Can I just give a shout-out to Groupon for turning me onto this awesomness?! lol…read more It's true. It was a side deal one day for Groupon for $7 tickets (normally $15), and my bf being the history buff he is I decided to go for it. And am I glad I did. You can't miss the costumes hanging around the corner in the Gateway District of OTR.Once we were all checked in we started our windy walk over to Memorial Hall, making a pit stop in Washington Park. From there we walked and talked our way down Central Pkwy (over the subway tunnel ;) ) and made a stop at Emory Theatre, which we got locked out of, and then off to Old St. Mary's church. The folks that run this tour really know their stuff, and occasionally one of them would point out a building down an alley and tell us the history of it as we walked to our next destination. These guys really went into a lot of history on stuff that we drive by all the time! And it was nice to be able to actually walk around in OTR. I love what they're doing with it btw! These guys were so awesome in fact that we had talked about wanting to do the Underground tour as well (even if it is really early for a Sat) and the Haunted Cincinnati Tour. Well, since we couldn't get in to see the Emory, they were nice enough and cool enough to offer us free tickets to the Haunted tour, and if we wanted to join in on another Civil War tour later on, we were more than welcome to!! That was a major A++ in my book, and I'm gladly going to enjoy the Haunted tour, and even look at booking an Underground tour (although probably not til next year when it's warmer... i hate the cold) But seriously if you get the chance to check out a tour by these guys, it's well worth it!

My wife surprised me with this tour for a Saturday afternoon date, and we had a great time. The…read more2-hour walking tour took us all over Over-the-Rhine, including trips inside some rarely-seen local landmarks like Memorial Hall, the Emery Theater, and St. Mary's Catholic Church. Two of the 4 tour guides were brand-new (May 7 was their first tour), so it sounds like they've added some additional historical information since some of the earlier reviewers. I'm a history buff and have been reading up on the Civil War lately, but I learned quite a bit about Cincinnati's role that I didn't know, especially about German and African American soldiers from Cincinnati. If you're interested in history, Cincinnati local flavor, or architecture (several stops on the tour dealt with important local buildings), this is a great way to spend an afternoon. BTW, older kids, especially those with an interest in history, would enjoy the tour, but it wouldn't be good for younger kids or kids who need lots of distractions to stay interested.

There's a weird reciprocity between Party in the Park and Party at Sawyer Point. Each takes turn…read moredoing their own thing, but the end result means only negligible differences. Party in the Park takes place on Wednesdays during the summer (check their website for the complete hump day schedule) from 5:30 to 10:30 at Yeatman's Cove. The festivities kick off this year on April 23rd. Sponsors Bud Light and Kiss 107 promise the best-looking bartenders in town, UC's national champion Dance Team. Feature musical acts include a slew of Cincinnati's favorite cover bands, such as The Rusty Griswolds and Patsy's Decline. If you're looking for a fun outdoor arena to help make it through the work week or an event to take the kids to without exposing them to too many of the harms of alcoholism, check out Party in the Park.

Overall, I had a fun time at my first Party in the Park. Enjoying a cold Sam Adams (or multiple!)…read moreon the Serpentine Wall, listening to music and feeling the breeze by the river was much needed on this 91 degree day. I do wish, however, that there were more food options. Cincinnati has so many food trucks and street vendors that really should take advantage of this event and space. Since we live in NKY, my sister and I parked at Newport on the Levee and walked across the Purple People Bridge. I highly recommend this! Only 2 dollars for three hours of parking in the garage and easy traffic.

I love Gorman Heritage Farm - everything about it feels so natural, wholesome and healthy. So, of…read morecourse, having a Yelp event here was just fantastic!. We were given a tour of some of the gardens (with all of their captivating scents and sights) where we harvested some fresh basil for our cooking class. Thanks to Katie and her two interns for prep work, set up, and clean-up while walking us through making four delicious dishes - Sauteed Brussel Sprouts, Kale Salad, Stuffed Chicken Breast and Cauliflower Au Gratin. Because it was my favorite with savory cheeses and a perfectly crispy crust, I will be making the cauliflower over the week-end. Shout out to Team Grigio to include Austin & Katie! It felt very synergistic to cook with such enthusiastic and personable Yelpers. They both have the positive energy and limitless potential which makes meeting new people so fun & rewarding. I can easily see why this would be a super team-building activity and/or class. Actually, at first it was unbelievable to think that we could prepare all the food and dine with our co-horts within 3 hours, but manage it we did. What a great opportunity to meet lots of new Yelpers! To the newbies, yes, these Yelp events are always this much fun. Cindy has a total knack for bringing all these fabulous happenings to fruition time and time again. Thank you for that. This wasn't my first time to Gorham Farm, nor will it be my last. There is much going on there than you can imagine. I didn't find out truly what it was about until the last 3 years, but I plan to make up for lost time.

