoing the funky feel of Northside is Pike St southwest of downtown: renovated 1900-era brick buildings with of-the-moment stores and taverns at street level.
Etc etc!

[soozycue520]

Good suggestons, goyguy.

I agree with {and was going to mention} MainStrasse in Covington. Lots of good restaurants, from casual to fine dining, and cute little shops AND great architecture.

MainStrasse Village Association