Columbus/Cincinnati Area Trip
 

Does anyone have info on the hotel that has ducks living in it and walking around the lobby?

Could you be referring to the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee?

I thought it was in Columbus, was told by someone that it was something I had to see when I go there.

No, that's the Peabody in Memphis.

The Peabody in Little Rock does the same thing.

Yep, just looked online in Memphis and that is what I was looking for. Don't know why I thought it was Columbus.

Heading to this area of Ohio in two weeks. Any recommendations/ideas?

You can go to the National Museum of the US Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB just outside Dayton. It's about an hour west of Columbus and around 45 minutes north of Cincinnati. The museum is open daily and free. Among the notable items in the collection are the <i>Memphis Belle</i> which is undergoing restoration and several presidental aircraft including the <i>Sacred Cow</i> used by FDR, the <i>Independence</i> used by Harry Truman and <i>Columbine III</i> used by Eisenhower. For info, check www.nationalmuseum.af.mil.

Will you be in Columbus, Cincinnati or somewhere between? Others may be able to give suggestions closer to either city.

For Columbus:

--the capitol building is well worth a visit.
--there is a small but excellent art museum several blocks east of the capitol.
-- the German Village neighborhood is a little bit south of the capitol. There are a lot of nice historic houses and a few restaurants (Katzinger's Deli, Schmidt's) and a large park at its south perimeter (Schiller Park). Very nice area to stroll.
--the Short North area runs along High Street north of the capitol from I-670 almost to the Ohio State Campus. There are lots of arty shops and restaurants. The North Market is near its start just up from I-670, and has several booth style eateries and food vendors.

For Cincinnati--

--the Cincinnati Art Museum has an excellent medium-sized collection. It's in Eden Park, a large and pleasant green space northeast of downtown.
--the Cincinnati Zoo is first rate. It's a little further north and west of Eden Park.
--the Taft Museum is a good house-style art museum similar to the Frick in New York or the Gardner in Boston. Located downtown.
--at Union Station, there are a clutch of moderate sized museums, one on local historic subjects, the other a natural history museum. They're okay. Slightly west of downtown.
--there's the Contemporary Art Center downtown, which has no permanent collection but features changing exhibits of cutting edge visual art.

And when you're in Cincinnati, get a 5-way Cincinnati chili with a couple chili cheese coneys. Skyline and Gold Star are ubiquitous and good local chains that sell this. Also hit Graeter's ice cream, which is a good as any I've had anywhere. Health food it's not, but it's really tasty stuff.

We are flying into Columbus and will be looking around the areas anywhere between the two cities. Anything in the Northern Kentucky area (no more than 30 minutes from Cincinnati) worth seeing?

I have a list of things we are looking into and I'll post them to get opinions.

We are interested in trying the local cuisine.

Newport and Covington are in Kentucky on the other side of the Ohio River from Cincinnati. A quick look at attractions here lists the Newport Aquarium (am seeing some very mixed thoughts on TripAdvisor about the place) and the East Row Historic District in Newport, as well as the Mother of God Church, St. Mary's Basilica Cathedral, Behringer-Crawford Museum, Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati, and Riverside Historic District in Covington. Haven't been to any of these, though, and have no idea if they're worth visiting or not.

Will say that it's cheaper to buy alcohol in Kentucky than in Ohio, and that was a common basis for trips there from Cincinnati, if memory serves.

Graeter's is excellent but this place has the best ice cream...anywhere - http://www.youngsdairy.com/ Yellow Springs is a cute little artsy burg as well.http://www.exploreyellowsprings.com/find.html I'll add a bit to bachs list - All in German Village - http://www.german-village.com/, stop here - www.bookloft.com & while Schmidt's is fine I'd either go to www.katzingers.com., the Olde Mohawk for something interesting, Lindey's for top shelf or Planks for German treats & sing-alongs.

Any thoughts on these?

Story Mound
Shrum Mound
Miamisburg Mound
Chief Leatherlips Monument
Field of Giant Corn Ears
World’s Largest Gavel
World’s Largest Basket - Longaberger
Big Muskie's Bucket
World's Largest Horseshoe Crab
Caesar Creek Gorge State Nature Preserve
Caesar Creek State Park
Ohio Deli (Dagwood sandwich)

What, no world's largest ball of twine? :-)

Seriously, haven't been to any of these so I can't help out here.

The Ohio Deli was the feature restaurant on the Columbus episode of the Man v. Food TV show. They have a trencherman challenge where you win a t-shirt or something if you eat the Dagwood in a specified amount of time. Haven't been here, but only found negatives when I did a Chowhound search on the place, for what it's worth.

Yellow Springs is a small interesting town about 40 miles from Columbus. It has good restaurants, art galleries and hiking in Glen Helen park.

Have you considered Hocking Hills? Only place I've been to on your list is Caesar Creek. It's a nice state park --there are lots of parks like that in Ohio. I love the riverfront in Cincinnati in the spring and summer-- lots of activities going on (you may be here a little early for that). Also--Findlay Market for local food.

Caesars Creek if nice, I recently topped a Hocking Hills thread & that would be my first choice of Ohio State Parks, bar none. Longaberger (unless you have serious basket fetish) is a waste of time. RBCal, thanks for reiterating my earlier suggestion. Not sure if this is what you are referring to but it IS worth the trip - http://greatserpentmound.com/

If you are in Columbus the first weekend in April, it will be Gallery Hop in the Short North. All the restaurants, stores and galleries up and down High St. will be open till midnight and lots of interesting sights (and people) to see.

