Day trips from cincinnati/Northern Ky area (Springfield, Madison: hotel, purchase)

[Yac]

Everybody please calm down. If you disagree with someone prove the wrong instead of making it personal.
Yac.

[XIX]

I'd say that Frankfort, KY is a nice day trip. There are 2 capitols to tour, a great KY History Museum, and one of the best Bourbon distilleries in KY - Buffalo Trace. Though small, the place has a lot of charm. Just don't go on Sunday, as almost everything is closed.

[abr7rmj]

Originally Posted by Sarah Perry

Yes, I'm sure that 20-hour day from what, 4 a.m. to midnight, would be pure bliss with the OP's 10-year-old and infant.

I wasn't necessarily referring to someone with an infant for a day trip to Cleveland or the lake. But it is certainly doable otherwise. Again, I've gone to Put-in-Bay and sporting events in downtown Cleveland and come home in a single day. And when I lived in Bowling Green (northern Ohio), I would do Cincinnati and Dayton day trips all the time. Literally all the time. I'd come down for Reds games and head home after the game. It doesn't require anywhere near 20 hours, unless you want to spend 13+ hours up there.

[kjbrill]

This morning, I was watching TV and one of Jack Hanna's programs was on. It reminded me of the fact I had recommended zoos as a day triip. Then I remembered Marlin Perkins, who was director of the Linkcoln Park Zoo in Chicago from 1944-1962, and his TV show Zoo Parade. This reminded me of when he moved to be director of the St Louis Zoo in 1963 and started his long running TV show Wild Kingdom sponsored by Mutual Of Omaha.

This brought me back to Jack Hanna and his TV show Animal Adventures started in 1993. During that time he had been made a director of the Columbus Zoo, and with the help of citizen benefactors had brought it back from near oblivion.

Then I thought of Ed Maruska, the longtime director of the Cincinnnati Zoo. While he didn't have a syndicated TV show, he was widely recognized for the extraordinary success Cincinnati had in breeding animals in captivity.

All of this made me think I hope we will have dedicated people such as these in the future so our young children can enjoy a trip to the zoo.

[cis689]

Clifty Falls is a nice day trip from this area. About 1hr 30mins away. They have a nice pool ($3 per person) and some very nice trails to explore. Very senic park.

[HappyDogToday]

The Kentucky Horse Park down I-75 towards Lexington, KY is a nice "day trip".

So is a drive out Route 52 along the Ohio River from New Richmond. You can stop at the Chilo Lock Park or the Meldahl Dam and enjoy watching the river boats and learning about the history along the river.

Take the ferry over to Augusta, KY and enjoy walking around and eating there.

Continue on Rt 52 to Ripley and visit the riverside park there and the historic Rankin house on the hill overlooking the town. Just before Ripley there is Higgensport where you can eat a nice home cooked meal at The Dinner Bell restaurant. If you prefer hot dogs and ice cream there is a dairy bar in Chilo.

If you've got time, you can continue on past Ripley to Aberdeen and then go over to Maysville, KY to explore this historic river town. On Rt 52 Ohio side you can drive on to Portsmouth, Ohio and see the murals, explore the visitors center, and eat at the Buckeye Dairy Bar along Rt. 52.

Up Rt 125 from the Buckeye Dairy Bar is Shawnee National Forest. There is a beach on the lake for swimming, a lodge with a restaurant, pool, and hot tub, and hiking trails galore.

Detour up through West Union via Rt. 136 out of Manchester and visit the Amish markets in the Wheat Ridge Community: Millers Baker and Dry Goods and the Keim Family Market.

Another fun Ohio River focused idea is to take a cruise on the B & B River boats out of downtown Cincinnati.

[fakkelsey]

I believe you could live in the Cincinnati area all of ones life and not see all there is to see for day trips and city attractions. Though I no longer live in the Cincy area I love the city, both sides of the river. I am coming back down for vacation this July.

What other city can you see so much history and scenic neighborhoods? And like if Cincy was not enough, Dayton is just 45 minutes north, Lexington an hour and a half south, a drop more for Frankfort, 2 hours to Red river area and Carter caves, an hour and 40 minutes to Louisville, 2 hours to Columbus, 2 hours to Indi, hour and a half to Madison, IN, the same for Richmond, same for Springfield, and that is just the tip of the ice burg.

All of these destinations have great world class attractions and such a short distance away. Short of heaven, it does not get much better than Cincinnati and it's central location. Even Chicago, Cleveland, and Detroit can be had in around 5 hours or less. Waterfalls, caves, so many world class attractions you can't add them all up, and a beautiful river, this great place is hard to go wrong with. Every city has it's own charms. Every city around there is special. Cincy, however, is my favorite.

The only downside is the transit. It is not too bad, just the fare system is outdated and it is hard to impossible to get to many far northern burbs. However, combining metro and Tank, you do have many options, and Greyhound runs continuously to many destinations it seems. I know Metro does have plans to improve. In the city region, however, pretty good.

Over all, enjoy all the region has to offer. Gods green earth does not get much more beautiful than daytripping Cincinnati.

[natininja]

^ Great post!

You might be interested to know that Metro just upgraded their fare system. It still has a ways to go, but it's an improvement. You can buy stored-value cards of $10, $20, and $30. They are not refillable (but the final balance can be used for a partial fare), and they are only available at Government Square, and only during certain hours. But it's still a much better far system than exact change only! No word on whether TANK is planning to integrate their system to accept these cards.

Also, Cincinnati is building a streetcar system, in case you weren't aware of that. It's faced a number of political hurdles, but a final construction contract should be signed any day now.

Details on the new fare system:
Metro Introduces New Way to Pay Fare: Stored-Value Cards: Metro Cincinnati

[fakkelsey]

^

Thanks for the link. I will be visiting in July, however, and the new cards are not until August, unfortunately. Certainly, a very positive improvement. I also saw many other improvements in the works for the system. That is great news. I will be using #19, 1, 78, and TANK trolly for the most part on vacation, with the exception of 42x and maybe a handful more. I did read that a lot of the promised money for the street car got taken away. I know that leaves Cincy hurting. One thing about Cincy, they always manage to continue to build great for the people even when all else looks bleak. I know the city will become a major vacation spot in time, and only the lack of knowledge keeps many from going there now.

[Misfit Toy]

Madison, IN is a nice day trip spot. There are several bed & breakfast inns there, I believe some of them are open for tours in the daytime. There are 1-2 historical sites downtown. Clifty Falls (which another poster mentioned) is close by, as is Hanover College, which has a nice campus that overlooks the Ohio River. They have a boat regatta on the river every summer & an arts festival there in the fall and the town is really hopping at those times. Otherwise, it's usually laid back & kind of sleepy.