Started in 1938, Cincinnati Railroad Club was created by a group of rail enthusiasts who organized…read moreexcursions on the Norfolk Southern Railroads. In 1992, the Museum Center invited the group to occupy Tower A, the main control tower, in Union Terminal. With over 300 members, the group restored the Tower to resemble its original 1933 architecture. The illuminated track diagram board, director's desk, and rotary candle stick phones still remain intact. Railroad Club members have a range of expertise, from the 1800's early iron horse, to trolleys, interurban rails, and the "golden age" of steam engines. As such, the Club maintains an extensive library collection including magazines, annuals, old photographs, and Union Terminal blueprints. While items cannot be lent out, the collection is available for members to read in Tower A on Thursday nights. Curious about the Railroad Club? Members open their facility to the public on Thursday evenings and weekend afternoons. In addition to seeing spectacular restored architecture from the 1930s, Tower A provides a breathtaking view of the rail yards neighboring Union Terminal. Pictures are encouraged. The Club even has a small gift shop with all sorts of local rail nostalgia for sale. If you're visiting the Museum Center on the weekend, be sure to stop by Tower A. It's one of the hidden secrets of our city! Annual Membership: $25.00 Public Admission: FREE

A very nice group of members were in Tower A at Union Terminal last month when my family and I went…read moreto see the holiday trains. They members present were polite and spent time with my 3 year old son and taught him about the blue reference light. He loves trains (as do I) and it was nice to see these men being kind and helpful to my son as well as to myself and my wife. They also have a terrific library and a terrific display in Tower A.

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!

The Goose Girl Fountain is located at the center of Mainstrasse Village. It signifies the German…read moreheritage of the area, as well as the history of farmers who raised geese in the Covington area. Only having graced the area since 1980, the sculpture was created by a Greek sculptor, Elefcherious Karkadoulias. He was commissioned by either the Covington Mainstrasse Committee or the Northern Kentucky Visitors and Convention Bureau, depending on which source you consult. The sculptor used a method known as lost wax, and worked for over a year and a half to create the bronze fountain, which is 15 feet in height. His daughter was the model for the figure that is based on the Grimm fairy tale, The Goose Girl. While eating outdoors in Mainstrasse, I've seen children leaning over the side of the fountain to torment the fish in the water.

Not to be confused with the Tinker Southgate, Soldier Southgate, and Spy Southgate Bridges…read more In Cincinnati there are many spectacular bridges. Crossing from Kentucky into the city of Cincinnati Ohio is easy enough, and also a very pretty prospect, for example using this crossing. It is a nice Grand bridge that winds a little bit and is clean and looks nice, and adds a lot to the downtown and how beautiful it is.

A bit less pretty but a lot more functional than its neighbor, the Roebling bridge, this bridge…read morecarries an actual interstate river across the Ohio River. Interstate 471 joins Cincinnati Ohio with Newport Kentucky and is colloquially known as the "Golden Arches" or the "Big Mac" bridge as the twin yellow arches kind of look like the McDonald's logo. The bridge is named in honor of Daniel Carter Beard who was one of the founders of the Boy Scouts of America. It was completed in 1976 and is four lanes in each direction. A "twin bowstring arch" bridge, it has no toll to cross in either direction. [Review 20471 overall - 242 in Kentucky - 1451 of 2023.]

named for Daniel Carter Beard: social reformer, busy body, and early promoter of youth scouting in…read morethe United States. these 2100 foot long tied arch bridges carry I-471 across the Ohio River 75 feet below. an extra traffic lane on each span appeared in time for Christmas in 2000 at about the same time as when the breakdown lanes mysteriously vanished... I couldn't tell what color the bridge was in passing for the dazzling rays of golden sunshine burning through my retinae on a cool crisp autumn morning but further research indicates yellow, a bright yellow, so bright in fact that they almost nearly appear to bear a vague resemblance to the Golden Archie's® Burger Joint logo in the eyes of the locals giving rise to a tired moniker that insults pretty much everyone involved: the Big Mac Bridge (and now that includes you)

The John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge is one of my favorite spots in Cincinnati. Whether you're…read morewalking across it or just stopping for a few pictures, the views of the skyline and the Ohio River are incredible. It's amazing to stand on a piece of history that still feels just as impressive today. Definitely worth checking out if you're visiting the area or just looking for a great place for a walk.

I was in an Uber/Lyft when I noticed this bridge and thought how beautiful. Asked my driver and he…read moresaid it's the prototype for the Brooklyn Bridge. Walked it the next day. Easily short walk and many pedestrians appreciated this walk too.

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.

