Being architecture fans, we stopped here to check out the building, and noticed a sign for a free…read moretour. We randomly showed up at 1:30 and our tour guide was Robbie. We were the only two people on the tour. She told us that sometimes she said up to 35 people. It was amazing. We got to go into all kinds of rooms that are not publicly available. She also told us about an upcoming tour where there is a fee where you can actually go up inside of the rotunda area. It lasted just over an hour and our dose was filled with fax and information. I have a greater understanding for Cincinnati, the train industry, and the main artist that did the mosaic and the paintings. Highly recommend.

We just went to the Union Terminal to see the architecture. We were not planning to go to any of…read morethe museums. We knew we were paying six dollars to park but we thought it would be worth it. The architecture is unbelievable. What we didn't realize is that they were giving free tours of the rotunda. We went on the tour with Robbie which lasted over an hour and it was fascinating tour behind the scenes. She did a great job of giving the history, talking about the architecture and it's life as a train station. It was very educational and super worth our time and certainly worth six dollars to park. Highly recommended if you are a fan of architecture and history.

A very beautiful, well-maintained bridge out in the countryside, not too far from Cincinnati. The…read moreapproach from either side of the bridge is a nice, barely more than one lane road. There is no place to park near bridge to take photos but luckily the road is quiet enough to drive through slowly and admire the bridge. Clearly the locals have had problems with people pulling off the side of the road on to their property as there are no parking and private property signs all around. I considered parking at a nearby church and walking to the bridge but I was a little concerned about walking on the road with a couple blind corners.

The East Row Historic District in Newport is the second largest historic district in Kentucky!…read moreIt is a peaceful area lined with wonderful historic mansions and lots of trees, greenery and small parks. The best kept secret in the area: it is where a lot of Fairies and Elves cohabitate with humans. Some amazing artist started the tradition of placing Tiny Doors in the neighborhood. The idea got so popular, that now the population of Fairies and Elves increased and it is a pure JOY to walk around and notice the cute little doors everywhere. A wonderful idea for the little ones to go for a Tiny Doors hunt. I highly recommend for both adults and the kids. It is an amazing local initiative that brings a smile to Everyone's face!

There's more to Cincinnati Museum Center than meets the eye. The Geier Center is home to all the…read moreadditional artifacts not on display at the museum. Archived are over 350,000 Cincinnati history artifacts and over 3.2 million items total. While not open to the public, historians and researchers can make an appointment to visit the facility. The state of the art building is climate controlled and receives new materials on a regular basis. Citizens are encouraged to donate any unwanted historical items to the Geier Center. They even have a saying: "If you're going picking, pick for us!" Artifacts include items from: the settlement of Cincinnati, the Civil War, machine tool industry, 1800s Presidential campaigns, 1800s everyday household items, early medicine, brewing, railroads, early broadcasting items, historic clothing and decorative fine arts. Other collections include artifacts about science and natural history. The Geier Center staff also share interesting historical tales, such as: - Local barbers often doubled as the dentist. He not only cut hair, but pulled teeth and did minor surgeries on people. He had a lot of bloody rags after the procedures and would wrap them around poles outside his establishment. Thus originated the red and white barbershop signage. If you would like to see new exhibits at Cincinnati Museum Center featuring fresh artifacts from the Geier Center, write letters to those in charge. Suggestions from the public are always welcome. - Doug McDonald, President & CEO - Sandy Shipley, Vice President of Exhibits Cincinnati Museum Center 1301 Western Avenue Cincinnati, OH 45203

Without this charming centerpiece, MainStrasse would lose a bit of its Germanic essence. The…read morefountain is based on the Grimm fairy tale of a mistreated princess who is mistaken for a goose girl. According to the tale, a princess was destined to marry a prince in a far away land. The girl's mother tearfully sent her away (along with a malicious chambermaid) with a handkerchief stained with three drops of the queen's blood. Along the way, the ill-fated princess dropped the handkerchief into a stream of water, losing her royal powers along with it. Her evil servant took advantage of the opportunity by pretending to be the princess. The true bride was sent away to work on a farm tending to geese. Each day, goose girl cried of her woes as she unbraided her hair. Finally, the farmer realized that she was the true princess, brought her to the king, where she married the prince and lived happily ever after. However, in true Brothers Grimm fashion, the fate of the deceitful servant is less charming. The king asked the chambermaid as a riddle how one should punish a servant who had behaved as she actually had, to which the false princess replied, "She deserves no better fate than to be stripped stark naked, and put in a barrel that is studded inside with sharp nails. Two white horses should be hitched to it, and they should drag her along through one street after another, until she is dead." "You are the one," said the old king, "and you have pronounced your own sentence. Thus shall it be done to you." Yikes! Now that's some bedtime story. Now, every time I pass by the sweet little goose girl, I'll have to think of the tortured chambermaid as well.

