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A multi-million-dollar face-lift has turned Washington Park into a bustling center of activity for Cincinattians.
(Photo: Courtesy of Washington Park) |
Explore the heart of new Cincinnati with a midday stroll through Washington Park. Though it was a hangout for drug dealers as recently as 2010, a $48 million mega-face-lift has completely transformed the park: The picturesque plaza now has interactive water jets and downtown’s first dog park, plus free square-dancing classes (Thursdays through the end of October) and outdoor movie screenings in the summer. In the center of it all, a restored bandstand hosts concerts by the talented students from the School for Creative & Performing Arts (Fridays at noon, fall and spring) across the street�consider it the opening act for the opera you’ll catch later in the evening, at the historic Cincinnati Music Hall right across the street.
Get buzzed in the Christian Moerlein Malt House. The actual malting room preserved from the 1860s still has arched stone ceilings and a deli counter now serving frankfurters and wurstbrot (pretzel bread stuffed with sweet sausage, sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese), plus 12 beers on tap (try the Zeppelin, $5, a Bavarian pale ale bottled on-site). No one knows local brewing lore like owner Greg Hardman; ask nicely, and he’ll happily regale you with tales of the neighborhood’s annual Bockfest, a rowdy springtime ritual that draws roughly 30,000 people and a special appearance by some local Franciscan friars, who conduct a ceremonial �blessing of the beer.� Less than a mile away, Rhinegeist Brewery goes out of its way to source hops that lend intense, tropical fruit notes (see: Truth, its crisp, signature IPA, $6). Next summer, the brewery is set to expand into the rest of its massive 110,000-square-foot facility, complete with a rooftop bar.
Plan a meal around a visit to Findlay Market. Founded in 1855, its core of Amish produce vendors, butchers, cheesemongers, and even a Belgian waffle stand remain, but a recent crop of new businesses has helped enliven the space. On weekends, browse wares from newer pop-up vendors: Gretchen Singh’s whimsical earthenware colanders ($28) and dog dishes ($22); Maverick Chocolate Company, which opened in July, conjuring richly aromatic bars out of raw cacao pods (check out the Fahrenheit 513, a chile and five-spice infusion); and locally beloved barbecue joint Eli’s.