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To say there’s a lot to do in the Cincy Region is quite an understatement. You can spend a morning in Newport, Kentucky, starting at the aquarium and an afternoon in Cincinnati, Ohio, basking in the neon glow of the country’s largest public sign museum. Have Cincinnati chili for lunch and ribs on the riverfront for dinner. Tour the Ark Encounter — the largest timber-frame structure that is 510-feet long and seven stories high, and an excellent family fun addition to a Northern Kentucky visit — or shop at Ohio’s oldest public market the next day.
North Meets South Along the River
As Lorey Hall of meetNKY, the Northern Kentucky CVB says, Cincy is “a unique, multistate destination.”
It’s where North meets South, and where two states on either side of the Ohio River work cooperatively to tell travelers about the best ways to experience entire region.
Each side of the river has its own vibe. Cincinnati is peppered with skyscrapers, its riverfront punctuated by sports stadiums and parks. “To me, downtown Cincinnati is like a smaller version of Chicago filled with beautiful architecture, history and culture,” said Hall.
On the Northern Kentucky side, the scale is smaller. Handsome homes line streets and historic storefronts house shops and restaurants. A collection of cities that sit side by side on the river feel like small towns.
“It is a totally different feeling when you cross that bridge,” said Hall. “And groups love the opportunity to experience both.”
Handcrafted Tours for Groups
In a region so diverse, it’s nice to have travel planning assistance, and Hall is happy to help. To lay out some possibilities, she’s created a half dozen group tour itineraries. Some are themed, like Baseball and Brews, which blends a baseball fueled tour of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, or even a game with a stop at the Hofbräuhaus in Newport, the first American location of the famous Munich beer hall or the Moerlein Lager House in Cincinnati.
The Spirited Adventure Tour covers the Ark Encounter, featuring a 510-foot-long Noah’s Ark as its centerpiece; the Creation Museum, the Ark’s sister attraction; and Catholic basilicas on both sides of the river. Other itineraries are a mix, like a Mystery Tour that includes the 1855 Findlay Market, Covington’s Mainstrasse Village, a BB Riverboats ride and New Riff Distillery. Hall has also created a quick reference guide with valuable information like free attractions, transportation companies, group friendly dining, and ways to explore the region’s history, brews, food scene, and other guided tours.
And although the itineraries include popular tour possibilities, Hall doesn’t want planners to feel tied to them. Instead, she will help create custom tours. “We do a ‘discovery call” so I can talk to them about what interests them and their group about our area, and we go from there.”
Tours can also be built around festivals, like Oktoberfest Zinzinnati; BLINK, a four-day, 30+ city block, outdoor art experience; and coming October 9-12, 2025, America’s River Roots (americasriverroots.com), which will celebrate culture, cuisine, and music along the banks of the Ohio River.
In those cases, it’s important to keep Hall’s phone number handy as. “We always recommend they contact us first, whatever the event,” said Hall. “We can definitely point them in the right direction.”
For more information, contact:
Lorey Hall, Leisure Sales Manager
859-261-4677 (o)
859-655-4151 (d)
