Cincinnati/Over-the-Rhine

Over-the-Rhine (OTR) is the city's largest historic district. It is the location of Music Hall, home of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Opera; Findlay Market, Ohio's oldest public market in continuous operation; the Main Street Entertainment District; and much of Cincinnati's creative arts. Also of note is the Gateway Quarter a rebranded part of the neighborhood which has some of the city's hottest/hippest bars/dining spots between Central Parkway and 14th Street on Vine.
Care should be taken when visiting this neighborhood as crime is more frequent here than in other areas of the city though its going down every year, see stay safe for details. Since the 1980s, the neighborhood has been a battleground between advocates for low income housing and historic preservationists/real estate developers. As a result, the neighborhood is inconsistent in its make up, with high-end housing and shopping within viewing distance of abandoned and decayed buildings with boarded up windows.
This article also covers the adjacent West End. The little bit that survived of this once large densely populated neighborhood would not be notable for travelers except for the Dayton Street Historic District. At its peak in the mid-to-late 1800s, this was a millionaires' row that rivaled Prairie Avenue in Chicago, or 5th Avenue in New York City in terms of wealth. Today it’s more than a bit rundown, but less so than the neighborhood that surrounds it. It’s worth a look for the adventurous traveler. The local soccer club FC Cincinnati, which joined Major League Soccer in 2019, is preparing to build a new stadium in the West End that is planned to open in 2021.

• Old St Mary's

  phone: +1 513 721-2988
  address: 123 E. Thirteenth Street Cincinnati, OH 45202
  Built in 1841, this is the oldest standing church in Cincinnati and was for many years a center for the German-Catholics who called Over-The-Rhine home. For a taste of local culture, attend a mass in German on Sunday's see website for details

• Washington Park

  address: 1230 Elm St
  Originally designed in 1855, replacing what was then a cemetery, this park has pretty much followed the fortunes of Over-The-Rhine, going from a prosperous hub of activity and immigration to a crime filled den of poverty and squalor. Fortunately along with the neighborhood, this park has undergone a major renovation, including interactive fountains designed to go with music selectable by phone app, a beergarden (this is Cincinnati), a large event lawn, playgrounds, and a look that combines a respect for the park's history with modern amenities. Its particularly striking to see at night when the fountains are lit up in different colors, and safety shouldn't be an issue then as there are plenty of security cameras installed to quell any potential issues with the neighborhood. 3CDC who remodeled Fountain Square led this renovation and as a result is programming it with plenty of events throughout the year, see website for details.

• Dayton Street Historic DistrictA millionaire's row from the 19th century rivaling the far more famous ones in New York City (5th Ave) and Chicago (Prairie Ave) giving one a glimpse of Cincinnati's heyday in the mid-1800s. This one is far more intact, but is part of an endangered neighborhood that's seen better days (its a bit seedy). The website discusses the history of the houses in the area, though the Hauck House is no longer a museum. An East Coaster would probably have their jaw hit the floor if they saw the low prices on these wonderful old mansions.

• Betts House

  address: 416 Clark St
  One of the rare survivors of mid-century urban renewal that destroyed the once very densely populated West End, this is the oldest surviving house in Cincinnati (built in 1804) and one of the older brick houses west of the Appalachian Mountains. It houses a museum and rotating exhibitions usually devoted to the history of Cincinnati.

Museums and galleries

• American Classical Music Hall of Fame

  phone: +1 513 621-3263
  address: 1225 Elm St
  The American Classical Music Hall of Fame includes a timeline through classical music (focusing on American classical music) and interactive displays of inductees. The Hall it is in is also worth a look too, as it was built as a memorial to those who perished in the Civil War, in the era close to the height of Cincinnati's prominence.

• Art Beyond Boundaries

  phone: +1 513 421-8726
  address: 1410 Main St
  Art Beyond Boundaries is a visual art gallery showcasing the work of local artists with disabilities. They also have showings at Pendelton Art Center's Final Friday.

• Carl Solway Gallery

  phone: +1 513 621-0069
  address: 424 Findlay St
  Founded in 1962, the Carl Solway Gallery features nationally and internationally known modern and contemporary artists such as Nam June Paik, John Cage, Claes Oldenburg, and Tom Wesselmann.

• Pendleton Art Center

  phone: +1 513 559-3958 ext 1257
  address: 1310 Pendleton St
  Final Fridays at the Pendleton Art Center are "The World's Largest Collection of Artists Under One Roof!" On the final Friday of each month, Pendleton Art Center showcases many floors of local art for those interested in buying or just admiring.

• Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal

  phone: +1 513 287-7000
  address: 1301 Western Ave
  Built in 1933 as the Union Terminal train station, it was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977. The Cincinnati Museum Center is comprised of the Cincinnati History Museum, Museum of Natural History and Science, Duke Energy Children's Museum, and the Robert D. Linder Family Omnimax Theater. If you're a fan of classic comic books, you'll easily recognize Union Terminal as the inspiration for the Hall of Justice.

