Only $1-2 To See Top Cincinnati Sites When You Hop Aboard the Cincinnati Bell Connector Streetcar
Yesterday, we had a fun Family Outing Day (FOD) touring Cincinnati. What made it super easy was using the Cincinnati streetcar to get us from place to place. Easy to use, clean, and a great value, the Cincinnati Bell Connector streetcar is a great way to see the best of what Cincinnati has to offer. You can either ride for 2 hours for only $1(kids under 35" are FREE and 35"- 45" are half price) or you can get a 24 hour pass for only $2 . Now, that's a deal! There are ticket booth at each of the 18 stops on the route but you can also use your smartphone and purchase tickets online. Families are welcomed and you can board the streetcar with your stroller, bikes, and wheelchairs.
The 3.6 mile loop has 18 stops where you can easily hop on/hop off to get to your destination. The loop makes visiting downtown Cincinnati so easy to do. Since my parents live near Washington Park in Over-the-Rhine, we always start our streetcar visits at Washington Park (there is plenty of parking below Washington Park too). We walk to the stop directly across the street from Cincinnati Musical Hall at the corner of 14th and Elm Street (Stop 8). This is where our Cincinnati day of adventure began. The stops below are the stops we did on our FOD, but you can customize your FOD based on the sites you want to visit.
Stop 9 (Liberty & Elm): The Play Library - If you have kids, be sure to stop and visit this local non-profit. Instead of loaning books, they loan games. The place is all about family fun. You can stay and play games for free or you can check out the games for a fee. The Play Library also welcomes gently used games so if you have any old games taking up space in your closets at home, donate them and give them a chance to be played.
The Play Library - need to save more time to visit this next time we are downtown.
Stop 10: Findlay Market - If you've never been to Findlay Market, you have to go, go, go! This is an historic Cincinnati landmark filled with delicious aromas, foods, fresh vegetables, specialty vendors and entertainment. Bring a reusable shopping bag with you since it is very hard to leave the market without buying something.
Findlay Market
After Findlay Market, we decided to stay on the streetcar until we reached The Banks. We passed some of the following:
Stop 11: Brewery District - You can get off right in front of the Rhinegest brewery and bar. This is fun place to visit. Head upstairs to large brewery hall filled with picnic tables for seating and cornhole games to enjoy. They don't serve food but you are welcome to bring food in (maybe fill up that bag you brought to Findlay Market). Kids and families are welcomed to the main brewery floor except on Thurs-Sat nights, you need to be 21 and over to enter.
Stop 14: Washington Park - Washington Park is made for family fun. You can get off here and enjoy the beautiful grounds, visit the fenced in children's play area, romp in the interactive sprayground, and enjoy many free events, concerts, and festivals. From this stop you can easily walk to Vine Street in Over-the-Rhine and visit one of the many delicious restaurants or take the kids to Holtman's Donuts, Brezel or Graeter's for a treat. CIncinnati Music Hall, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, The Ensemble Theatre and The Know Theatre are all in walking distance of this stop too. The School of Creative and Performing Arts and the Cincinnati Art Academy are also close by.
Washington Park
Stop 16: Public Libray of Cincinnati - Everyone should visit the main branch of the Cincinnati Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County at least once. Offering free programs, kids events, homework help, Kidspace, Teenspace, and the very cool and creative MakerSpace (reserve your space online).
Stop 17: Aronoff Center - If you hop off at this stop, you can visit the Contemporary Arts Center and take the kids up to the UnMuseum® (admission is FREE), or visit 21c Museum (FREE).
Stop 18: Fountain Square - We did hop off to visit Fountain Square. Today we lucked out and enjoyed an outdoor art fair. We sampled honey, stopped by vendor booths, bought some digital art pins and enjoyed seeing Fountain Square bustling. From here you can walk to Carew Tower and head to the top for some amazing views. If you like to shop, visit Macy's and if you like to eat, Fountain Square has plenty of restaurants close by.
Stop 1: Cincinnati Cyclones station, The Banks: This was our main stop for the day. Kudos to the City of Cincinnati for making The Banks area such a great place to visit. Sports enthusiasts can enjoy seeing the Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Bengals or Cincinnati Cyclones. All these facilities are within walking distance from this stop. There are some great dining options and for families it is the perfect way to spend the day. Head to Smale Riverfront Park and take a ride on Carol Ann's Carousel, bring a swimsuit and towel for the kids and they can run through the onsite spray-grounds (there are 3 located throughout the area). Walk down to the riverfront south of Mehring Way and enjoy walking paths, the Great Adventure Playground, the labryrinth (a mediation path), P&G go Vibrantscape, Rosenberg swings and more. If you are feeling more adventurous, take a walk across the Roebling Bridge to the Kentucky side. If you'd like to learn more about history, visit the National Undeground Railroad Freedom Center. Baseball fans can check out the Reds Hall of Fame & Museum.
Smale Riverfront Park, Carol Ann's Carousel and The Roebling Bridge in the background.
We had such a fun FOD. Riding the Cincinnati Bell Connector streetcar is one of the best ways to see Cincinnati. I hope you'll get a chance to map out your route or just show up and be spontaneous in where you want to hop on or off. Cincinnati has so much to offer and the streetcar makes it easily accessible for all. Just listen for the "ding ding" and sit back and enjoy your ride.
Always fun to snap a picture in front of the "Sing The Queen City" sign - located in between the front of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and Carol Ann's Carousel.