Can't help with Ohio Deli, but Thurman's Cafe in German Village has also been featured on TV (if that is your criteria) for great hamburgers and beer. While in GV, you might try Barcelona, Lindey's or G. Michael's for fine dining or Banana Bean Cafe, Olde Mohawk, Brown Bag Deli for lunch. Katzinger's is overpriced deli IMHO. Head to the North Market if that's what you crave for Barry's Deli, Jeni's ice cream or Mozart pastries.

Granville, home to Denison University, is a 30 min drive east of Columbus and is very cute in a New England, old brick sort of way. There are some decent restaurants there as well. I would skip the tourist sites you mentioned, IMHO pretty much a joke.

You might want to try a taste of Columbus ice cream, some of the best anywhere - Jeni's, Graeter's, Denise's, Johnson's.

Thanks for the info.

Is Skyline the best and/or only place to get authentic Cicinnati chili?

I have never been to anything on your list but can recommend the Air Force Museum recommended above. It is wonderful! http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/ also, I can recommend walking around German Village but especially the bookstore and the area around it. The bookstore has, I believe 34 rooms and is a treat in itself. I can also recommend Hocking Hills. Rent a cabin in the woods with a hot tub on the porch and do some hicking in Ash Cave, Old Man's Cave, etc...beautiful area. http://www.1800hocking.com/hockinghillscabinscottages

hiking...

Anyone have info on these brew places?

~Barley’s Brewing Company (do they brew onsite?)
~Barley’s Smokehouse & Brewpub (do they brew onsite?)
~Elevator Brewing & Draught Haus (do they brew onsite?)
~The L. Hoster Brewing Co. (are they open?)
~The Grand Republic Brewing (are they open?)
~Madcap Craftbrew (are they open? and are they a brewery or pub?)

Might try this -- right across the river from Cincinnati in Newport.

http://www.hofbrauhausnewport.com/

Long standing argument on what is the best chili in Cincinnati. My preference is definitely Skyline. Might try some goetta also (along with Graeter's, Montgomery Ribs).

maj is right about long-standing chili arguments. Skyline is arguably the best of the Cincinnati Chili chains and I'll second maj on this, though Gold Star also does a decent version. I've seen several enthusiastic Chowhound folks recommend two non-chain places for this, Camp Washington Chili and Blue Ash Chili. Both are located in the northern reaches of the city area, and I've never been to either.

Should maybe mention here that while it's possible to get Cincinnati chili by itself in a bowl, it's traditional to get the chili served over spaghetti (chili-spaghetti) and usually folks add shredded cheese (a 3-way), minced onions (a 4-way), and kidney beans (a 5-way) into the dish. Chili cheese coneys are little hot dogs in white split-top buns with yellow mustard, chili, and shredded cheese topping it. The flavor of this chili is unusual but excellent, usually with sweet spices and chocolate added to the recipe.

Totally forgot about goetta, which is also pretty much a Cincinnati only food. It's essentially the local version of scrapple with oats added to the mystery meat. It's pretty much a breakfast thing in Cincinnati, normally as a substitute for sausage or bacon or ham (goetta and eggs, for example). It's well worth a try if you like things like this.

Will also second aliska's recommendation of Jeni's ice cream in Columbus, which has a location in the North Market complex. Very good.

Agree with the GV Bookstore recommendation. Did enjoy the Longaberger Basket place, I actually made my own basket and it is a nice little conversation piece. Might as well drive around OSU in Columbus, see the Shoe (stadium).

Does anyone know if Mutt's Brewery & Lounge brews beer onsite?

We want to go see the Longaberger Basket building but we are not basket fanatics. Is a tour of the place worth it (if they give one)?

The Air Force Museum is excellent, and their theater has the same films as Washington's Air+Space Museum. but with NO LINES!

Is there a certain Skyline location that is the original or the best to go to?

Do locals prefer Skyline, Camp Washington Chili, or Blue Ash Chili?

As a longtime Cincinnatian - Skyline is the best and most popular. Doesn't matter which one you go to - they are all great and there is one on every corner. Though I do like the older locations for character. Definitely Graeters for Ice Cream - you HAVE to get a flavor w/chips - trust me. Someone mentioned Union Station - this is actually called Union Terminal - it is an old historic train station w/an Omnimax, Cincinnati History Museum, Natural History Museum and Children's Museum.

If you are looking for good hiking, I agree with all of the rec's for Hocking Hills.

Which skyline's are the older ones?

The (first)original was in Price Hill but they have remodeled and moved it down the street.

To answer your question on:

Field of giant corn - this is something you can just drive by and see... nothing more than a few acres of "giant corn." It is right on the main drag in Dublin.

World's largest crab...IMO out of the way from Columbus and Cincinnati. It is in the town of Blanchester which is about 30-40 minutes from the interstate. Again, this is something that you would drive by and see. No tours or anyone to give you information. Just a giant crab sitting in a parking lot.

If time allows, as mentioned above the Airforce Museum is great. If your plans do allow you to visit, go to their website and check into some of the background tours. They offer a few different ones and you must have a reservation, they do fill up quickly.

Re: Longaberger. They are closed till March 18. Their website has tour information.

And definately be sure to visit Graeter's at least once!

Longaberger - be aware that the "basket" is actually an office building for Longaberger employees. I don't believe you can actually tour it. They do have a Homestead about 30 min east of Newark (where the basket building is) where you can create a basket ($$), eat, buy lots of touristy stuff, view the baskets being made, etc.

We just want to see the big basket building. Not really interested in making my own basket or touring the production unless it is not that expensive.

http://www.longaberger.com/ourCompany.aspx Here you go

Back from Ohio....trip report coming.