• Cincinnati Music Hall

  phone: +1 513 744-3344
  address: 1243 Elm St
  The Music Hall is the beautiful home to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Opera, and Cincinnati Ballet. The building was built in 1878 and funded by what's believed to be the first matching grant fund drive in the United States. In 1880, the building hosted the Democratic National Convention. Tours can be arranged through the Society for the Preservation of Music Hall.

• Woodward Theater

  phone: +1 513 721-7625
  address: 1404 Main St
  Built as a movie theater, this remodeled venue features up and coming indie bands that would attract larger crowds than the nearby MOTR pub which has the same ownership.

• Know Theatre

  phone: +1 513 300-5669
  address: 1120 Jackson St
  Nestled in Over the Rhine, this is a theater known for doing less conventional productions. They also run the fringe festival annually.

• Ensemble Theater of Cincinnati

  phone: +1 513 421-3555
  address: 1127 Vine St
  Intimate playhouse hosted in an old bank building in Over-The-Rhine. Generally plays nationally-known plays and regional specials.

• Queen City Underground Tours

  phone: +1 859 951-8560
  address: 1281 Vine St
  A popular and expanding tour run by American Heritage Tours discussing the many buildings that once housed over 130 saloons, bars, beergardens and theaters on Vine Street in Over-The-Rhine's "Gateway Quarter" followed by a trip down into the network of tunnels underneath that at one point were used to age/store beer and even a hidden tomb. Also discussed is Cincinnati's corrupt political history in the 19th century under Boss Cox.

• Cincinnati Brewery District Lager Tours

  phone: +1 513 604-9812
  address: 116 W Elder St
  Tours of the old breweries and the tunnels underneath them that once made Cincinnati one of the largest producers of beer in the United States. Tours are run by the Brewery District Community Redevelopment Corp.

• Cincinnati Heritage Tours

  phone: +1 513 287-7031
  address: 1301 Western Ave
  A number of tours done through out the year (some by bus) showcasing Cincinnati's rich history. This is where you can get the once a year abandoned subway tour, which unfortunately sells out very quickly, leading one to wonder, why don't they offer it more often? Reservations recommended.

Festivals

• BockfestQuirky series of events that celebrate Over-the-Rhine’s history, the coming of spring and bock beer. It usually features a parade in the Main Street Entertainment District on Friday, a nomination of a "Sausage Queen" on Saturday and a series of tours of rarely seen parts of Over-The-Rhine. Performances and other German-related events are also included. Check the website for more details and pricing on tours.

• Cincy Fringe Festival

  phone: +1 513 300-5669
  address: Know Theatre, 1120 Jackson St
  Like Fringe Festivals around the world, the Cincy Fringe Festival showcases the off-beat, the experimental, and the just plain weird. Over twelve days, dozens of plays, musicals, dance productions, puppet shows, and other performances are shown in locations throughout Over-The-Rhine, all within walking distance of each other. Performers range from locals to international visiting troupes. Evening are capped by unique nightly activities at the bar at the Know Theatre Underground.

• MidPoint Music Festival (MPMF)The Midwest's biggest and best independent music festival. Over 300 emerging bands from the U.S. and abroad play all kinds of music in a parking lot in the small Pendleton neighborhood by OTR.

• Findlay Market

  phone: +1 513 665-4839
  address: 1801 Race St
  In Cincinnati's historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, Ohio's oldest continuously operating market offers collection of fresh food vendors, restaurants, and non-food shops that has been in operation since 1855. The market is most lively, and best visited by tourists, on Saturdays around noon. Hang out in the beergarden with local beer on the west side of the market and catch some live music when the weather is good on weekends.

• The Rookwood Pottery Company

  phone: +1 513 381-2510
  address: 1920 Race St
  A highly regarded historic producer of fine ceramics. Due to Great Depression, a dramatic decrease in demand for the company's handcrafted quality artwork caused the original Rookwood Pottery to close its doors. The legendary status of Rookwood Pottery inspired its resurrection in mid-2006. It has moved down to Over-The-Rhine. A company store is next to the Gateway Quarter on 1209 Jackson Street between Walnut and Vine.

• Wooden Nickel

  phone: +1 513 241-2985
  address: 1400 - 1414 Central Parkway
  Antique shop that is notable for accepting goods from abandoned/demolished buildings. As Cincinnati is a very old city that maybe tears down a bit too much of its history there's a lot of great stuff here.

• Park + Vine

  address: 1202 Main St
  Bills itself as a Green General store, this quirky shop is good for everything fair trade and environmentally conscious, even some locally themed T-shirts too. It's a bit of an anchor to the revitalization of OTR and worth a look just for something quirky and a bit unexpected in Cincinnati.

