Cincinnati/Over-the-Rhine

Care should be taken when visiting this neighborhood as crime is more frequent here than in other areas of the city though its going down every year; see stay safe for details. Since the 1980s, the neighborhood has been a battleground between advocates for low income housing and historic preservationists and real estate developers. As a result, the neighborhood is inconsistent in its make up, with high-end housing and shopping within viewing distance of abandoned and decayed buildings with boarded up windows.

This article also covers the adjacent West End. The little bit that survived of this once large densely populated neighborhood would not be notable for travelers except for TQL Stadium, which opened in 2021 as the new home of the Major League Soccer team FC Cincinnati, and the Dayton Street Historic District. At its peak in the mid-to-late 1800s, the Dayton Street District was a millionaires' row that rivaled Prairie Avenue in Chicago, or 5th Avenue in New York City in terms of wealth. Today it’s more than a bit rundown, but less so than the neighborhood that surrounds it. It’s worth a look for the adventurous traveler.

• 🌍 Old St Mary's, 123 E. Thirteenth St (13th and Main), ☏ +1 513 721-2988. Built in 1841, this is the oldest standing church in Cincinnati and was for many years a center for the German-Catholics who called Over-The-Rhine home. For a taste of local culture, attend a mass in German on Sunday's see website for details. 
• 🌍 Washington Park, 1230 Elm St (In front of Music Hall - parking in garage under the park). Opened in 1855, it replaced a cemetery. This park has pretty much followed the fortunes of Over-The-Rhine, going from a prosperous hub of activity and immigration to a crime-filled den of poverty and squalor. Fortunately along with the neighborhood, this park has undergone a major renovation, including interactive fountains designed to go with music selectable by phone app, a beergarden (this is Cincinnati), a large event lawn, playgrounds, and a look that combines a respect for the park's history with modern amenities. Its particularly striking to see at night when the fountains are lit up in different colors, and safety shouldn't be an issue then as there are plenty of security cameras installed to quell any potential issues with the neighborhood. 3CDC who remodeled Fountain Square led this renovation and as a result is programming it with plenty of events throughout the year, see website for details. 
• 🌍 Dayton Street Historic District (Dayton Street West of Linn (800-950)). A millionaire's row from the 19th century rivaling the far more famous ones in New York City (5th Ave) and Chicago (Prairie Ave) giving one a glimpse of Cincinnati's heyday in the mid-1800s. This one is far more intact, but is part of an endangered neighborhood that's seen better days (its a bit seedy). The website discusses the history of the houses in the area, though the Hauck House is no longer a museum. An East Coaster would probably have their jaw hit the floor if they saw the low prices on these wonderful old mansions. 
• 🌍 Betts House, 416 Clark St (West End - West of Central Parkway). Tu-Th 11AM - 2PM; 2nd and 4th Sa 12:30PM - 5PM. One of the rare survivors of mid-century urban renewal that destroyed the once very densely populated West End, this is the oldest surviving house in Cincinnati (built in 1804) and one of the older brick houses west of the Appalachian Mountains. It houses a museum and rotating exhibitions usually devoted to the history of Cincinnati. $2. 

• 🌍 Cincinnati Music Hall, 1243 Elm St, ☏ +1 513 744-3344, fax: +1 513 744-3345. The Music Hall is the beautiful home to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Opera, and Cincinnati Ballet. The building was built in 1878 and funded by what's believed to be the first matching grant fund drive in the United States. In 1880, the building hosted the Democratic National Convention. Tours can be arranged through the Friends of Music Hall. (updated Jan 2020)
• 🌍 Woodward Theater, 1404 Main St (Mainstreet Entertainment District), ☏ +1 513 721-7625. 6PM - 11PM. Built as a movie theater, this remodeled venue features up and coming indie bands that would attract larger crowds than the nearby MOTR pub which has the same ownership. Price varies, see website. 

