Find the Hidden Gems in Cincinnati
A few weeks ago I asked for advice on Facebook – I was looking for different things to do in Cincinnati, some of the hidden gems. We’ve been there dozens of times as it’s a quick hour and a half from Indianapolis, and it seems like there are at least a few soccer tournaments there each year.
Sure enough, mid-October meant a weekend in Cincinnati for Fall Ball. As it was also our fall break, we headed up early Friday morning ready to discover a new side of the city. Thanks to all your suggestions, we did just that!
1. Shop the Gap Clearance Center
We actually started our day just over the river in Hebron, KY at the Gap Clearance Center. This is to my knowledge the only one of its kind and it’s not an outlet mall, but a true clearance center. There are racks and racks of clothing from Athleta, Gap, Old Navy, and the Banana Republic.
There are amazing deals to be had, but you have to be willing to dig. The boys got tired pretty quickly and went to the car, but my daughter and I scored some bargains. For example, I ended up with a black v-neck t-shirt, two sweaters (one of them Athleta), and an Athleta dress for $35. Yep, only $35. Pretty good shopping, right?
2. Visit the Contemporary Arts Center
After such a win, we headed to downtown Cincinnati to check out CAC – the Contemporary Arts Center. If you like contemporary art, you’ll enjoy this. Of the four of us, I thought it was terrific, but I was in the minority. Really, though, check it out! Best of all it’s FREE! Love that.
3. Check out Findlay Market
Next, we moved a bit north to Findlay Market. Everyone in the family loved this area! We found delicious cheeses, olives, fresh pasta, a wonderful Asian market, wine, and beer. The market also had a variety of fun little stands to grab a bite to eat. We enjoyed a fish taco and sodas as we wandered from store to store.
My favorite shop was the artisan chocolate shop. Talk about amazing chocolates. Yum! Thanks to all who recommended Findlay Market – we loved it and will make a point to stop again whenever we are in the Cincinnati area.
4. Have fun at a brewery
Just down the street from Findlay Market is Rhinegeist brewery. What a brewery! We already knew we loved a few Rhinegeist beers (Press Tart and Bubbles) but now we are huge fans. The brewery is located in a building that is over 100 years old – and that originally held another brewery.
It is located in the district of Cincinnati called Over-the-Rhine. Rhinegeist created their name from that history – it stands for “spirit of the Rhine.” In addition to finding a few new favorite beers (Wowie and Peach Dodo Nitro), we took the brewery tour.
Related post: Why local breweries are the best – this post shares why we always search out breweries when we travel!
This was quite interesting and we got to go down on the actual factory floor instead of just watching through windows from above. It was amazing to see the endless towers of empty cans, watch the beer being canned, and check out the keg filling line. The brewery tour is $6 per person, but you get a token for a pint of beer. Very good deal.
Although this brewery doesn’t serve food (aside from a few snacks), it has a fun vibe with indoor cornhole and pinball machines which the kids loved, and a snazzy rooftop bar which the adults enjoyed. Wonderful experience all around.
The rest of the weekend was soccer and more soccer, but it was definitely fun and worthwhile to enjoy at least an afternoon of experiencing a side of Cincinnati that was new to us!
👉 Extend your time in Cincinnati by staying at the perfectly located and affordably priced Homewood Suites by Hilton
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