Chartered as a village in 1803 and settled as a city in 1829, Cincinnati became the sixth most populous city in the US by 1840. It has gone by many names and is famous for a number of things including the nickname Porkopolis in 1835 for its hog packing center, “Queen of the West” in the 1820s, a crucial stop on the Underground Railroad as the southernmost north city of the Civil War, the first American city to have a Jewish hospital (1850), the first municipal fire department (1853), and the first fully professional baseball team with the Cincinnati Reds in 1869.
Most of that fame dates back to the 19th century, below we’ve compiled a list of what is happening here and now in Cincinnati:
Art – Cincinnati Art Museum is one of several art museums in the area but offers several distinctive with exhibitions, events, a built-in cafe, and the art climb.
Baseball – The Cincinnati Reds are America’s oldest baseball team. Founded in 1869 they are debatably the oldest professional sports team.
Breweries – Cincinnati has a long legacy of brewing beer and that tradition is alive in well in Rhingeist, Tafts, Madtree, Brink, 50 West, Braxton, or dozens of others.
Chili – Some may not recognize it as chili, but it is a Cincinnati specialty that goes atop spaghetti or hot dogs. There are nearly 200 chili restaurants in Cincinnati with chains like Skyline, Goldstar, and Blue Ash as well as countless family-owned restaurants.
College Sports – Cincinnati is home to the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University‘s basketball teams, both of whom are perennial top 25 teams and usually play in the NCAA Tournament each year.
Donut Trail – Cincinnati-adjacent is Butler County which is home to the donut trail. Purchase a passport and experience over a dozen bakeries in the Cincinnati area.
Findlay Market – An historic market in Over-the-Rhine that has breakfast, lunch, and dinner options with a market for fresh produce and a craft beer garden.
Graeter’s – Cincinnati’s hometown brand for premium ice cream. Founded in 1870 and famous for its enormous chocolate chips. Graeter’s distributes nationally through select grocery stores, but there isn’t any quite like eating in one of their 50 retail locations.
Goetta – A unique meat to Cincinnati served at lots of local diners for breakfast and celebrated annually at Goettafest.
Jungle Jim’s – A one-of-a-kind international market and grocery store that has classes, tastings, and the widest variety of food you can find anywhere. It even has its own monorail system!
Larosa’s Pizza – A pizza chain and Italian restaurant that began in 1954. It has expanded regionally through Dayton, Central, Ohio, Northern Kentucky, and Southeast Indiana with more than 60 locations.
MLS – Cincinnati’s newest professional sports team is FC Cincinnati which entered Major League Soccer in 2018.
Murals – A casual drive downtown will reveal a vast collection of building-sized murals throughout the city.
Nippert Stadium – One of the oldest college football stadiums in the country for one of the first college football teams in the country. Home of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats football program and the initial stadium for FC Cincinnati.
Oktoberfest – Cincinnati has the largest Oktoberfest celebration in the country and the second-largest in the world.
Pops and Symphony Orchestras – Both the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra are full-sized historic orchestras that play in the historic Cincinnati Music Hall.
Presidential – The Cincinnati area is home to US presidents William Howard Taft, Ulysses S. Grant, William Henry Harrison, and Benjamin Harrison.
Rollercoasters – While it has changed ownership over the years, Kings Island is an amusement park that boasts several records for rollercoasters including the longest wooden coaster, longest inverted roller coaster, and first wooden roller coaster with a loop. Kings Island has hosted episodes of The Partridge Family and The Brady Bunch as well as live stunts from Evel Knievel.
Smale Riverfront Park – A relatively new park on the river that is fun for all ages. This beautiful park has lots of activities for kids and is near The Banks development and the Reds and Bengals stadium. It is scenic, fun, and free! To see more parks, read our guides to Cincinnati Parks and Hamilton County Parks.
Underground Railroad Freedom Center – This nationally renowned museum celebrates Cincinnati’s important history in the Underground Railroad, but keeps fresh content coming each year to continually engage the city.
Zoo – Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden is consistently rated as one of the top zoos in the country. As recently as 2020, it was rated the second-best zoo in the country from USA Today’s 10 Best.
If you’re new to town or relocating to Cincinnati we hope this guide has been helpful. If you’re looking for a place to rent or have property that needs to be managed for renting visit www.cincyrents.com
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