I am so excited that the Goose Girl Fountain is turned on for the season again! For me, this is a…read moretrue sign that summer is almost here. I think that this fountain adds so much to the promenade. This past weekend I picked up pastries and coffee from local restaurants and sat on the steps of the fountain to enjoy my breakfast. I had a great view of the promenade, and it was a wonderful start to my weekend!

Bringing people together for nearly ninety years. Whether you go to the Taft, the Scottish Rite…read moreAuditorium or Ballroom at the Taft, Founder's Hall or any other place in the building's 350,000 square feet, you will be transported to a bygone era of beauty and architecture. Are parts of it dated? Absolutely: just adds to the building's endearing charm! Parts of the building are available for rental for that special occasion.

What a beautiful old building. I have had a chance to attend a couple of meeting in the Masonic…read moreTemple and taken a tour afterward. It has seem to be such a secretive place for so long it is nice that it is opening up more for outside events. There are a variety of rooms for meetings and receptions. There is even a chapel. There are also 2 auditoriums, which will be used for the world choir games. It has such a historical old world feel inside the place, older than the building is. For the world choir games, besides some of the newer theatre's it is great that we do have some older (although still young by most of the world standards) auditoriums to show off. If you get a chance to visit the masonic temple, try to see if you can get a tour, it is well worth the visit and an option for a special event or a work meeting, it you want something that is different and full of history.

I am a presidential history "nerd". I've read a biography on each president in order (currently…read morereading F.D.R.), and my bucket list includes visiting all their birth and burial places. I also make it a point to visit presidential libraries, national historic sites, etc. I've visited DOZENS of locations spanning multiple states. WHH's burial place is impressive. It sits atop a small hill overlooking the Ohio River. I was impressed with well-maintained grounds. I'm always impressed when I go to a location like this and it's not totally covered with graffiti. I am also really impressed the tomb is open to the public; you can literally walk inside, sign a guestbook, and see WHH's resting place. It is a remarkable monument and I visited on a beautiful day. It's definitely worth your time. My only issue: I thought the information board "The death of a president" (or whatever it was) on the wall inside the tomb was unnecessary and borderline cheesy.

William Henry Harrison has the distinction of not only being the 9th president of the United…read moreStates, and grandfather to the 23nd President Benjamin Harrison, but also the President with the shortest term. Harrison passed away from pneumonia only 31 days into his Presidency. His final resting place is located in Cleves, Ohio. Between reading the signs, looking at the monument, and going on a small hike, we spent maybe 45 minutes at the location. Ample signage near the parking lot gives some history about William Henry Harrison. Hiking is permitted in the wooded area. There is a stream that snakes through part of the woods. This isn't one of those places one frequents for the monument. Maybe if looking for a place to go on short hikes. Or if one has out of town guests, who are interested in history. It is a real field trip sort of spot. That being said, it was interesting to see. I am glad we had the opportunity to check it out. The gate to the tomb is locked during winter months. We may return during the Spring/Summer to take a look inside.

In 1851, 30 people came together to purchase 600 acres (former farms of Edmund Glenn & John Riddle…read morewhom the village is named after) and formed the Glendale Association. The land was located along the line of the Hamilton, Cincinnati and Dayton Railroad. The town was planned, lots were sold and the first house was built in 1852. Glendale is one of the earliest known examples of a planned community. Today, this historic downtown area is worth a stopover if you are in the area. The town is absolutely beautiful and still offers some of the most beautiful and breathtaking homes in the surrounding area...you can only imagine the things they've seen. The village's business district straddles the tracks near Sharon Road. There are restaurants, shops, etc. The town is also known for its black squirrels and is unofficially known as Ohio's black squirrel town. As the story goes (and don't quote me)...the credit for the black squirrels being there goes to businessman Thomas Carruthers III. Back in the 1940s he brought four black squirrels to Glendale from Harbor Springs, Michigan. Squirrels do what squirrels do and reproduced. So, yes...there are still plenty of black squirrels in this area and they are fascinating. If you've never seen one, you may rub your eyes to make sure of what you're seeing the first time...well...you are seeing correctly and not imagining it. The squirrels have become the village's unofficial mascot. In 2005, to celebrate the sesquicentennial of Glendale, the mayor at the time hired a company to create 25 fiberglass black squirrel statues. The folks who owned each statue could decorate them any way they wanted and they were all on display in 2005. Sadly, only 13 can still be seen today. I personally tried to spot as many as I could, but I didn't find all 13. There is supposed to be a map available of where they are located inside the museum in the town square. However, the museum was closed when we visited, but please keep this in mind if you want to seek them all out. I hope they do it again sometime in the future...it's pretty cool. If you find yourself in this area and looking for something to do...this place does not disappoint! Have Fun!

I love any excuse to visit Glendale. The little town is cute and filled with local businesses to…read moresupport. The bluebird bakery is one of my favorite bakeries in Cincinnati. There is a little shopping center with easy parking. There are a few restaurants I haven't tried yet, but there is something about the pizza at Century Inn that keeps me going back. I swear they must use pretty fancy cheese.