%crFountain Square and other Cincinnati, OH Things to Do Tips

This is the signature spot in Cincinnati, a gathering place and focal point in the heart of of the city. The 'Tyler Davidson Fountain, rises 43 feet in the center of the square. It is the oldest sculpture in The Queen City, and is her best known and most loved symbol.

Water streams from the outstretched arms of a 9-foot-tall female figure representing the "Genius of Water." Below, four adult figures dramatize the life-sustaining uses of water and four relief panels depict the industrial uses of water. These are fitting symbols in a river city. Four drinking spouts on the lower tier once held communal cups for pedesterians to use.

The fountain was a gift to the City of Cincinnati in 1871, from local businessman Henry Probasco, in memory of his deceased brother-in-law and business partner. It is the creation of sculptor August von Kreling of Munich, Germany.

The first time I saw the fountain was on a trip from Tennessee to Cincinnati with my Dad and three of my brothers in 1954. I was at fountain square again the last week in June, 2004. The downtown area around the fountain has changed dramatically during the interim, but the fountain itself has endured - just as I always remembered it.

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Address: Corner of 5th and Vine Streets
Directions: In the center of downtown Cincinnati
Website: www.daap.uc.edu/library/archcinci/3fountainsquare.html

One of the cheapest thrills in Cincinnati is the $2.00 admission to the observation deck atop Carew Tower. At 574 feet (49 floors) it is the tallest building in town. Like the Empire State Building in New York, Carew Tower was built during the Great Depression. Construction began Jan. 8, 1930. Workers labored around the clock and the first tenent opened for business less than 9 months later, Oct. 1st of the same year. The tenents have changed, but today the building still houses upscale shops, offfices, restaurants, and a hotel. Although the interior of the building has been updated to modern standards, the outside looks much as it did 74 years ago. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994.

To reach the observation deck you ride a modern elevator up the first 45 stories. From there a rickety telephone-booth-size elevator carries you to the 48th floor, then a gray steel staircase leads up the final floor to the observation deck. We ascended the Tower to see the view on a beautiful clear Saturday afternoon. The 360 degree vistas are the best to be had in the city, along the Ohio River, and into the countryside beyond.

One of the best parts is that the observation deck is seldom crowded, so you could have the views all to yourself. We shared it with only half a dozen other people. Hours are:
Mon. - Thurs. 9:30 - 5:30
Saturday 9:00 - 9:00
Sunday 11:00 - 5:00

Another note: The PNC Bank Building, on the left, was the fifth tallest building in the world when it was completed in 1913.

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Phone: 513-579-9735
Address: 441 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH
Directions: At the corner of 5th and Vine, across from Fountain Square.
Website: www.cincinnati.com/visitorsguide/stories/022701_carewtower.html

When the 1,057-foot-long Cincinnati and Covington Suspension Bridge opened to traffic on December 1, 1866, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. It was completed not long after the close of the Civil War, connecting Cincinnati with Covington, Ohio with Kentucky, and the North with the South.

The designer and builder of the bridge, John A. Roebling, used the Cincinnati bridge as his prototype when he later built the longer and more famous Brooklyn Bridge, which opened in 1883 in New York City. The Cincinnati and Covington Bridge was renamed for its designer in 1984.

Several newer and more modern bridges now span the Ohio River in and around Cincinnati, and the Roebling Bridge carries much less traffic than the others. That's good, because I consider a walk across the old Suspension Bridge a must to fully experience Cincinnati. A wide walkway goes along either side of the bridge and on a recent Saturday I walked across on one side and back on the other. There were a few folk who had put their lawn chairs up near the center of the walkway and were enjoying an afternoon in the sun while they watched the river traffic below.

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Directions: Spanning the Ohio River between downtown Cincinnati and Covington, Kenucky.
Website: www.cincinnati-transit.net/suspension.htm.

Of the nine bridges that span the Ohio River between Cincinnati and Kentucky, this is the only one that is purple. It is also the only bridge dedicated exclusively to pedestrian traffic. The bridge was built in 1872 to carry tracks for the L&N (Louisville and Nashville) Railroad. In recent years, after the railroad no longer needed the bridge, the municipal governments on either side renovated the bridge at a cost $4 million and God knows how many gallons of lavender paint.

On April 25, 2003, the newly renovated Purple People Bridge opened to pedestrians, bicyclists, and skaters. At 17-feet-wide and 2,670-feet-long (just over 1/2 mile) It is one of the longest pedestrian bridges in America. At the Ohio foot of the bridge is Sawyer Point, a Cincinnati riverfront park and venue for numerous festivals and special events. The southern end is in Newport, Kentucky, at that city's wonderful new entertainment complex, Newport on the Levee. The pedestrian bridge provides a seamless collection of dining, nightlife, festivals, parks, attractions and entertainment. The walk across the bridge offers splendid views of the river and the city skylines on either side.

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Directions: From Pete Rose Way in Cincinnati, Ohio, to 3rd Street in Newport, Kentucky.
Website: www.nikibone.com/Purple_People_Bridge

The National Steamboat Monument is topped by the original 30-foot diameter paddlewheel of the American Queen, the largest overnight passenger steamboat to be built in the last half century. The paddlewheel was given to the City of Cincinnati when the steamboat was refitted with a slightly smaller one. Beneath the bright red wheel are two dozen stainless steel columns, or torchiers, built to represent smokestacks. Photo sensers set off steam jets that whistle and hiss through these stacks when a person passes them. The sight and sound is attention getting to say the least.

