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Later this year I have a conference that I have to go to in Urbana, IL and the next weekend, I'm going to a college friend's wedding in Frankfort, KY. Where should I spend the five days in between?
I love bike riding and exploring trains, museums, books stores, trying regional cuisines, meeting new people, and reading in coffee shops.
Cincy. It's a pretty cool city. Has a very cool urban feel north of it's downtown, and some great museums. Not sure I could spend a week there for a vacation...
Indy has the most going on from a tourism perspective, but quite frankly I wouldn't want to be a tourist in any of the cities for more than a couple days. Since they're all so close I say two days in Indy, two in Cincy, followed by a day in Louisville.
I had a nice vacation last year in Louisville and Cincy. A whole week in Louisville is too much, IMO.
1 night in Indy, 1 night in Louisville, 3 nights in Cincy.
Could night # 3 be left open? You might want to spend another day in Louisville.
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Originally Posted by Dawn.Davenport
That's a great suggestion.
Agreed. Assuming that you're not intimidated by driving from Urbana to Frankfort, why not explore all three cities mentioned? Needless to say, any Cincinnati booster (such as myself) could just as easily encourage you to spend five days in the Queen City--but why?
Unless, you have particular interests in any one city (for example, a potential career move, a love interest, friends, or scholastic studies), any midsized American city can be surveyed in less than five days. Even fabled midsized European cities such as Dublin, Edinburgh, Helsinki, etc., require no more than several days to get to know them. Therefore, I suggest you stick with creeksitter's recommendation: yes, do spend more time in Cincinnati, but also explore both Indianapolis and Louisville--and confine your exploration predominately to the cores of these three cities, rather than venturing out here and there into their much less rewarding suburbs.
I definitely agree with checking out all three. Indianapolis is a lot of fun, and probably has the most active downtown of the three, but there's not much to see in the neighborhoods. See some monuments, grab some lunch in Mass Ave, and maybe head up to Broad Ripple if you've got the time. A day there is plenty.
Louisville has fun stuff to see downtown, Old Louisville is worth a drive through, and Bardstown is a fun night out.
If you're interested at all in modern Architecture, you MUST make a pit stop in Columbus, Indiana when going between Indy and Louisville. The American Institue of Architects ranks it the 6th most important city in the nation in terms of architectural heritage, right after DC. It's pretty crazy to see so many significant architects in a town of 44,000.
Cincinnati is my favorite of the three. You can spend a little more time here because there are more neighborhoods to visit. Over-the-Rhine and Mt Adams are must-sees. Mainstrasse, Hyde Park, Northside, and Clifton are worth visiting if you've got the time. The problem with Cincy is it's not very tourist oriented. It's an old city with a lot of history, but it's all hidden in random places.
I just don't find Indianapolis that worthy of even a full day. Check out their mostly chainy downtown, then head up to Broad Ripple (nothing to write home about, but certainly the most interesting neighborhood in that city.)
Louisville and Cincinnati have more to see IMO. Check out Louisville's downtown/riverfront and Bardstown.
In Cincinnati there are a plethora of neighborhoods to check out. From the riverfront through downtown. Go up into the hills and check out Columbia-Tusculum and Hyde Park in the eastern neighborhoods of the city. Also, check out the cultural institutions in and around Mount Adams.
I would split my time up. Depending on what time of year you are going I would check and see what each city has going on that week. 1st week of May Louisville for the Derby. State fair In late August Louisville. Cincinnati has outdoor concerts all summer and fall at Riverbend.The Highlands in Louisville have a lot of little trendy shops and coffee shops. Just don't spend all your time in Frankfort it is very boring there .
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