Gorman Heritage Farm is a Cincinnati gem! This was a lovely way to see a tucked away spot in…read moreCincinnati and experience true farm to table dining. This event is a great bridge between the Yelp community and the advantages to exploring Cincinnati. I would recommend the experience for a private cooking party, family farm tour, buying local produce/meat and even sending children to chef camp. Thank you for the introduction, I hope to pass this experience to countless friends and family!

It wasn't a huge area but the exhibit was nice. We didn't feel rushed. Aample amount of butterflies…read moreand chance for photos

The Krohn's Conservatory Butterfly Show today didn't disappoint!! I expected to see a few…read morebutterflies around, maybe in the bushes. But I didn't expect to be immersed in the midst of so many varieties of butterflies: feeding together on oranges, fluttering by me, perched on the floor, clustered on leaves of plants, perching on my own clothes (interestingly, I felt them land and knew the moment they left). I was ushered in to this protected enclosed space with a group for a 45-minute experience, with a few instructions: don't touch the butterflies, except with the provided paper perch, don't bring any drinks in besides bottled water, etc., all provided to keep the butterflies safe. Also unexpected was how friendly an experience it was. Yes, the best way to meet everyone was to have a butterfly perched on your back, so that each person walked up to tell you that. But as we all experienced this together, we laughed and enjoyed the experience together!!

Holtmans continues to be yummy perfection! I've been a fan since the day I moved here November 1,…read more2014. My request was for the most talked about donuts in town. Katie, Danny and Maggie were so gracious to open their doors to Yelp community for this event. Love that this is a family thing, that their popularity has grown, and they are still creating new. I hope that it just keeps getting bigger and better! The views behind the scenes was so cool. The smells...definitely delicious. I was amazed at how much they have packed into that little space. Sprinkles galore that would make any child giddy. Clean? Oh wow it was so amazingly clean. I don't think my kitchen floor is that clean...and I don't serve 10000 donuts a day. Tastes...the best. We got to dress our own donut and enjoy. After the tour Danny brought out the newest baby...marshmallows that are created by him. Roasted the marshmallows there and we got to enjoy that bourbon vanilla goodness. I could have eaten the whole tray and gone into a sugar rush and lived happily ever after. Afterwards I ordered up to take home to the rest of the family. Thanks Yelp for bringing us an awesome event! Thanks Holtman's gang for sharing your time, space and talent with us.

This experience was just hands-down amazing. Holtman's Wake and Bake deserves all five stars in my…read morebook for two reasons: One, they threw an awesome event. Fresh coffee for arriving Yelpers? Check. Hot donuts complete with all the fixings? Check. A storefront that smells like heaven?! CHECK. At the beginning of the 4 a.m. tour we got a history lesson from Katie. I was impressed to learn that Holtman's has been around since 1960 using their family recipe to make amazing donuts. The donuts and glazes are all made from scratch. The regular donuts are made using real yeast and doing all the kneading, rising and proofing that goes along with that. One of the other things that makes Holtman's unique is that they do not use wax in their glaze. This means the bowl will start to set and form a skin so you have to stir before dipping, but makes the donuts that much more delicious! I sampled the yeasted donut I made at the event plus part of the red velvet cake donut I purchased at the end of the event. Holtman's toppings are wonderful, but they are only building on the solid foundation of the donuts. As others have said, the donut itself is not super sweet. The regular donut is fluffy and full of yeasty flavor. The cake donut, surprisingly, is dense and moist without being in your face sugary as most are. That said, this is a good thing as the toppings can be super rich (I'm looking at you, cream cheese frosting). One of the best Yelp events I have ever attended, and I was so happy to have the chance to buy donuts at the end! And now, reason two: After the event I went back to Mercer Garage to retrieve my car and the pay stations wouldn't accept my ticket. It being 5 a.m. on a Saturday, there was no attendant and the posted phone numbers went unanswered. Unsure of what else to do, I returned to Holtman's and explained what had happened. Katie so graciously walked me back to the garage and scanned me out with her own parking pass. I cannot say thank you enough for helping me out! In summary, Holtman's is the real deal, with awesome donuts and family-owned vibe. I will be back!

