A select group of UK trade representatives recently visited the Cincy Region. Travel Gossip asked them to fill us in on the trip…
Freedom Destinations Marketing Manager Rowan Wallis
What did you know about Cincy prior to visiting?
I knew where it was on the map! I knew it spanned the state border, with skyscrapers and sports stadiums on the Cincinnati side, and bourbon on the Covington side.
Top tips
I’d recommend staying in Covington, and then going into Cincinnati for the day. Covington has a welcoming vibe and the shops, bars and restaurants are all walkable. Cincinnati felt like ‘big city’ America, fascinating to explore, especially for someone from the suburbs in the UK. I’d also recommend visiting the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, catching a game at the Great American Ball Park; dinner on a Riverboat and visiting the BLINK lights festival.
Stand-out attractions
I took a stroll down to General James Taylor Park and the riverboats, from where there’s a wonderful view across the Ohio River, of the stadiums and Roebling Bridge. We drove up to Devou Park, for another panoramic city vista. We took a walking tour of the murals around Covington, where there is some great art. Blending our own bourbon at Wenzel Whiskey was a really fun, chilled out afternoon. We enjoyed a few drinks around Main Street (near the Goose Girl Fountain) in Covington and rode ‘The Connector’ from The Banks to Findlay Market, then took a stroll through Washington Park.
How would you sell Cincy?
We are promoting Cincy as the start or end of a fly drive or multi centre holiday – the direct flight enabling this. We recommend two nights minimum. It’s not on most clients’ radar initially, but makes a great add on to a music themed tour, heading south through Kentucky then over the border into Tennessee.
Premier Holidays Travel Expert Kerry Gilfoyle
What did you know about Cincy prior to visiting?
I have flown people in and out of the city but I definitely did not have much insight as to what the city or region had to offer, so it was great to experience it first-hand.
Where did you stay?
We stayed in Covington, which is across the river from the city. It is classed as Northern Kentucky but is a suburb of Cincinnati. The city can still easily be reached as it’s only a 30 minutes’ walk to downtown across the bridge or seven minutes in a taxi and it’s only 20 minutes to CVG [Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport]. We stayed at the Hotel Covington which is a beautiful four-star boutique hotel. It is a lovely location to be in with lots of shops and restaurants nearby.
What is there to see and do?
We played disc golf at Devou Park, which had stunning views over the Ohio River and Cincinnati skyline.
We also went on the ‘Covington Bourbon Cruise’ with Pedal Wagon. We got the chance to visit the city’s three unique neighbourhoods, Roebling Point, Madison Design District and Mainstrasse and sampled bourbon from stops along the B-Line. This was a great way to see different areas and it was a lot of fun to do.
We did a Street art tour of Covington. We were taken around to see the sites of all the street art/murals around the area and it was guided so we learnt about the history and location as we went.
We also visited Wenzel Whiskey, where we blended our own bourbon.
How do you think agents would be able to sell Cincy?
I think agents could sell it quite easily and twin it with another city in Kentucky, such as Lexington, which has great bars and restaurant choices and it’s only 90 minutes from Cincy.
What is/was your overall impression of Cincy?
I really enjoyed it, I liked that they have a free tram to use to get around the city and they have a lot of history with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, where you can learn stories of slavery and their freedom.
And if you are into sports, there are two stadiums: one for football and baseball, supporting the Cincinnati Bengals and Cincinnati Reds, respectively. I would definitely say there is something for everyone.
North America Travel Service Agency Sales Team Leader Brendan Macdonagh
What did you know about Cincy prior to visiting?
Not a lot to be honest. We occasionally sell it, so I was aware of where it was and that British Airways flies there direct these days. And I knew it is big on sport. But that was about the limit of my knowledge.
Where did you visit and what stood out?
We visited and stayed in Covington, which I thought was a lovely, quite artsy district across the river. Roebling Bridge and surrounding areas along the Ohio River are probably the best area of the city to explore. We did also visit Findlay Market and the downtown Cincinnati area, but for me Covington was a nicer area to stay in.
Overall impression
It’s a very American place – layers of immigration, all bringing their own foods and cultures but assimilating in that classic hard working American way. It’s not New York or Washington DC in that there isn’t a sight to see on every corner and there are definitely places you could class as ‘gritty’, but it has a good feel about it, the people are friendly and seem genuinely happy to have you visiting.
How would agents sell Cincy?
What I didn’t realise first of all is that it is a good gateway to the southern region – Kentucky/Tennessee and so on. It is probably a two or three-night stop as a gateway and then I would head south into Kentucky, probably combining on an open-jaw with Nashville and taking in places like Louisville or Lexington heading towards the south.
I would definitely look to try to take in some sports in Cincy. Reds baseball is one of the more historic names and places and Bengals football gets the whole city out. A night at a game followed by a night doing the Covington B-Line bourbon experience seems to me to be an excellent way to spend a weekend.
Photos taken by Brendan MacDonagh
