I visited Paycor Stadium for the annual Cincinnati Music Festival, and it was a great experience…read more Even though the crowds were huge, getting into the stadium was quick and well organized. We found a nearby parking lot that was only a short walk away, which made things even more convenient. The stadium was clean, with plenty of well-maintained restrooms throughout. The seats were about as comfortable as you'd expect for stadium seating. The drink prices were comparable to other stadiums I've visited. I didn't try any of the food, but I did have a Blue Hawaiian Lime Margarita, and it was absolutely delicious. The Cincinnati Music Festival is an event I look forward to every year. As long as they continue bringing great artists to perform, I'll keep coming back!

I've been to Paycor Stadium for a few Bengals games in the past and I have to say I was always…read moreimpressed by it all. Lots of places for food and drinks including adult libations (of course they're a bit pricey but that's every stadium). I honestly don't think there's a single bad seat in the place too. Plus they've made some big upgrades this year including better restrooms, more concessions and retail, and bigger signs for easier directions. I hope they keep making this stadium better to attract more events and concerts.

Once again, Bob Castelini and company have put together the perfect Hot Stove event to keep Reds…read morefans happy during the winter break. This year the major draw was the new Blue Wahoo booth. The line to spin the wheel was three city blocks long, but worth the wait to win awesome prizes including seat packages, hats, seat cushions, an awesome Christmas ornament, and the limited edition Billy Hamilton bobblehead. The Louisville Slugger booth gave out awesome pilsner glasses this year. You should also check out the Hall of Fame area for cool gifts. The best deal at the convention is the Reds Community Mystery bags. For $20 you get an official MLB ball signed by a current or former Reds player. When you consider that an official ball retails for $18 this is a heck of a deal and benefits an excellent organization. Plenty of booths with Larosa's pizza and Skyline chilli, but if you are a season ticket holder, this year they are serving short rib tacos, angus sliders, and wings in the Ultra Lounge. The only shortfall, is somebody in the Reds front office made a terrible choice for Friday's entertainment. Rather than invite back the perennial crowd favorite: The Buffalo Wabs and the Price Hill Shuffle, they decided to "shake things up" according to the staff, and brought in Eden Park Trio. They are terrible. I will be calling my STH rep Monday to complain. Bring back the Wabs!

Attended RedsFest for the first time this year and I was a bit underwhelmed. I guess it's for…read morereally hard core fans, but it seemed to mostly involve a whole lot of standing in lines (at least if you wanted any autographs or photographs with players). It seems like there should be a more efficient way to do that--maybe give out tickets or something that give a specific time. Autograph/photo schedules aren't posted before the event, but you can follow @Reds on Twitter for 30 min advance listings or just walk around and look at the signs by each line. Food options were as expected: limited and expensive. I pretty much just saw LaRosa's and Skyline on the main level and there was an Ovations kiosk in the (lame) VIP lounge for season ticket holders. There were a good number of activities for kids, particularly on the third level, but if you're bringing a child, keep in mind that they need to be old enough for independent play and young enough to be easily impressed. There are additional opportunities to spend money at various memorabilia shops and the official Reds gear store. And there's a main stage that has different player panels or other speakers, so just check the schedule in advance to know if there's anything specific you want to see. RedsFest is a 2-day affair and to really maximize the experience, you would probably want to go both days and just be prepared to be there all day to have the chance to see and get autographs/photos with the players you like. Those with significant others and/or kids who aren't as hard core, should probably leave them at home or drive separately.

Pete rose hit #4192 marker is a small imbedded into the ground Remembrance of legendary…read moreCincinnati reds baseball player being the all time hits leader located outside the home baseball stadium of the reds great American ballpark. This easy to miss marker celebrating the hit king is located in some Astro turf along the side street next to the stadium just outside of the red stockings pavilion. Overall very cool honor for the hitting legend. Unfortunately with his baseball van keeping the hit king out of baseball these are only type of superlatives the man can have right now. They also have a rally cool statue out front of Pete rose. So it's cool to see his old team honor the man in many ways as possible.

The Taste of Cincinnati is an event I always look forward to each year and I have to say that 2026…read morewas much better than 2025! This year there was a larger variety of cuisine types. Last year I felt like I was at a Texas Rodeo with only BBQ options. Highlighting our Cinci Food Trucks and Findlay Market restaurants is always one of my favorite parts. Most if not all restaurants in his year we're showcasing specialty items so it was great to see different options vs everyone having pulled pork bbq or cheeseburgers and so I had the opportunity to try so many things and places that I didn't even know about. Service was also very quick at almost every stop so no long lines, food was hot and the workers were all friendly. Being outside is always a treat and i was thankful it was warm, not HOT, partly cloudy and not sun blazing. This is a great family friendly event, if you haven't gone before, hit it up in 2027!!

Have been coming for 30 yrs. Love to find new places to check out and try new things. Tried to come…read moreyesterday but the rain got real. But today was gorgeous. We usually come when they start as the crowd and lines are fair less. Everything we tried was good and enjoyed the live music. My hubby is not a dancer but I would have like to dance a bit. Anyway great day here with gorgeous weather.

Located on a prominent city square since 1871, nestled in between Vine/Walnut Streets and…read moreFifth/Sixth Streets in the heart of downtown Cincinnati, Fountain Square is considered the epicenter of downtown. This 43-foot-tall, bronze-cast fountain was designed to look like the beautiful fountains found across Europe, made up of a nine-foot-tall woman, who is referred to as "The Lady" by locals, with human figures both big and small below and around her. Around the fountain were several different restaurants that were either on the square or bordered the square. I probably wouldn't have known what this place was if it weren't for the opening credits from "WKRP in Cincinnati," but my partner, his family, and I were glad to stop by.

