Walking Cincinnati: 35 Tours Exploring Historic Neighborhoods, Stunning Riverfront Quarters, and Hidden Treasures in the Queen City
Second edition, first printing
Copyright © 2019 by Danny Korman and Katie Meyer
Distributed by Publishers Group West
Manufactured in the United States of America
Cover design: Scott McGrew
Book design: Lora Westberg
Maps: Steve Jones and Scott McGrew; map data: OpenStreetMap
Copy editor: Susan Roberts McWilliams
Proofreaders: Emily Beaumont, Amber Kaye Henderson, and Holly Cross
Indexer: Rich Carlson
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Korman, Danny, author. | Meyer, Katie, 1984- author.
Title: Walking Cincinnati : 35 tours exploring historic neighborhoods, stunning riverfront quarters, and hidden treasures in the Queen City / Danny Korman and Katie Meyer.
Description: 2nd edition. | Birmingham, Alabama : Wilderness Press, [2019]
Identifiers: LCCN 2018061562 | ISBN 9780899979038 (pbk.)
Subjects: LCSH: Cincinnati (Ohio)—Tours. | Walking—Ohio—Cincinnati—Guidebooks. | Neighborhoods—Ohio—Cincinnati—Guidebooks. | Historic sites—Ohio—Cincinnati—Guidebooks. | Architecture—Ohio—Cincinnati—Guidebooks. | Restaurants—Ohio—Cincinnati—Guidebooks. | Cincinnati (Ohio)—History—Miscellanea. | Cincinnati (Ohio)—Social life and customs—Miscellanea.
Classification: LCC F499.C53 K67 2019 | DDC 917.71/78—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018061562
ISBN 978-0-89997-903-8; eISBN 978-0-89997-904-5
Published by
An imprint of AdventureKEEN
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Birmingham, AL 35233
800-443-7227, fax 205-326-1012
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Cover photo: Roebling Suspension Bridge (see Walks 1, 27, and 28) © Jon Bilous/Shutterstock
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher, except for brief quotations used in reviews.
SAFETY NOTICE: Although Wilderness Press and the authors have made every attempt to ensure that the information in this book is accurate at press time, they are not responsible for any loss, damage, injury, or inconvenience that may occur to anyone while using this book. You are responsible for your own safety and health while following the walking trips described here. Always check local conditions, know your own limitations, and consult a map.
Acknowledgments
When the authors wrote the first edition of Walking Cincinnati, they relied heavily on friends and family, as well as experts from local historical societies, historic preservation organizations, and chambers of commerce. With the second edition, they still relied on others while taking a fresh look at everything on their walks. One difference this time was for Danny, who relocated to Boulder, Colorado, in the fall of 2017 and therefore counted on a small band of friends to help with updates. Julie Carpenter, a local historian, provided detailed feedback on 16 of his 22 walks. Katie took the chance to re-explore the region’s neighborhoods, recognizing the ebb and flow of small businesses, the evolution of public spaces, and the ways that change looks and feels in our walkable communities.
Daniel Becker provided much of the content you’ll see in the new East Walnut Hills and Old Milford and Terrace Park walks. Christian Huelsman of Spring in Our Steps mapped out points of interest and background for the new Clifton Heights, University Heights, and Fairview walk.
Others vital to walking and proofreading: Kelly Adamson (Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce), Caitlin Ayers, Carlton Farmer and Jackie Petit, Marie Finn (Western Wildlife Corridor), Michael Frazier, Henna Frazier, Mackenzie Farmer Low, Denise Hovey, Rebecca Johnson, Wade Johnston, Jen Lile, Jack Martin, Nikki Mayhew, Bonnie Meyer, Andrea Poling, Marissa Reed and Seth T. Walsh (College Hill Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation), Samantha and Shannon Renick, Jody Robinson, Mindy Rosen (Downtown Cincinnati, Inc.), Justin Rosenacker, Jim and Eileen Schenk (Enright Ridge Urban Eco-Village), Ann Senefeld, Betty Ann Smiddy, and Dann Woellert. And many thanks to Ken Stigler, who took all photos, and his wife, Susan Miller-Stigler, who helped keep him on task.
Lastly, a nod to some of the key reference materials that helped guide the development of this edition: John Clubbe’s Cincinnati Observed: Architecture and History (1992), Greater Milford Area Historical Society’s Milford, Ohio (2008), ArtWorks and Cincinnati Observatory websites, Walnut Hills: A Walking Tour (2010) by Cincinnati Preservation Association, Digging Cincinnati History blog posts on East Price Hill and Hyde Park, and City of Cincinnati local conservation guidelines for various historic districts.
Authors’ Note
Cincinnati is a wonderful city for walking because its older areas were designed before the automobile arrived. We did not cover every walkable neighborhood in and around Cincinnati, although we added seven that highlight the diversity of our region. The walks in this book were chosen to allow you to explore neighborhoods in surprising ways. Some routes hug hillsides and the riverfront, while others follow quiet residential streets. Cincinnati is known for its urban forest. Streets covered in tree canopies are some of the prettiest and most desirable in the city. People who live on Epworth Avenue in Westwood and Grand Vista Avenue in Pleasant Ridge know this firsthand. The basin area, which includes downtown, Over-the-Rhine, and West End, is flat as a piece of paper. Once you reach its edges, the hillsides climb. Whether justified or not, many locals use these hills as an excuse not to take a walk or ride a bike. You are among the adventurous individuals who accept the challenge and know our city is the better for it.
Geier Esplanade is a small linear park in the center of Oakley’s busy shopping and dining district (see Walk 14).
Table of Contents