Cincinnati, Ohio - June 10th to 11th, 2023
We both grew up in Ohio and have driven through Cincinnati many times, but we’ve never stopped before to check out the city. Cincinnati was always the area with lots of traffic that we were always trying to pass through as quickly as possible. Taking the time to stop and check it out changed our whole perspective on the city.
Saturday we switched campgrounds, from the Dayton KOA to the FMCA Campground near Cincinnati. On the way, we toured downtown Cincinnati. We started at the Findlay Market on the north side of the Over the Rhine District. Parking was a little bit of an issue. The parking lots right next to the market (north, south, and west) were packed full and too tight to maneuver Red Tail (our Winnebago EKKO) into. We found another lot, just a couple of blocks away, on Dunlap Street, which was pretty empty. The spaces were a little narrow, but we fit our rig in with no problems. Parking was $10, but for the whole day, as opposed to some of the other lots which were $2 per hour. We were planning on being there for most of the day, so that was not an issue. For this particular lot, you had to use Venmo to pay. Luckily, Keith already had the app set up on his phone.
Findlay Market is Ohio’s oldest continuously operated public market which started in 1855. After walking through the market, eyeing all the goods, we picked out some food for lunch. We settled on a couple of paninis and chips. Keith had the Cuban, while Ann opted for the Italian. Both came with a dipping sauce, very tasty.
It was lunch time on a Saturday and the place was packed. We had to wait a few minutes to snag one of the few tables outside so we could sit down and enjoy our meal.
After lunch, we picked up groceries for the following week. Bacon, pork chops, and fresh vegetables. Some prepared items consisting of fennel salad, roasted beets, and roasted Brussel sprouts completed our shopping. We took our loot back to Red Tail before continuing our walking tour of the city.
Findlay Market is situated in the Over the Rhine (OTR) district which is a working class neighborhood with strong influences from its German immigrant history. The architectural details of the old buildings were interesting.
We passed through Washington Park. It is a lovely, large public space with splash fountains, creative playgrounds, a nice dog park, and refreshment stands. There was some kind of event going on, with recorded music and corn hole tournaments. But the focal point of the place was the massive Cincinnati Music Hall situated on the west side of the park. The impressive brick building was originally built in 1878 and is the home of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, the Cincinnati Opera, the Cincinnati Ballet, and the May Festival which is the longest-running choral festival in the Western Hemisphere.
We continued our walk down past the Cincinnati City Hall. The City Hall is equally as impressive as the Music Hall. City Hall was built in 1893 in the Romanesque style, designed by the same architect who designed the Music Hall.
Our wanderings through the city took us through Fountain Square and down to the Smale Riverfront Park on the Ohio River. The park is flanked by the football and baseball stadiums. Again, the park was a wonderful public space, with playgrounds, bench swings, and landscaped gardens.
Dominating the river view is the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge. In addition to the vehicle traffic, there are sidewalks along each side of the bridge for pedestrians. After enjoying a cold beverage while swinging on a swing, we walked out onto the bridge for some nice views of the Cincinnati skyline and the Ohio River.
On our stroll back to the Over the Rhine district, we stopped at Hello Honey for some ice cream. Keith enjoyed his Banana Honeycomb, while Ann tried the three delicious flavors of Dutch Chocolate, Peanut Butter Brittle Chip, and Mint Cookies.
Our last stop on our walking tour was the Rheingeist Brewery, which was just a block from where we parked Red Tail. The brewery is an interesting place. Their large indoor taproom, up several flights of stairs, can hold a lot of people along with an area for several games of corn hole. We weren’t sure if they served food, but in one corner is a counter for ordering Tex-Mex from Local Cantina.
In addition to the Taproom, there is also a rooftop area, which is up several flights of stairs from the Taproom, with wonderful views out over the city of Cincinnati. In addition to beer, Rheingeist also makes hard cider and what they call RGBevs which are Hard Craft Beverages similar to wine coolers. RGBevs are made with a neutral malt base along with real fruit and other natural flavors.
Keith ordered a Cheetah Lager while Ann tried the Bubbles, an RGBev with peaches, apples, and cranberry. We both enjoyed our beverages from the rooftop, taking in the views. We were visiting more relatives the next day, so we picked up a six pack of the Zango Crush RGBev and a six pack of the Morelos beer, a Mexican style lager with lime.
Our campground for the next two nights was the FMCA Campground in Newtown, just east of Cincinnati. The campground itself is nothing fancy, not much more than a parking lot, for FMCA members only. But members can camp there two nights every month for half price, plus an additional five nights at full price. At half price, the electric-only sites are only $10 per night. The electric-only sites are just parking spots on asphalt, right next to each other. The full hook up sites are a little nicer, with a little bit of grass between the concrete pads along with a picnic table. The full price for the full hook up sites is $30 per night.
There are a few limited amenities such as a dumping station, water, and a dog park, but there are no bathrooms. A gate leads you out of the campground to a 1.4 mile paved walking path that circles a lake. Even though we covered about 8 miles during our stroll around downtown Cincinnati, we walked the loop around the lake. It was not the most scenic, but it was very peaceful. A handful of people were fishing along the shore.
Sunday was spent visiting relatives. On the way back to the campground, we stopped at a Gold Star Chili to try them out. The two major restaurant chains that serve Cincinnati style chili are Gold Star Chili and Skyline Chili. Skyline Chili is the larger chain, with over 100 locations all over Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Florida. Gold Star Chili has less than a dozen locations, all concentrated in the Cincinnati area. We have been going to Skyline Chili for decades. It is one of the places we make sure we visit every time we’re in Ohio or Indiana.
Skyline Chili was started by a Greek immigrant, Nicholas Lamgrinides, in 1949 on Glenway Avenue in Cincinnati. The original building was torn down in 2002. Nicholas’s sons still run the Skyline Chili business. But we had never been to a Gold Star Chili before. Gold Star Chili is very similar to Skyline Chili. Originally, Gold Star Chili was called Hamburger Heaven, but they changed their name when they added Cincinnati style chili to their menu. Just like Skyline Chili, they have the 3-way (spaghetti, chili, and cheese), 4-way (add beans or onions), and 5-way (beans and onions) chili along with coney dogs topped with chili, onions, and cheese. Since Gold Star Chili was originally a burger joint, it also serves hamburgers.
Of course, we ordered our usual at Gold Star so we could compare the two chains. Ann ate a regular 5-way, while Keith had a coney dog along with a regular 4-way with beans. Yes, we know, he gets his coney with onions, but his chili without onions. The waitress even questioned his order, but that’s the way he likes it. Keith thought Skyline Chili tasted better than Gold Star, but Ann thought it was a toss up. Gold Star had slightly different seasonings in their chili and puts a little less cheese on top. So it sounds like we will continue our tradition of visiting Skyline Chili going into the future.
Cincinnati surprised us. It is a lively city with wonderful public spaces and beautiful old architecture. Even though we generally don’t care for large cities, we found Cincinnati a great place to visit. We’ll be back.
Check out our related video: Cincinnati, Ohio
(Ann)