• Another Part of the Forest

  address: 1333 Main St
  An excellent selection of rare Vinyl records as well as rare books and rare movies. Considered a bit of a hidden gem by locals.

• Micah 12/V

  phone: +1- 513-533-1974
  address: 1201 Vine Street
  Gift shop specializing in local craft goods. Expect lots of references to pigs, goetta and other unique cultural quirks to Cincinnati in among the many hand crafted gift items.

• Cincy Haus

  address: 1281 Vine St
  Gift shop for American Legacy Tours, who run the 'Queen City Underground Tours', specializing in Cincinnati memorabilia.

Budget

• Tucker's Restaurant (Over-The-Rhine)

  phone: +1 513-954-8920
  address: 1637 Vine Street
  A second location of the old favorite diner.

• Tucker's Restaurant

  phone: +1 241-3354
  address: 18 E 13th St
  Tucker's has been dishing out food since 1946 and is well-known amongst Cincinnatians. Joe Tucker, the owner, has become famous for socializing with his guests. Tucker's is legendary for being the restaurant to go to for breakfast. Although, it's nowhere near a five-star restaurant, it counts four-star (five-star before he left to open his own restaurant) chef Jean-Robert de Cavel.

Mid-range

• Quan Hapa

  address: 1331 Vine St., Cincinnati, OH 45202
  One of the best Asian fusion places in the midwest outside of Chicago. Get rare for Cincinnati dishes like okonomiyaki and poke, and enjoy Japanese micro brew beer. The atmosphere is hip and communal in a compact place that reminds one of restaurants you could find in San Francisco.

• Senate Pub

  phone: +1 513 421-2020
  address: 1212 Vine Street Cincinnati, OH 45202-7117
  The people at the Senate are self-described "Pushers of beer, wine & gourmet street food" notable reasons to give them a try are the duck fat fries and a line of gourmet hot dogs.

• Taste of Belgium Bistro

  phone: +1 513 381-4607
  address: 1133 Vine St
  Cincinnati's unusually hip take on the Belgian gastropub. Founded by a Belgian expat who was wanting to get the kinds of waffles he could get back home in Cincinnati, this place features delicious waffles of the Liège variety, and other Belgian styled goodies from bon bons to lambic beer. Try the locally inspired goetta crepes for something completely unique!

• Bakersfield

  phone: +1 513 579-0446
  address: 1213 Vine St
  Authentic yet gourmet Mexican street food such as Tacos and Tortas. Modeled after big city gourmet taco places like Big Star in Chicago, this is one of the best places to get Mexican in Cincinnati. They also have a good selection of tequila as well.

• The Anchor OTR

  phone: +1 513 579-0446
  address: 1401 Race St
  Seafood place, with good seafood for an inland city, though the real highlight is the outdoor patio where you can hear concerts from or people watch into Washington Park.

• A Tavola Pizza

  phone: +1 513 246-0192
  address: 1220 Vine St
  Hand made, wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, made in a rare type of oven only found in one other place in the US, very unique and chic.

• Taft's Ale House

  phone: +1-513-334-1393
  address: 1429 Race Street
  An old church in Over-The-Rhine which was saved from demolition and converted into a massive brewpub which pays tribute to one of Cincinnati's most prominent and portly citizens, William Howard Taft. Inside there are a number of creative brews (one of which is a delicious dark ale with coconut for instance) and food with a theme revolving around tritip steak). A temple of beer that is a gorgeous adaptive reuse and testament to Cincinnati's renewed love of its heritage and favorite beverage.

• Nicola's Ristorante

  phone: +1 513 721-6200
  address: 1420 Sycamore St
  Italian fine dining in downtown Cincinnati. Wine list is so-so, but atmosphere and food are excellent.

• The Eagle

  phone: +1-513-802-5007
  address: 1342 Vine Street
  Delicious fried chicken from the people who brought you Bakersfield, of note is that they offer carryout of which on a nice night you can take over to Washington Park and avoid the long waits on Friday and Saturday nights which are endemic to this area.

Splurge

• Salazar

  phone: +1-513-621-7000
  address: 1401 Republic Street
  Highly regarded fancy small plates restaurant featuring the work of famed local chef Jose Salazar. Seating is extremely limited as its in an intimate space off of a side street deep in the revitalized part of Over the Rhine.

The Main Street Entertainment District (on Main Street north of 12th Street) was a popular area featuring many clubs and bars. However the riots did their number on the district forcing just about every bar to close down during the 2000s. This isn't all doom and gloom as, there have been attempts to bring bars back up there with several notable night spots opening up in the last few years such as Neon's and Japp's.