• 🌍 Know Theatre, 1120 Jackson St (South of Liberty), ☏ +1 513 300-5669. This is a theater known for doing less conventional productions. They also run the fringe festival annually. $15 advance, $20 week of performance. 
• 🌍 Ensemble Theater of Cincinnati, 1127 Vine St (Gateway), ☏ +1 513 421-3555. Intimate playhouse hosted in an old bank building in Over-The-Rhine. Generally plays nationally-known plays and regional specials. (updated Jan 2018)
• 🌍 Queen City Underground Tours (Cincy Haus), 1281 Vine St, ☏ +1 859 951-8560. Spring and fall: Sa 9:30AM, 10:30AM, 11:30AM, 2:30PM, and 3:30PM, Su 11:30AM, 2PM. Summer: M-Th noon and 3PM, Sa Su same as fall. A popular and expanding tour run by American Heritage Tours discussing the many buildings that once housed over 130 saloons, bars, beergardens and theaters on Vine Street in Over-The-Rhine's "Gateway Quarter" followed by a trip down into the network of tunnels underneath that at one point were used to age/store beer and even a hidden tomb. Also discussed is Cincinnati's corrupt political history in the 19th century under Boss Cox. $15. 
• 🌍 Cincinnati Brewery District Lager Tours, 116 W Elder St (Findlay Market Biergarten), ☏ +1 513 604-9812. May 21st-September: Sa Su 1PM. Tours of the old breweries and the tunnels underneath them that once made Cincinnati one of the largest producers of beer in the United States. Tours are run by the Brewery District Community Redevelopment Corp. $15. 
• 🌍 Cincinnati Heritage Tours, 1301 Western Ave (Union Terminal), ☏ +1 513 287-7031. Hours vary, check website. A number of tours done through out the year (some by bus) showcasing Cincinnati's rich history. This is where you can get the once a year abandoned subway tour, which unfortunately sells out very quickly, leading one to wonder, why don't they offer it more often? Reservations recommended. Prices vary, tends to be expensive, check website. 

• 🌍 Findlay Market, 1801 Race St, ☏ +1 513 665-4839, info@findlaymarket.org. Tu-F 9AM-6PM, Sa 8AM-6PM, Su 10AM-4PM. In Cincinnati's historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, Ohio's oldest continuously operating market offers collection of fresh food vendors, restaurants, and non-food shops that has been in operation since 1855. The market is most lively, and best visited by tourists, on Saturdays around noon. Hang out in the beergarden with local beer on the west side of the market and catch some live music when the weather is good on weekends. 
• 🌍 The Rookwood Pottery Company, 1920 Race St (north of Liberty), ☏ +1 513 381-2510. A highly regarded historic producer of fine ceramics. Due to Great Depression, a dramatic decrease in demand for the company's handcrafted quality artwork caused the original Rookwood Pottery to close its doors. The legendary status of Rookwood Pottery inspired its resurrection in mid-2006. It has moved down to Over-The-Rhine. A company store is next to the Gateway Quarter on 1209 Jackson Street between Walnut and Vine. 

• 🌍 Wooden Nickel, 1400 - 1414 Central Parkway, ☏ +1 513 241-2985. M-Sa 10AM-5PM. Antique shop that is notable for accepting goods from abandoned/demolished buildings. As Cincinnati is a very old city that maybe tears down a bit too much of its history there's a lot of great stuff here. 
• 🌍 Park + Vine, 1202 Main St (south of Liberty). Bills itself as a Green General store, this quirky shop is good for everything fair trade and environmentally conscious, even some locally themed T-shirts too. It's a bit of an anchor to the revitalization of OTR and worth a look just for something quirky and a bit unexpected in Cincinnati. 
• 🌍 Another Part of the Forest, 1333 Main St (next to Iris Book Cafe). W-Su noon-10PM. An excellent selection of rare Vinyl records as well as rare books and rare movies. Considered a bit of a hidden gem by locals. 
• 🌍 Micah 12/V, 1201 Vine Street, ☏ +1- 513-533-1974. M-Th 10AM-8PM, F Sa 10AM-9PM, Su 10AM-5PM. Gift shop specializing in local craft goods. Expect lots of references to pigs, goetta and other unique cultural quirks to Cincinnati in among the many hand crafted gift items. (updated Jan 2016)
• 🌍 Cincy Haus (American Legacy Tours), 1281 Vine St (Gateway Quarter). Gift shop for American Legacy Tours, who run the 'Queen City Underground Tours', specializing in Cincinnati memorabilia. 

The Main Street Entertainment District (on Main Street north of 12th Street) was a popular area featuring many clubs and bars. However the riots did their number on the district forcing just about every bar to close down during the 2000s. This isn't all doom and gloom as, there have been attempts to bring bars back up there with several notable night spots opening up in the last few years such as Japp's.

