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Cincinnati’s European history has earned the city many accolades for its beauty. Sir Winston Churchill called Cincinnati the "Most beautiful of America’s inland cities," while Henry Wadsworth Longfellow dubbed the city "The Queen of the West." On this tour you will find diverse architecture and cultural pleasures that bring old-world charm to Cincinnati.

One- to Five-Day Itinerary

Day 1

Afternoon
Beginning in the heart of the city, Cincinnati’s historic Fountain Square is the perfect place to get view a cultural gem, the Tyler Davidson Fountain and the “Genus of Water.” The American Institute of Architects has twice honored Cincinnati’s Fountain Square as an example of the innovations "that are making our cities more enjoyable places."

The Cincinnati Preservation Society will lead the Architreks guided walking tour of downtown Cincinnati’s impressive architectural gems. Guests will view 10-15 sites that focus on the many architectural styles represented in the Queen City. Included are Italianate and Greek Revival structures, as well as many buildings in the Court Street historic district that survive from the Canal era. (Allow two hours) 

Head to the top of Cincinnati’s tallest building, The Carew Tower Observation Deck, that offers an unobstructed view in every direction – it’s also a perfect spot to catch a spectacular sunset. The Carew Tower and the attached hotel, the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, are among the finest examples in the country of Art Deco architecture. 

End the day’s tour with dinner on Cincinnati’s only authentic riverboat restaurant, Mike Fink’s, which offers a spectacular view of the river and Cincinnati skyline. Mike Fink’s is on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Day Two

Morning
In the mid-1800’s, flourishing German singing societies sponsored huge saengerfests, a tradition that ultimately gave birth to the renowned May Festival in 1873. Housed in the historic and magnificently preserved Music Hall, this acoustically perfect auditorium is a masterpiece of High Victorian Gothic Revival architecture, with an appropriately Germanic Flavor. Music Hall is the grand dame of Cincinnati’s arts venues and is the home of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, May Festival, and Cincinnati Opera.

Next, visit Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, one of Cincinnati’s National Historic Landmarks, for a Rotunda Tour. Learn about the world-famous mosaic murals on this docent-led tour, and why it is one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture. The dramatic arched half-dome arch was quite a modernistic approach in the 1930s. Lunch can be incorporated with an informative audio-visual presentation that focuses on 19th-century Cincinnati architecture. 

Afternoon
The Taft Museum of Art, built in the 1800s, and once owned by the half-brother of President William Howard Taft, houses the Taft’s love for art and European masterpieces. The home offers Victorian interiors, fascinating murals in the entrance hall (ca 1850) and a superb collection of paintings and decorative arts not to be missed. In 2004 after a two-year, $19 million renovation and 20,000-square-foot expansion, the Taft Museum of Art re-opened its doors on May 15th. The renovated facility, which nearly doubled in size, includes an expanded exhibition gallery, redesigned garden and a multipurpose hall for performances and lectures. 

Evening
After dining at one of Cincinnati’s many group-friendly restaurants, take in one of the following performances.

• Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra - located in historic, elegant Music Hall or summer season at Riverbend Music Center.
• The Aronoff Center for Arts - This state-of-the-art facility in the heart of downtown was designed by renowned architect Cesar Pelli and offers three stunning performance spaces for the Cincinnati Ballet, Broadway in Cincinnati productions, and several theater companies.
• Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park - This 2004 Tony Award winner is a nationally recognized, regional professional theater that presents comedies, drama and musicals year-round in a dramatic setting atop Mt. Adams.
• Showboat Majestic - A National Historic Landmark offering an onboard theater that has featured musicals, comedies and drams for the past 70 years. (Available April through October).

Day 3

Morning
Begin the day with a tour the Lois and Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art, a new $28 million facility and the first art museum in the U.S. to be designed by a woman - Zaha Hadid of London. The most stunning aspect of this devoutly modern space is the free-hanging staircases that zigzag from the glass-fronted lobby to each level of the building. The works to premiere here represent a wide variety of media. There will be works by contemporary artists - often avante garde and provocative – as well as art that puts the viewer into the experience. An entire floor is dedicated to children, known as the UnMuseum, and is designed to wow kids by slyly tying into their school curriculums. 

Enjoy lunch at many of the downtown restaurants or enjoy shopping at Tower Place Mall at the base of the Carew Tower.

Afternoon
Chateau Laroche, a one-fifth scale version of a Norman Castle, measuring 96 by 65 feet, includes turrets and three towers, a (dry) moat, stables, gardens, dungeon, a balcony, a chapel and a meeting chamber for knights. And for the most part this castle was built by one man...it took him 52 years! Sir Harry Andrews was an architect, a visionary, a genius, a romantic, and a person with a lot of time on his hands. (This requires walking on uneven ground and many steps). 

