The 10 Best Places in Greater Cincinnati to Take Visitors, According to Our Readers

By Katherine Barrier on Mon, May 13, 2024 at 12:04 pm

Every year, CityBeat publishes the Best Of Cincinnati®, wherein readers and staffers alike pick which bars are the booziest, which people are the coolest and which shops are your best bet for dropping a pretty penny. It's getting warmer out, and graduations, weddings and vacations mean Cincinnati will be playing host to tons of out-of-town visitors. And when you have family or friends coming to see you, you'll want to show the Queen City off. From riverfront parks to historic markets and beacons of Cincinnati's history and culture, here are the 10 best places to take your visitors, according to CityBeat readers.

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Photo: Devin Luginbill

No. 8 Best Place to Take a Visitor: Cincinnati Museum Center

1301 Western Ave., West End
Must See: The Cincinnati History Museum. Take a step back in time and see everything that helped shape our city. First, you’re greeted by Cincinnati in Motion, an enormous miniature replica of downtown Cincinnati from the 1900s-1940s, complete with historic landmarks like the Roebling Bridge and Crosley Field and the nation’s largest S-scale train model. Farther in the exhibit is a recreation of Cincinnati’s bustling public landing in the late 1850s, complete with a replica steamboat you can walk onto.

Photo: facebook.com/cincinnatiartmuseum

No. 10 Best Place to Take a Visitor: Cincinnati Art Museum

953 Eden Park Drive, Mt. Adams
Must See: The Cincinnati Wing. It’s filled with paintings from Covington-born artist Frank Duveneck; vases, fireplaces, fountains and more from Rookwood Pottery; locally made, antique furniture; and various other works of art from artists from or connected to the Queen City.

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Photo: facebook.com/cincylibraryfriends

No. 9 Best Place to Take a Visitor: The Friends of the Public Library Warehouse

8456 Vine St., Hartwell
Must Do: Spend hours in the stacks of this used bookstore, exploring everything from contemporary literature to vintage classics and nonfiction spanning every inch of the Dewey Decimal system. Friends of the Public Library also has other media, like CDs, DVDs, vinyl records, magazines, games and puzzles, for sale.

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Photo: Hailey Bollinger

No. 7 Best Place to Take a Visitor: The Banks

150 E. Freedom Way, Downtown
Must Do: Enjoy a meal with a view at Moerlein Lager House or The Filson, then bar-hop your way through The Banks at places like Fishbowl at the Banks, Jefferson Social, The Red Leprechaun, Holy Grail Tavern and more. The AC Upper Deck is a rooftop bar with fantastic views. The area is also a DORA (designated outdoor refreshment area), so you can walk around, drink in hand. Finish the night with pizza and dancing at Killer Queen.

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Photo: Scott Dittgen

No. 6 Best Place to Take a Visitor: Smale Riverfront Park

166 W. Mehring Way, The Banks
Must Do: Stroll along the riverbanks and appreciate the view. You can also walk or bike the entire trail from the park through Sawyer Point, Yeatman’s Cove and Friendship Park. If you have kids, the playground at Smale is super cute, and if it’s warm out, the splash pads will be running. When you need a break, rest a while on the swings overlooking the river.

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Photo: Ron Valle

No. 5 Best Place to Take a Visitor: Cincinnati Reds game

100 Joe Nuxhall Way, The Banks
Must See: Obviously go and enjoy the game, but also take the time to visit the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum if you can. Not only can you see exhibits highlighting the history of America’s oldest professional baseball team, but you can join guided tours of Great American Ball Park during certain days and hours.

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Photo: Hailey Bollinger

No. 4 Best Place to Take a Visitor: Over-the-Rhine

Must See & Must Do: Washington Park for a relaxing afternoon. Enjoy a drink at The Porch bar or pack a picnic to enjoy on the lawn. There are often live music events happening here in the warmer months, as well as vendor pop-ups during the weekend. Across the street, you can enjoy an incredible performance from arts companies like the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Pops, Cincinnati Ballet and more. Also, take time to take in the architecture throughout OTR: It’s the most intact historic district in the United States.

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Photo: junglejims.com

No. 3 Best Place to Take a Visitor: Jungle Jim’s International Market

5440 Dixie Highway, Fairfield (We recommend going to this one to enjoy the full effect of Jungle Jim’s kitsch factor); 4450 Eastgate S. Drive, Eastgate
Must See & Must Do: Just let the enormity of Jungle Jim’s wash over you. Explore each and every aisle: there’s one with a ton of cheeses and other charcuterie must-haves; one dedicated to hot sauces; one packed with a variety of soda flavors (and variety is putting it mildly; there are flavors you never knew existed); and a huge number of aisles featuring snacks and foods from a ton of different countries like Thailand, Japan, England, Sweden, Mexico and South Africa — just to name a few. Also, take the time to have a drink at the bar.

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Photo: Michelle Peters/Provided by the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

No. 2 Best Place to Take a Visitor: Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

3400 Vine St., Avondale
Must See/Must Do: Of course you need to go to Hippo Cove and see Fiona, Fritz and the rest of their family. Also, take a spin on the new animal-themed carousel and sit down and enjoy one of the zoo’s daily Animal Encounters.

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Photo: Hailey Bollinger

No. 1 Best Place to Take a Visitor: Findlay Market

1801 Race St., Over-the-Rhine
Must See/Must Do: Schedule one of Findlay Market’s tours to get the full effect of this beautiful historic market. There are free bi-monthly tours, self-guided tours, a basic tour and one that allows you to sample some of the food. And, obviously, just eat to your heart’s content: cheese from The Rhined, bread from Blue Oven Bakery, gelato from uGO Gelato — and that’s not even scratching the surface.

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