Andy and I both love to travel so the whole quarantine period left us both dying for a weekend away but we wanted to make sure we were doing it safely so we decided to do a little ‘staycation’ in downtown Cincinnati! Thursday was Andy’s 30th birthday, so it lined up perfectly that we both had Friday off and I had a complimentary hotel room from the Renaissance Cincinnati Downtown Hotel! We had the best time just exploring our own city, having a night out (!!), and enjoying all of the amenities of a hotel!
Whether you’re local or not, Cincinnati has so much to offer for a quick weekend getaway so I hope you enjoy my recommendations!
Where to Stay
While we had a complimentary room at the Renaissance, I would totally recommend it as a great option. I was a little hesitant to stay in a hotel during the pandemic, but the experience was really organized and easy… there were a few little details that were different (like they hand you shampoo/conditioner/etc. instead of leaving it out) but overall it was great!It is centrally located and easy to walk to basically everywhere on my list, but there are some other great options too! 21C, The AC and The Lytle Park Hotel all have great rooftop bars so depending on the season, I’d highly recommend checking those out!
What to Do
We started our Saturday morning off with an early walk to coffee and then headed down to Smale Park to enjoy the sunshine and breeze along the river, but there is so much to do!
Cincinnati is a huge foodie town, so the bar + restaurant scene is excellent (even during COVID), however, downtown still has a lot to offer beyond just eating and drinking your way through the city. The perfect way to make the most of a weekend in Cincinnati is to shop our local boutiques, stroll through some of the beautiful parks and wander around an art gallery or two!
My Favorites:
- Smale Riverfront Park – best park in Cincinnati hands down and the perfect walking path to start your day.
- Washington Park – I love to walk through Washington Park after dinner when Music Hall is all lit up!
- Eden Park – A bit outside of ‘downtown’ but still walkable. Don’t miss Mirror Lake, the Presidential Grove and the new Art Climb!
- Mica 12/V – this is the perfect place to pick up a unique gift, they feature lots of local artists and the owners are so nice!
- Elm & Iron – a fun shop that has a vintage, industrial vibe. Very cool merchandising… it’s a fun stop even if you’re just window shopping!
- Gia & The Blooms – the cutest little plant store down in OTR (they also have a location in Findlay Market) – they’re doing our wedding flowers!
- Sloane Boutique – if you are searching for an outfit to wear out to dinner tonight, this is your spot! A fashion-forward women’s boutique in the heart of OTR.
- The Cincinnati Art Museum – one of my top spots in Cincy. The CAM does such a great job, admission is free and I love that you can easily do a quick 30-60 minute self-guided tour or wander for hours if you want!
- The Contemporary Arts Center – same goes for the CAC, admission is free and they have some awesome exhibits. The building is very cool just by itself… this is located downtown so a perfect pitstop in between shopping + grabbing a happy hour drink!
Where to Eat & Drink
This is probably the hardest for me to narrow down since I LOVE to go out and try new places, but here are my ‘do-not-miss’ spots for summer 2020! We went to Pepp & Delores in OTR for the first time on Friday and it was amazing! We will 1000% be going back!
- Pepp & Delores – Italian cuisine, great service and beautiful decor!
- Sotto – The little sister restaurant to BOCA… book a reservation because they’re always busy, but worth the wait 100%!
- Abigail Street – Tapas style restaurant which is perfect for date night!
- Maize – I’ve loved everything I have ordered here… delish ceviche, empanadas and cocktails!
- Pleasantry – Love their food and they have an amazing natural wine selection! One of my favorite restaurants in the city!
- SENATE – An OTR OG favorite, the craziest, best hotdogs ever!
- The Lackman One of my favorite bars – so relaxed!
- Top of the Park – Rooftop at the Residence Inn – Amazing views of the city and great cocktails!
- Vista at Lytle Park – This rooftop just opened and I’m dying to go!
- 1215 Wine Bar + Coffee Lab – They have the best lavender lattes… so tasty hot or iced!
- Urbana Cafe– This is another favorite of ours, they have a location in Pendleton and at Findlay Market. If you stop by the Findlay location, make sure to grab a fresh croissant at Blue Oven right next door!
There are so many more AMAZING options, but this is a good list to get started! Feel free to ask any questions in the comments below!
Hi! We’re thinking of making a quick trip to Cincinnati in early August and have two kids (3 +7). Are most of your recommendations kid-friendly or would we be better off looking for something outside of downtown? We are from Lexington and have never been to Cinci so we’re looking forward to seeing the city.
Hi Kelsey,
Honestly, I think most of my recommendations are very kid-friendly! I think the parks and art museums would be great for a family…also, most of the restaurants have outdoor seating (besides Sotto) so you should be fine to take kids along!
Have a great trip!!
-Katie