Fountain Square is my most favorite space in Downtown Cincinnati. The Fountain itself is a great…read morepiece of history and the fact that it transforms for the holiday season is just stellar. We recently had an opportunity to eat dinner at Winterhaus on Fountain Square and it was the most delicious collaboration of chefs. The food was Asian inspired and the drink pairings were splendid. We enjoyed the event a lot , the culinary students really provided excellent service. I can't wait for future events on Fountain Square.

I was lucky enough to win 2 free tickets to this event, so my husband and I ventured out Friday…read moreevening to enjoy A Moveable Feast. After getting checked in, we headed to the main area for some appetizers. Interestingly enough, we didn't spot any silverware available here, so eating roasted potatoes and savory cheesecake with our hands was um, interesting. After some munchies, the event officially started with a musical performance. After this performance wrapped up, we were free to choose our next destination. The event is structured so you can sample various artistic performances and stop at food stations along the way. There was also wine (red and white) and water readily available. We made a beeline to check out some opera and ballet. We had a guest coming into town for the night, so we were only able to check out one additional performance after these two before we needed to head out, so that means we missed dessert, which I was a bit bummed about. The food was okay. A few bites per serving, but nothing too great. Most of it was vegetarian though, which we were thrilled about. :) The performances we seen were spectacular, and I'm really glad we were able to attend. I probably ended up dressing more on the casual side of dressy, as we noted probably 90% of attendees were in business casual or more formal attire. We did spot the occasional pink UGGs or purple beanie and casual t-shirt, but this was a very formal event.

What a lovely fundraiser!…read more My husband and me really enjoyed the whole event. We were gifted a pair of tickets from fabulous YELP (thank you!!!). From the very start, entering the UC campus, we were impressed! What an amazing, modern University! There are several performing venues in just one CCM building, amazing! Parking was easy in the underground garage and the whole event was beautiful, with elegantly dressed people, young talents around and unlimited wine around. The programme was very diverse and everybody could make their list of short performances to see. The venues filled very quickly, though! The opening act was a musical performance 'Jazz&Musical Theater Prelude', which was nice (very very loud in the small auditorium, though!). Unfortunately, it finished 10 minutes passed the schedule and it influenced the next shows, obviously. Even though it was a FEAST, it was mostly an artistic one, as the food was less than impressive. Wine and pepsi were widely available, but the food appeared only after 8 and was just OK. Anyway, it was nice to see the community support the young students and to meet dr Santa Ono, the President of UC and his lovely wife. Really amazing fund raiser!

In a spur-of-the-moment decision, my husband and I decided to make the drive from Louisville to go…read moreto the Boone County Fair with our kids. We grew up in Boone County, and our family, who still lives there, met up with us. And we had such a lovely night, making new memories while also thinking about past ones. We started by entering the kids rock race with some round rocks we had found while on vacation. I love how wholesome the fair contests are, especially for the kids. And this is pretty much like it sounds; the kids raced rocks down a track, and the rock that rolled the farthest won. This ended up being both of my kids, who won in their age groups. There was lots of food to choose from. The donuts and popcorn were my kids' favorites. We checked out the demolition derby and the 4H competitions with the livestock. Then we took in some rides. The $15 per person admission is a bit steep but seems more doable when you consider it includes all rides. I have a soft spot for local fairs and festivals, which perhaps started my attending this one when I was little.

LIGHT UP THE FAIR: this Christmas display is located at the Boone County Fairgrounds. I was out…read morethat way for a Christmas party and it was recommended to check out this drive-through light display for Christmas. I was debating whether to check out Florence's huge light display just down the road, but this specific drive-through was open an hour later and did not close until 10 PM. This worked so much better with my schedule! I was really impressed with how long the drive through the lights were. I loved how all the lights were synchronized with music that we could access with our car radio. It was pretty cheap compared to how long the display lasted. I'm so glad a local recommended this to me! Perfect holiday activity--especially for families.

Located on the corner of one of the 'hippest' business districts in Cincinnati is the Matthew…read moreO'Brien Diggs III Plaza. This little corner park is part of Burnet Woods. When this pavilion was built, it was a great place to meet up with friends and hang out after school. There is a low wall on one side that is great to sit on and relax next to the park. At the top corner there is a gorgeous fountain with a lady in the middle. She is adorned with flowers and lots of pretty decorations and water pours out of her two outstretched hands. In the summer, the Cincinnati Park Board and the Groesbeck Music Fund sponsor a summer Saturdays music performances. Lots of different kinds of artist set up and play music right on the corner. I have seen several very good jazz trios play. My friends and I gave this pavilion a short easy to remember name. We would say, "I'll see you at Diggs!"

I actually knew Matthew O'Brien Diggs III (aka Matt Diggs). I went to high school with him at the…read moreMiami Valley School in Dayton, class of 1992. Matt was a great guy. I still remember the shock of hearing he had died in the summer of 2000. He was only 26 or 27. Matt was a lot of fun to be around. He loved David Bowie and Syd Barrett from Pink Floyd, and he often wore tie-dyed T-shirts. He was really into photography and writing, playing videogames, and he also sang in a rock band. I remember going to see some crappy Addams Family movie with him and we threw popcorn at the screen 'cause the movie sucked so much. Even though he could act pretty crazy, he was a very gentle, creative, talented person. He would be really amused at the idea of a Matt Diggs "Plaza," I'm sure. I'm really glad this plaza exists--and keeps his name alive. He would be psyched that kids hang out there too! Anyway, I always see random people's names on buildings and parks and rarely think about the actual person the place is named after (I usually figure it's some 80-year old rich guy or something, but not in this case). So I just thought I would share my Matt Diggs story.