• 16 Bit Bar + Arcade

  address: 1331 Walnut St, Cincinnati, OH 45202
  A bar that has old school arcade cabinets and video game consoles, that attracts a hip crowd in a hip neighborhood. Based out of Columbus, this is the better of Cincy's two barcades with a larger collection of games and a hip geek chic nostalgia theme. Unfortunately, its also the more crowded of the two making weekend night trips kind of difficult.

• Neon's Unplugged

  phone: +1 513 827-9361
  address: 208 12th St E
  Back in the 1980s and 1990s there was a bar filled with Neon Signs that was the cornerstone of Over-The-Rhine's Mainstreet Entertainment District. This bar is now back, and offers a visitor a large selection of craft and local beer, a beergarden with a bocce ball court, and a laid back friendly atmosphere. Live music sometimes is out on the beergarden.

• Japp's Since 1879

  address: 1134 Main St
  Locally renownd mixologist Molly Wellmann along with the people who revived Neons started this classy bar which is the best place in town to get a mixed drink! There is an "Annex" next door which features special events like dance nights, neo burlesque shows and the occasional band

• Schwartz Point Jazz Club

  phone: +1-513-651-2236
  address: 1901 Vine Street
  For 3 nights a week in a not so great part of Over the Rhine been everywhere aging beatnik and accomplished jazz musician Ed Moss serves up some of the best jazz in the Midwest along with his equally talented improv buddies in an otherworldly speakeasy style bar that he lives above. Venue is as intimate and informal as the improvised jazz standards you'll hear. On Tuesdays they offer up a Jazz big band and a complimentary buffet while Friday and Saturday they offer Ed and a few of his buddies doing improv jam sessions. Get a taxi or uber/lyft to go here as this is not in a good part of town (but worth it to the adventurous traveler). A hidden gem!

• Coffee Emporium

  phone: +1 513 300-9185
  address: 110 E. Central Pkwy. Cincinnati, OH 45202
  A locally owned and operated coffee house since 1973. Specializing in artisanal roasted coffee, fine teas, and accessories, as well as a mixed menu of locally made pastries and light meals. Hearkening back to an era before coffee house homogenization, Coffee Emporium is a meeting place of art, ideas, and tastes.

• 1215 Wine and Coffee Bar

  phone: +1-513-429-5745
  address: 1215 Vine Street
  Cosy spot where you can get both fine coffee and fine wine. Good place to hang out while waiting for a table in OTR's Gateway with frequent live music performances.

• Christian Moerlein Brewery

  address: 1621 Moore St
  Greg Hardmann has the goal of becoming Cincinnati's leading contemporary beer baron. In doing this he's revived a lot of dead brands including what was Cincinnati's most famous pre-prohibition beer Christian Moerlein and by reviving the historic Kauffmann Brewery into his own contemporary brewery. Tours and food trucks are also available on site check website for details. Caution, this establishment is a bit north of where most of the revitalization has occurred.

• Rhinegeist

  address: 1910 Elm St
  Rhinegeist is a brewery started by two West Coast entrepreneurs who decided to bring the hoppy styles of San Francisco beer to the Cincinnati area. There are more than hoppy beers available here (including some very good cider) but their emphasis is on IPAs and similar. Of note is that this is in the Old pre-prohibition Christian Moerlien Building which was at its peak one of the largest breweries in the United States, even exporting its beer overseas! The building is expansive and airy, and even sports a rooftop with excellent views of OTR, Downtown and the surrounding hills. Even if you don't like IPAs this is a great visit.

• Bunkhaus (hostel)

  address: 1424 Main St
  This is probably the cheapest place in Cincinnati to stay that's close to downtown. This is a very basic hostel shared-room setup, but generally has received good reviews from the people who stay there.

• Symphony Hotel

  address: 210 W 14th St
  This bed and breakfast has a music theme to match music hall nearby (and Cincinnati's rich musical tradition). It's a bit on the edge of current revitalization efforts, so be cautious, but the location is perfect for a nice evening at Music Hall or whatever event is going on at Washington Park. Due to increased interest in the area, it has expanded.

Over-the-Rhine is becoming a popular destination for locals and tourists alike, but it is still in a transition phase. As of 2015, the safest part of Over-the-Rhine is on Vine Street from Central Parkway to just north of 14th Street at the Cincinnati Color Company building (large sign) and Main Street up to Liberty as well as the area immediately surrounding and including Washington Park (which is monitored security cameras) as far north as Taft's Ale House, and Walnut Street up to 14th street just past the 16 bit bar. These areas is well lit at night, and have constant police presence. Use caution wandering off by yourself in Over-the-Rhine at night as the neighborhood is inconsistent in its makeup. A good rule of thumb for OTR is to stay on the major streets (Vine and Main) and stay south of Liberty. Travel in a group if possible, or call/hail a cab.