Short visit to Cincy (Cleveland, Cincinnati: to rent, hotel, house)

[furboll]

HI everyone,
I’m looking to spend a three day weekend in Cincinnati at the end of October. Probably going to see a Bengals game and do some city exploring. I know the airport is in Kentucky which is about a 20 minute ride away, but what I’d like to know is if I should consider renting a car to get around or is the public transportation in ad around the area good enough to get around for the weekend. Other than the actual game, I’m not looking to do anything specifically.

Is the stadium in an area where I would be able to walk around and see other stuff ? For instance is it a “downtown” stadium where there are restaurants and views I could enjoy? How late does stuff generally stay open on a Sunday? I’d be coming in on Saturday so I’d have that whole day to explore with the game itself being the big thing I do while I’m there.

[cincydave8]

If you're only concerned with staying in the downtown area you do not need a car. If you want to go further out you might need a car or just pay for an uber/lyft. But based on the quick trip, I wouldn't rent a car.

Paul Brown Stadium is in a new area called The Banks. There are several restaurants and bars on Freedom Way which connects the Bengals Stadium to the Reds Ballpark. I'd recommend Moerlien Lager House next the Reds Ballpark for dinner. There's also Smale Riverfront Park right there. Really nice new park. Beyond that just ride the Streetcar. Stop at Fountain Square between 5th/6th and Walnut/Vine. Check out the bars along Vine between 6th and 7th and Rooftop cocktail bar on 21C Hotel. Take the streetcar further north where it goes through Over-The-Rhine which is the hippest neighborhood in the city. Check out Washington Park, all the restaurants/bars/shops on Vine Between Liberty and Central. Ride the streetcar further north for Findlay Market. A large open air market that's jam packed on the weekends. Also check out the rooftop bar at Rhinegiest Brewery just a block up from Findlay. Download the Cincy EZRide app on your phone to easily buy streetcar tickets, the kiosk machines suck.

All of that alone should keep you busy. Bars close at 2am, some might close around midnight on Sunday depending on crowds. If you have specific tastes in food or drinking establishments we could shout out some specific places.

[WRnative]

Consider renting a car if you want to visit Dayton, which contains the top tourist attractions in the region IMO.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g...The.World.html

[furboll]

Originally Posted by cincydave8

If you're only concerned with staying in the downtown area you do not need a car. If you want to go further out you might need a car or just pay for an uber/lyft. But based on the quick trip, I wouldn't rent a car.

Paul Brown Stadium is in a new area called The Banks. There are several restaurants and bars on Freedom Way which connects the Bengals Stadium to the Reds Ballpark. I'd recommend Moerlien Lager House next the Reds Ballpark for dinner. There's also Smale Riverfront Park right there. Really nice new park. Beyond that just ride the Streetcar. Stop at Fountain Square between 5th/6th and Walnut/Vine. Check out the bars along Vine between 6th and 7th and Rooftop cocktail bar on 21C Hotel. Take the streetcar further north where it goes through Over-The-Rhine which is the hippest neighborhood in the city. Check out Washington Park, all the restaurants/bars/shops on Vine Between Liberty and Central. Ride the streetcar further north for Findlay Market. A large open air market that's jam packed on the weekends. Also check out the rooftop bar at Rhinegiest Brewery just a block up from Findlay. Download the Cincy EZRide app on your phone to easily buy streetcar tickets, the kiosk machines suck.

All of that alone should keep you busy. Bars close at 2am, some might close around midnight on Sunday depending on crowds. If you have specific tastes in food or drinking establishments we could shout out some specific places.

This all sounds like just enough for what i need. Any recommendations for a cheap hotel? I don't need anything fancy. Just a place to lay my head for a few hours a night and shower. near the area

[cincydave8]

Originally Posted by furboll

This all sounds like just enough for what i need. Any recommendations for a cheap hotel? I don't need anything fancy. Just a place to lay my head for a few hours a night and shower. near the area

Glad I could help. If you literally want just a place to crash I'd look at the Millennium, but don't expect anything other than a room. Other than that I'm not sure on hotel prices. Try Priceline. Enjoy your visit!

[Sarah Perry]

Moderator cut: orphaned

OP, not sure if it's been mentioned on the thread yet, but the Mt. Adams/Eden Park area adjacent to downtown features a beautiful urban park and number of watering holes and restaurants, along with our art museum which is probably not considered world-class but certainly worth a visit if that's your thing.

[Nomomo07]

Moderator cut: orphaned

To the OP, I'd highly recommend visiting the Contemporary Art Center downtown on 6th st. It has rotating exhibits, so there is something new every three months or so and it is in a very interesting post-modern building. It is also in the vicinity of two of the best restaurants in town, Boca and Sotto. Rather expensive, but you won't find better food anywhere else. Rhinegeist Brewery and Taft Ale House near the nothern end of the Streetcar line are also must stops.

I'll echo the advice given earlier. If you are planning on staying in and around downtown, a car wouldn't be necessary. If you'd like to go further afield, you will definitely want to rent a vehicle. I think renting the car could be of real benefit, because it gives you a great deal more flexibility. Cincinnati has a lot of lovely unique neighborhood business districts, but they take a bit of driving to get from one to another.

[Nomomo07]

Originally Posted by Sarah Perry

Your points about Dayton's aviation history are well-taken, BUT it's a fairly specific and relatively narrow area of interest. As far as I can tell, the original post gives no indication that the OP was looking for information for their short visit outside of the immediate downtown area. Much less considering fitting in a trip as far away as Dayton.


OP, not sure if it's been mentioned on the thread yet, but the Mt. Adams/Eden Park area adjacent to downtown features a beautiful urban park and number of watering holes and restaurants, along with our art museum which is probably not considered world-class but certainly worth a visit if that's your thing.

It is most certainly a world-class art museum, with a collection of over 60,000 pieces from a period covering six thousand years of human history. I've been to museums all over the world and ours is certainly a peer institute. Cleveland's is the best in the state but Cincinnati is a close second.

[Sarah Perry]

Originally Posted by Nomomo07

It is most certainly a world-class art museum, with a collection of over 60,000 pieces from a period covering six thousand years of human history. I've been to museums all over the world and ours is certainly a peer institute. Cleveland's is the best in the state but Cincinnati is a close second.

Yeah, I guess world-class is kind of a vague term. I think our museum is great, although I don't believe it's on a par with ones like Chicago, Philadelphia, or Cleveland. But this is probably a topic for its own thread

[ms12345]

Since you will be downtown you may enjoy the riverfront parks. Also a walk over the pedestrian bridge to Newport is always nice. They have some good restaurants there as well. We enjoy the occasional meal at Hofbräuhaus in Newport. It's a casual German restaurant easily walked to from downtown. The food is good.