Cincinnati, OH: Flying Pigs, Fountain Square, Purple People Bridge

My family has had a lot of travel "firsts" in the past few weeks, such as a recent first visit to Omaha including our first visit to the state of Nebraska; we continued this trend over the recent Labor day holiday weekend with our first visit to Cincinnati, Ohio!

Downtown Cincinnati, Ohio

Although my wife was born and raised in Ohio, and we have visited the upper part of the state numerous times, we had never ventured south to see the vibrant city of Cincinnati.  My first impression upon driving towards downtown Cincinnati from Kentucky late at night was of a huge city that appeared very modern and had a "wow" factor (the skyline was very illuminating at night).  As it would turn out, most of the downtown area appears brand-new and very cosmopolitan.  Not sure what to expect, I found Cincinnati to be much larger and far more chic than anticipated!

View of Cincinnati from Newport, Kentucky

The downtown area is centered by Fountain Square, a public area in the heart of this historic Midwestern river city.  Surrounded by skyscrapers and highlighted by a huge fountain, Fountain Square proved to be a busy hub of activity throughout the weekend.  There was a large live music stage (which had live bands each evening until 11pm the weekend we visited) and a huge Times Square like television screen attached to a nearby tower.  With plenty of seating and dining choices, such as Graeter's Ice Cream and Skyline Chili, Fountain Square is a great hangout spot in Downtown Cincinnati.

Fountain Square was the heartbeat of downtown Cincinnati

Fountain Square is where I learned about two quintessential Cincinnati traditions: flying pigs and chili.  I had previously known (based on research I did for this very trip) about Cincinnati chili, and definitely looked forward to trying the most recommended choice, Skyline Chili (which I found to be very good); but I had no idea how much this city loves flying pigs!

Flying pigs in Fountain Square

Everywhere you turn there is a flying pig dressed in various types of decor - and I mean everywhere.  I have been to several cities that have their traditional icon on display in a few spots, but Cincinnati has these fly pigs on every corner of the downtown area, and even reaching beyond downtown.  Most corners had several pigs...the city is literally covered in flying pigs!

After looking it up, turns our Cincinnati used to be called "Porkopolis" in reference to its huge meatpacking industry.  This term, often used in a negative connotation, ultimately led many Cincy residents to add wings to pigs, turning the term flying pig into a source of civic pride.  Clearly, Cincy residents take this seriously, as the flying pigs are everywhere.  The flying pigs sculptures around downtown are also very nicely done pieces of art, well-maintained, and really add to the ambiance of the city in a positive and fun way.

As we continued to walk around Cincinnati to get acclimated with this new to us city, I continued to be impressed with the modern amenities Cincy offered.  Both sports stadiums are located right downtown and are brand-new (and impressive to look at) as well as the brand-new National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (which I will write about later), several huge and new shopping & dining districts, and a large riverfront park with several nice (and new) playgrounds. 



Great American Ballpark, home of the Cincinnati Reds

Overall, downtown Cincinnati was very clean, new, cosmopolitan...and walkable!

Entering the Purple People Bridge...it was actually purple!

In fact, we walked from Ohio to Kentucky! Very similar to a feat we did a few weeks ago when walking from Nebraska to Iowa (which I wrote about here), although at the other end of the Purple People Bridge was Newport, Kentucky...Newport featured a Branson, Missouri like landing with a brand-new shopping and entertainment district, and the Newport Aquarium (which I will write about later). 

Walking across the river from Ohio to Kentucky

The Purple People Bridge, easily accessible from anywhere in downtown Cincinnati, provided a safe and easily walkable (stroller friendly) way to get from Cincinnati to Newport.  Additionally, the bridge provided great views of the downtown Cincinnati skyline and all the busy traffic along the river.  Next to Newport is Covington, Kentucky -  which featured flood wall murals similar to ones we recently were amazed by in Paducah, Kentucky (previously written about here).

The Covington flood wall murals are in the background (across the river) in this shot from the 3rd level of the
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati

After getting familiar with Cincinnati's Fountain Square and chic downtown area, we embarked on two busy days with visits to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Newport Aquarium, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, and Museum Center.  Although it seems like we did a lot, we seemed to just scratch the surface on all Cincinnati has to offer!