• 🌍 16 Bit Bar + Arcade, 1331 Walnut St,. M-F 4PM-2AM, Sa Su noon-2AM. A bar that has old school arcade cabinets and video game consoles, that attracts a hip crowd in a hip neighborhood. Based out of Columbus, this is the better of Cincy's two barcades with a larger collection of games and a hip geek chic nostalgia theme. Unfortunately, its also the more crowded of the two making weekend night trips kind of difficult. (updated Oct 2015)
• 🌍 Japp's Since 1879, 1134 Main St (12th and Main). Tu-Th 4PM-1AM, F 4PM-2AM, Sa 5PM-2AM. Locally renownd mixologist Molly Wellmann along with the people who revived Neons started this classy bar which is the best place in town to get a mixed drink! There is an "Annex" next door which features special events like dance nights, neo burlesque shows and the occasional band. $7-10. 
• 🌍 Schwartz Point Jazz Club, 1901 Vine Street (corner of McMicken and Vine OTR North of Liberty), ☏ +1-513-651-2236, jazz@schwartzpoint.com. Tu 7:30PM-2AM, F Sa 9PM-2AM. For 3 nights a week in a not so great part of Over the Rhine been everywhere aging beatnik and accomplished jazz musician Ed Moss serves up some of the best jazz in the Midwest along with his equally talented improv buddies in an otherworldly speakeasy style bar that he lives above. Venue is as intimate and informal as the improvised jazz standards you'll hear. On Tuesdays they offer up a Jazz big band and a complimentary buffet while Friday and Saturday they offer Ed and a few of his buddies doing improv jam sessions. Get a taxi or uber/lyft to go here as this is not in a good part of town (but worth it to the adventurous traveler). A hidden gem! $10 cover Wednesday w/buffet, $5 F Sa. 
• 🌍 Coffee Emporium, 110 E. Central Pkwy, ☏ +1 513 300-9185, tony@coffee-emporium.com. M-F 7AM - 6PM; Sa Su 8AM - 4PM. A locally owned and operated coffee house since 1973. Specializing in artisanal roasted coffee, fine teas, and accessories, as well as a mixed menu of locally made pastries and light meals. Hearkening back to an era before coffee house homogenization, Coffee Emporium is a meeting place of art, ideas, and tastes. 
• 🌍 1215 Wine and Coffee Bar, 1215 Vine Street, ☏ +1-513-429-5745. M-Tu 8AM-10PM, W 8AM-11PM, Th F 8AM-midnight, Su 10AM-11PM. Cosy spot where you can get both fine coffee and fine wine. Good place to hang out while waiting for a table in OTR's Gateway with frequent live music performances. 
• 🌍 Christian Moerlein Brewery, 1621 Moore St (north of Liberty). F 4PM-9PM, Sa noon-9PM, Su noon-6PM. Greg Hardmann has the goal of becoming Cincinnati's leading contemporary beer baron. In doing this he's revived a lot of dead brands including what was Cincinnati's most famous pre-prohibition beer Christian Moerlein and by reviving the historic Kauffmann Brewery into his own contemporary brewery. Tours and food trucks are also available on site check website for details. Caution, this establishment is a bit north of where most of the revitalization has occurred. 
• 🌍 Rhinegeist, 1910 Elm St (north of Liberty). Th 4PM-11PM; F 4PM-midnight; Sa noon-midnight; Su noon-7PM. Rhinegeist is a brewery started by two West Coast entrepreneurs who decided to bring the hoppy styles of San Francisco beer to the Cincinnati area. There are more than hoppy beers available here (including some very good cider) but their emphasis is on IPAs and similar. Of note is that this is in the Old pre-prohibition Christian Moerlien Building which was at its peak one of the largest breweries in the United States, even exporting its beer overseas! The building is expansive and airy, and even sports a rooftop with excellent views of OTR, Downtown and the surrounding hills. Even if you don't like IPAs this is a great visit. 

• 🌍 Bunkhaus (hostel), 1424 Main St (Over the Rhine). This is probably the cheapest place in Cincinnati to stay that's close to downtown. This is a very basic hostel shared-room setup, but generally has received good reviews from the people who stay there. $25 per bunk. 
• 🌍 Symphony Hotel, 210 W 14th St (NW of Washington Park). This bed and breakfast has a music theme to match music hall nearby (and Cincinnati's rich musical tradition). It's a bit on the edge of current revitalization efforts, so be cautious, but the location is perfect for a nice evening at Music Hall or whatever event is going on at Washington Park. Due to increased interest in the area, it has expanded. 

Over-the-Rhine is becoming a popular destination for locals and tourists alike, but it is still in a transition phase. As of 2015, the safest part of Over-the-Rhine is on Vine Street from Central Parkway to just north of 14th Street at the Cincinnati Color Company building (large sign) and Main Street up to Liberty as well as the area immediately surrounding and including Washington Park (which is monitored security cameras) as far north as Taft's Ale House, and Walnut Street up to 14th street just past the 16 bit bar. These areas is well lit at night, and have constant police presence. Use caution wandering off by yourself in Over-the-Rhine at night as the neighborhood is inconsistent in its makeup. A good rule of thumb for OTR is to stay on the major streets (Vine and Main) and stay south of Liberty. Travel in a group if possible, or call/hail a cab.

• 🌍 U.S. Post Office, Main Office, 1623 Dalton Ave (Queensgate), toll-free: +1-800-275-8777. M-F 7:30AM-9PM, Sa 7:30AM-6PM. Package and shipping price varies.