I really have no words to describe this event... and if you know me, that's no easy feat…read more It's been described as a pop up fancy dinner. Part flash mob. Part picnic. Part fancy revelry. And when it all comes together, absolutely breathtaking! It's a semi exclusive event. Word of mouth and friends of friends basically. You and your friends meet up with a smaller group of about 50 people. Then these groups meet up with 5 more groups and you're transported to the secret location for that year. That's when 1100 people this year spilled out of buses or from various downtown points and set up tables in long rows. Then proceeded to their picnic spread. There is an option to purchase baskets made by places like Orchids and Eat Well Celebrations. From what i saw they were huge! Had plenty to feed 2 and then pass some around. These will cost you though, anywhere from $60-$100. You will be lucky to get into the event itself. It's premise is friends coming together, Therefore it's a friends of friends type gathering. Those that went this year, will be given a spot next year, and they can invite one other couple. Then if there is room, it will go to a wait list. The thing that seems to stop people is the fact that you do have to pay $24 a person, plus a one time $5 membership fee, to allow you to attend the events in the future. The fee goes towards venue rental, security, entertainment, and most importantly, the liquor license that allows us to consume wine and Champagne in a public area. The most difficult yet kind of fun part, is finding everything you'll need. You're to bring a small square table (under 32x32 inches) 2 white chairs, a table cloth, nice place settings, glasses, a table setting/decorations, and a picnic basket with your dinner in it, as well as your drinks for the evening. You also are to dress all in white. They do have really nice contests though. They have a best table one, and a most elegant/creatively dresses group (of 2-4 couples); both offer a dinner for 6 cooked by chefs, such as Jean Robert of JR's Table. And then there is the most elegantly/creatively dressed couple; this prize is a trip with airfare to Antigua! This year being in Lytle park was gorgeous! Queen City tower, and the Taft museum flanking us, lights in the trees, darn near everyone with candles. You arrive in a huge group and get set up quickly. at about 7:15 napkins are waved and you start on your 3 courses. Or whatever else you've prepared. I used this as an excuse to have a little fun and indulge myself. I saw meat and cheese and fruit trays, dips and spreads and salads. Then you move on to your main course and lastly dessert. Everyone was friendly, and I saw most tables sharing with their neighbors, who most hadn't met before this evening. It was a great time, and you could take your time and just enjoy it. Then at around 9 Sparklers were lit by everyone and balloons were released. For whatever reason, this was one of the highlights of the evening. I cant put into words how beautiful it was at that moment. Then it was time to party. Champagne flowed freely, the dj was playing awesome music on the make shift dance floor and Framester was taking awesome photo booth shots! It was just so much fun, half the people didn't want to leave at 11. But sadly it was time to go as magically and quickly as we arrived. I already can't wait til next year!

Great event in Cincinnati, Ohio! Diner en Blanc was started…read morein Paris as a pop-up picnic for some friends and 25 years later has expanded all over the world. Cincinnati first experienced Diner en Blanc in 2012 and the fun of the event is its held at a secret location, no one knows the location until you arrive on the site. 2012 it was held at Lytle Park Downtown by the Taft Museum of art, a magical evening of 1,000 people in white, 2013 1,700 people enjoyed another wonderful evening in white at Washington Park and this year 2014 2,000 people took over Fountain Square for the night. Diner en Blanc everyone comes dressed in white, you bring all of your picnic supplies, table, chairs, food and drink and have a ball for an amazing evening in September in Cincinnati!