Ever wonder what was going on beyond the walls of the Rotunda? Now you can experience it for…read moreyourself! Presented by Cincinnati's finest, the docents of Heritage Programs, this walking tour takes guests to see the non-public areas of Union Terminal and Cincinnati Museum Center. I'm a big fan of the Museum, but this tour blows the exhibits out of the water. It's fascinating! Here's what we saw: - Behind-the-scenes of the OMNIMAX theatre, including the room behind the big screen. (The screen is actually a dome made up of many, many tiny holes so that the sound can project into the audience. The sound system is behind the giant screen.) We also saw the archive reels of film that each weighed 200 lbs. and were 4 feet in diameter. Titles included everything from rafting at the Grand Canyon to a Rolling Stones concert. We were then led into the projection room, which is the big glass room outside the theatre entrance. From outside, you can see the reels of film being spooled through the projector. They spin super fast, and could probably cut off an arm. The projector also travels up an incline to show the film in the theatre. Ever wonder why the OMNIMAX tickets cost extra? Well, a replacement lightbulb for the projector costs $6,000 every three months. And that's just for the bulb! The OMNIMAX projector itsself cost $1.2 million and each film is $25,000! (Hey, there's over three miles of film on one spool!) - We went outside to the Union Terminal train yard and stood along side the tracks. The area is mainly used for commercial transportation now. We saw where the former concourses for Union Terminal were demolished during the renovation in 1990. There was also a secret tunnel from Union Terminal to the Post Office located on Dalton Street. In the tunnel, there were old 1910s wagons and motor carts from the 1950s that are still in use today. - We met the Facilities Manager, who took us on a tour of the mechanics room. We saw a huge color-coded scheme of four boilers and six coolers, and learned how hot and cold air is engineered from these systems. Surprisingly, heating and air conditioning is more complex than you'd think! The Facilities Manager did a great job of talking in layman's terms for the group and giving us interesting tidbits about the museum. Did you know the Museum's monthly electric bill is $50,000 and the gas bill is $30,000? In comparison, CMC's $13.00 admission is a bargain! - We met the preservationist at the Cincinnati Historical Society Library, saw his workshop, and learned how to properly care for and preserve photographs and books. Then he took us into the archive stacks (the room where all the artifacts are stored) and showed us pictures and maps from Cincinnati in 1778, told about the Civil War, Ruth Lyons, and many other tales. Tucked away downstairs, the Library itself is gorgeous, quiet, very well organized and free to the public. The collections contain more than 40,000 books, 50,000 pamphlets, 60,000 architectural drawings and over 1 million images. - We climbed several flights of stairs to the "high steel" of the Rotunda. We walked across the glass floor in the Rotunda window to view the mechanics of the Union Terminal clock (the one on the front facade of CMC.) The clock contains all of its original gears from the 1930's and is breathtaking to watch in action. - We climbed even higher into the "high steel" to the very tip-top of the Rotunda arch. We saw all of the support beams weaving the structure, and the handmade iron rivets. We also saw a wooden peg with a 6-inch diameter that was the main support for all of these beams in the Rotunda. Imagine, that entire structure dependent on a 6-inch peg! Hey, it's held up for 80 years and counting! The Behind-The-Scenes tour is four hours long and costs $30. Normally, I get restless after four hours straight, but I was immersed with all of the sights and stories! Heritage Programs docents are amazing at telling stories. Guests are learning about history but are having too much fun to notice. Our group was smiling, laughing, and joking with our docent throughout. Plus after four hours of walking, you get a great workout! The tour can be appreciated by anyone age 10 and older. I saw everyone from young tourists, to retired couples, to grandpa and grandkids enjoying themselves. I highly recommend taking the Behind-The-Scenes of Union Terminal Tour as your midday Saturday activity. It's a fantastic way to start out your weekend, and you'll have a whole new appreciation for Cincinnati Museum Center too!

My wife and I took our 3 year old son to see the holiday train display last month. We were able to…read morego thru part of the museum and see their trains as well before we even got to the holiday display. Well worth the trip (although the lighting is pretty dark in the train room of Cincinnati) and a very good value. Also a helpful staff and the Cincinnati Train Club was in Tower A and they were very, very hospitable and helpful!

A quaint old downtown likely established in the mid 1800's with shopping and restaurants. Free…read moreparking is provided. Our family dined in the area and felt safe. No debris any where. The buildings are well maintained. I look forward to returning.

I cannot say enough about what a great local community this is! From the outlying neighborhoods, to…read morethe cute and historic downtown, there is a place for everyone. They hold wonderful yearly events, weekly farmers markets in the summer, and have recently introduced a DORA (designated outdoor drinking area). There are many local businesses that have pride in their community and strongly support eachother. When downtown suffered a fire, that sadly damaged several businesses, the community truly stepped up. When a recent flood infiltrated several buildings, the neighbors jumped into action! There are gorgeous parks, and the bike trail runs through here. Downtown has free parking in many areas (some with time limits). Police and fire contribute greatly to the strength of this community. It is a safe city. The chamber of commerce has a great presence as well. I managed a business in this city for a while and the people really make it a special place. Could I continue to gush about it? Sure! But the best way is for you to check it out for yourself!