Evening
Dinner and entertainment is at Vito’s Café, where all of the servers are musical theater or opera students at the University of Cincinnati, or Northern Kentucky University. This restaurant offers an eclectic Italian villa atmosphere, resplendent with mirrors and candles.

Day 4

Morning
Hauck House, built during the Civil War, gives guests an interpretive tour of how a wealthy family lived in the late 1800’s. The house was the home of John Hauck, a German immigrant who made a fortune in brewing. The home is in an area that was once considered millionaires row. 

Verdin Bell Museum, the world’s largest supplier of bells, carillons and clocks, is housed in historic St. Paul’s Church (circa 1848). Guests will view magnificent architecture as well as mosaics, antique clocks, bells and organs. 

Afternoon
Head for lunch high atop the city at the historic Porkopolis, formerly known as Rookwood Pottery Bistro. Housed in a Tudor-style structure, this was once the factory of Maria Longworth Nichols’s Rookwood Pottery. Guests may dine in the giant kilns. 

An afternoon visit to the sprawling 186-acre Eden Park (named after the Garden of Eden) will give guests time to enjoy nature and beauty as well a panoramic view of the city. Spring is breathtaking with the Park offering a magnificent display of flowering trees and more than 50,000 daffodils.

Next, visit the Cincinnati Art Museum, the oldest art museum west of the Allegheny Mountains. Located in beautiful Eden Park, the museum boasts 104 galleries which include paintings of all periods, furniture, oriental rugs, silverware, armor and clothing. The new Cincinnati Wing provides an interesting look at Cincinnati’s artists, and art collections. A high tea will be the crown glory. 

The Basilica of the Assumption - Copied from Notre Dame in Parisa over 100 years ago, this Cathedral has 82 stained glass windows, including the largest in the world, as well as a Rose window larger than Notre Dame’s. The Gothic design with gargoyles, flying buttresses, mural-size oil paintings by renowned artist Frank Duveneck are other features of this Gothic Structure. 

Evening
Dinner this evening is at Mecklenburg Gardens. Established in 1865, this restaurant with its outdoor "Bier Gartens," has come to symbolize "Zinzinnati’s" German heritage. In its early years, it was a prominent gathering place for German immigrants and German singing societies and provided a place for relaxation and socializing, but also was used as a training ground for German immigrants, aquanting them with the American political process through mock elections. Guests will enjoy dining in this National historic restaurant, with its 19th century charm and "bier garten with grape vine trellis.’ 

Day 5

Morning
Today head north to the city of sculpture – Hamilton, Ohio – for a guided tour with a docent of Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park. Learn how the past, the present and the future can be merged together in a truly unique accomplishment. Guests will be split into two groups (while one group is taking the tour, the other group will enjoy a city tour of Hamilton with guide). This sculpture park serves as a permanent visible journey through the major eras of art history. Pyramid Hill possesses a "natural Gallery" which your group will observe as they travel along nature’s version of walls and sculptures that are mounted on pedestals of earth, rather than concrete or stone. From the abundant wildlife, flowers and lakes, to the stone pioneer cabin nestled among the hillside, this park has endured elements since the 1820’s. In the gardens near the amphitheater rests a large Roman funerary piece, which dates back to the approximate time of Christ. More than forty unique sculptures will be viewed by all. 

The Lane Hooven home, built in 1863, is an historic octagonal home with beautiful glass windows and woodwork, and home to the Hamilton Community Foundation, a working museum. Make sure you see the Hooven Automatic Typewriter, the world's first word processor, made famous by the Hollywood stars in the '20s and '30s. 

Head to Lebanon, Ohio for lunch at Ohio’s oldest Inn and host to a dozen U.S. Presidents - The Golden Lamb. Over 200 years old and this restaurant once welcomed Charles Dickens and Mark Twain. This two-story Federal style brick building still has the original log tavern which serves as the lobby today. 

Following lunch enjoy shopping in the quaint town of Lebanon, used in the filming of many Hollywood movies.

Late Afternoon
Next, take a Tour of Glendower. Located on a hill overlooking Lebanon, this home is considered one of the finest examples of residential Greek Revival architecture in Ohio. Erected between 1836-1840, the mansion was once home to the elite of the area. The stately interior is furnished in elegant Empire and Victorian pieces. 

Evening
End your tour with dinner at Music Palace. The Music Palace organ was built for the Mastbaum Theater in Philadelphia and was first played on Feb. 28, 1929. You can request your favorites to be played by the organist. Your dinner will be a buffet that includes the salad bar, choice of two soups, 2-3 entrees, side dishes of vegetables and fruits, rolls and dessert. After your meal you can also visit their gift shop that offers a selection of records, tapes and postcards.