Kicking off the Greater Cincinnati's festival season, Covington's Maifest celebrates the area's…read moreGermanic tradition of heralding the arrival of spring wines. However, I think Maifest is little more about beer and brats, but fun nonetheless. The 2008 event kicks off Friday, May 16th and runs until Sunday, May 18th. If the weather is nice, Maifest will be packed as tightly as Northern German sardines. Good luck trying to navigate with a stroller or wheelchair. Yet, given Cincinnati's unpredictable spring weather, chances are pretty good that there will at least be scattered showers, scaring away half of the crowd to a number that's manageable. Drinkers, your best bet is to purchase a collectors mug, which can be refilled at vendors' booths for a discount over individual beer price. And you're making Mother Nature proud. The beer selection is mostly domestic (unfortunately), but Warsteiner's there to keep things semi-authentic. For families, there are tons of food booths and artisans selling their wares, even "gypsies" reading your palms or tarot cards. Kiddies will love the carnival rides and games set up in the 5th street parking lot. Oompa bands and men in Lederhosen rock the crowd Bavarian style, but if that's not your style you can pop into any of the MainStrasse bars for more contemporary jams. There will invariably be someone who can't hold their liquor and will embarrass themselves terribly in front of a crowd of 150,000. But you'll walk away with a renewed sense of Schadenfreude. Prost!

While I understand that Braxton Brewery is the one sponsoring this event, and the Mainstrauss…read moresociety association has shut its doors, I feel like this festival fell flat. It was only on one street really and in the park. Growing up I remember there being rides, games, more vendors, and more German Beer. Where was the German Beer??? The whole reason why I come to these events is for the delicious beer like Hefweizen, Weiss Beer, and Dunkels. It was all lame Braxton beers and a handful of overpriced cocktail vendors. They also had country music playing which REALLY didn't make it feel German at all. Cmon Braxton! Get it together, you call this a German Festival?? It felt rushed, and Hodgepodge. Also, why is it only on one street! Mainstrauss is huge and used to have vendors and shops and food all the way down to the fountain. I give it 2 stars. Maybe it'll grow, but this should be a way bigger event with rides and more games and activities for families and kids, like it used to be in the 90s and 2000s. I recommend expanding into more than just a few shops selling the same candle, jewelry, and incense merch as well.

Organized and well run race. This 5K started on the East side of Washington Park and went north on…read moreVine St. It was a decent hill so pace yourself and refrain from starting too fast. The temperature was way too hot in my opinion which comes from the rather late start time (9AM). The finishing segment of the race is a lot of turns which will slow one down so probably not going to PR on this one. Just have fun exploring OTR with empty streets and really cool architecture. The City Flea is great for post race shopping and browsing. The vendors were not as numerous as some races, but they represented some quality businesses and had samples before you purchased anything food or drink wise. Parking is often an issue in the heart of OTR, so give yourself extra time to park a few blocks away in the free spots and do a warm up run to the start/finish line. Leave all items in your car out of sight too. There was bag check at this race for any post race "stuff" you have to bring with you.

5 stars for the party/atmosphere, but only 3 for the race itself... Ok the last quarter to a half…read moremile or so. I loved that this race encourages walkers, and dogs, and strollers. I mean what other races out there do that?! Personally I think its kinda neat. The setup, and packet pickup before race day is great and easy. Race day itself... could use a little work. Just a few volunteers making sure things work is all it needs. The last leg of the race comes back through the party... which is awesome if you're at the front... if you're a slow runner or a walker, everyone's forgotten about you. People spill into the pass over area on Vine where the start line was. Theres no markings telling you where turn (we found out we went a block out of the way, along with about 7 other people) and they have some nice roped off areas after the finish line, but I personally think they should extend that down the whole block as people browsing at the tents just seemed to forget there are slower people out there. ok those are my gripes. And maybe section people at the beginning runners, runners with dogs/strollers and then walkers. it might not be such a clusterfuck then. But enough of that. Everyone gets a t-shirt. score!, and "medals" are awesome Rookwood pieces, which i guess I kinda understand not everyone getting.. but still. The party afterward is great. There are jazz bands, brass sections, local artists, and just a whole lot of mingling. It's a great block party in which everyone can just hangout, browse some shops, and locals can throw their wares out. Its honestly a great time, just could use a little more organization I think.