This monument is a reminder of the steamboat heritage of Cincinnati. At the height of the riverboat era, in the mid 1800s, 8,000 riverboats a year, an average of about 22 per day, docked near this spot.

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Directions: Downtown on the Ohio Riverfront at Cincinnati Public Landing.

The Serpentine Wall is a massive contoured wall of steps forming the boundary to the Ohio River at Yeatman's Cove and Sawyer Point near downtown Cincinnati. The wall has practical as well as asthetic purposes, since the water levels in the river can fluctuate widely. These steps are used as informal bleachers for riverfront events, such as the Tall Stacks festival, and speedboat races. This is also a popular place to just hang out and watch the barges and other river traffic on a beautiful day.

Click on the web link below for a schedule of current or upcoming happenings on the river.

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Directions: At Sawyer Point, downtown on the Ohio River waterfront.
Website: www.sawyerpoint.com

Showboat Majestic is America's last surviving and original intact showboat. The 140-foot vessel was first launched in Pittsburgh, PA, in 1923, and is now owned and operated by the Cincinnati Recreation Commission. This link to a colorful and uniquely American tradition is a floating National Historic Landmark. It is docked at the foot of Broadway, at the Public Landing east of the Great American Ball Park. The boat showcases a series of musicals, comedies, dramas and revues.

Click on the web link below for information on Showboat Majestic's current season. showboat

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Phone: 513-241-6550
Directions: On the downtown Ohio Riverfront.
Website: www.cincinnatilandmarkproductions.com/sbm

The U.S. Bank Arena is the largest indoor venue in Cincinnati, offering up to 17,000 seats for those who enjoy a good show. Everything happens here, from church conventions to rodeos to rock concerts.

Built in 1975 as the Riverfront Coliseum, it has since been named The Crown, Firststar Center, and, since 2001, U.S. Bank Arena. Karen and I were there most recently for a Shania Twain concert. The place was packed to capacity, and on the same evening the Cincinnati Reds were playing a baseball game to a full stadium next door. We were amazed that downtown Cincinnati could provide enough parking spaces for 60,000 people that night, but it did.

This picture of the Arena, and looking beyond across the river into Kentucky, was taken with a telephoto lens from Mt. Adams, one of Cincinnati's seven hills.

By clicking the web link below you can find upcoming events, and also a list of every event that has ever been held at the Arena.

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Phone: 513-562-4949
Address: 100 Broadway, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Directions: Downtown, next to the Great American Ball Park.
Website: www.usbankarena.com

In it's heyday this beautiful old art deco terminal was one of the busiest passenger train stations around. It could handle a maximum of 17,000 passengers and 216 trains per day. The last passenger train pulled out of the terminal in 1972. However, since 1991, Amtrak once again is using the station. Now only six trains a week pass through Cincinnati. It's the "Cardinal," with three weekly trains going west (to Chicago) and three trains going east (to Washington, D.C). Karen and I love railroading. We have traveled in and out of this terminal on several occasions and we hope for the day when America will once again have a more viable railway system.

Union Terminal was begun in August, 1929, and completed in March 1933, as the joint venture of 7 different railways. The rotunda of the building is fabulous - a definite "must see" for those visiting Cincinnati - regardless of their mode of transportation. It spans 188 feet and soars to a peak of 106-feet-high. The walls are decorated with murals which portray the history of Cincinnati and environs.

In addition to the small Amtrak station, the building now is home to the Cincinnati Museum Center, one of the top cultural attractions in tthe Midwest. Inside are:

Museum of Natural History and Science
Cincinnati Historical Museum
Cinergy Children's Museum
Linder Family Omnimax Theater
Cincinnati Historical Society Library

Each of the three museums is a worthy destination within itself, and the Omnimax has a giant wrap-around screen, five stories high, that offers an unending series of spectacular shows. Also, more than 700 special events are held in the Museum Center each year.

Tickets to the different museums vary. Multi-passes for the museums as well as annual passes are a good value. Click the web link below for current details.

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Phone: 513-287-7000
Address: 1301 Western Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45203
Directions: Just west of I-75 in downtown Cincinnati
Website: www.cincymuseum.org

Cincinnati Music Hall is widely regarded as one of the best and most beautiful mucic performance venues in the world. The 3,516 seat Springer Auditorium, with Its extraordinary acoustics and lavish old-world decor, makes any concert here a very special event. The magnificent old building was erected in 1878, with private funds in what is believed to have been the nation's first matching grant fund drive.

Cincinnati Music Hall is home of the Cincinnati Arts Association, and provides rehersal and performance space for a dozen arts institutions, performing groups and companies. They are:

Broadway in Cincinnati
Cincinnati Ballet
Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra
Cincinnati Music Theatre
Cincinnati Mens Chorus
Cincinnati Opera
Cincinnati Playwrights Initative
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
Clear Stage Cincinnati
Contempory Dance Theater
CSO Chamber Players
Ovation Theatre Company

Our favorite of these is the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and we attend their concerts often. Each program has a different theme and there is usually a special guest performer or performers. The conductor, Erich Kunzel, has a wonderful raport with his audience and makes each Pops concert fun.

Click the web link below to learn of upcoming Cincinnati Music Hall performances and events.

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Phone: 513-744-3344
Address: 1243 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45210
Directions: Downtown Cincinnati. Look for exit signs off of I-75 on the north side of downtown.
Website: www.cincinnatiarts.org/venues/musichall