Day 1 Fly to Cincinnati 

Arrive at Cincinnati and transfer to a hotel in Covington or downtown Cincinnati. Evening at leisure, dinner at one of the lovely restaurants.

Day 2 Queen City Underground Tour 

The first stop is the Queen City Underground Tour. Descend below the city streets of Cincinnati to a hidden crypt where some of Cincinnati’s first residents are buried. Explore tunnels which were vital to Cincinnati’s brewery heritage, where beer was fermented and cooled and delivered to over 130 saloons, bars and beer gardens in the Over-the-Rhine neighbourhood. Following this, visit Ripley which was a significant crossing point for people escaping slavery through the Underground Railroad. Many prominent abolitionists lived here including John Rankin whose house on top of a hill overlooking the town is a National Historic Landmark, and is where he used a lantern to signal escaping slaves.

Enjoy a concert at Fountain Square before taking dinner in a lovely local restaurant.

Day 3 Museum Tours 

Today join a walking tour to see some of the murals which have been created in the city, followed by a visit to the Art Museum. In the afternoon, visit the American Sign Museum, which celebrates two centuries of this varied art form with hundreds of historic signs - definitely worth a visit. Following this, visit the Vent Haven Museum, a unique museum with more than 800 ventriloquist figures, including one of Ronald Regan, collected from 20 countries.

Day 4 Newport 

Visit the town of Newport to take the Newport Gangster Tour. This town has an edgy, storied past as a prohibition-era bootlegging capital, a mobster’s paradise and America’s first major gambling city (before Las Vegas). It is a fascinating story.   Return across the river to Visit the Freedom Centre, continuing a deeply moving reminder of America’s troubled past. The underground railroad which was not really underground or a railroad, but was a network of routes followed by people seeking freedom. For many, crossing the Ohio River was the goal to escaping slavery and the centre celebrates freedom’s heroes from the 19th century to the present day.  

Day 5 Findlay Market 

Day at leisure to explore Findlay Market, where locals go to buy meat, fish, poultry, lovely delis, cheese and flowers. The Market is located in the Over-The-Rhine neighbourhood, listed in the National Register of Historic Places as one of the largest, most intact urban historic districts in the United States, containing the biggest collection of 19th century Italianate Architecture. There are many individual shops and boutiques throughout this area. Enjoy bourbon tasting at New Riff Distillery in Newport and the experience of mixing your own bourbon at Wenzel Whisky in Covington. 

 

Day 6 

Return to the UK or stay on to see other museums and theatres or continue with a tour of Kentucky or Ohio.