Cincinnati

Xavier pronounced Zay-vyur is a private Jesuit, Catholic university located in the neighborhood of Evanston. It was founded in 1831. Its three colleges offer 78 undergraduate majors, 43 minors and 11 graduate programs to 6,646 total students, including 3,961 undergraduates. The University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation and one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities nationwide. Xavier has been recognized as one of the nation's best colleges and universities for 13 consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report, including #2 in the Midwest in the 2008 rankings. Xavier is also ranked as one of the "Best 368 Colleges and Universities" by the Princeton Review. Xavier's Williams College of Business is also recognized by the Princeton Review as one of the "Best 290 Business Schools." Xavier's part-time MBA program is also highly ranked by U.S. News & World Report and the Health Services Administration Graduate Program is ranked number one in the country by Modern Healthcare. Xavier supports 16 NCAA Division I sports teams. The men's basketball team made it to the Elite Eight in 2008 and 2004, and the women's basketball team matched the feat in 2010. Xavier also received the national 2006 Grand Award from the Professional Grounds Management Society as No. 1 in the country for urban university landscaping.

Cincinnati State is the technical and community college of choice in the region and nationally recognized for academic excellence and workforce development.

For more than a decade, the Bengals were the punchline of a joke about the NFL. No more, though. Since the hiring of Head Coach Marvin Lewis, the Bengals have gone on to win the AFC North Division and have gained respect within the NFL. In his first season 2003, Lewis led the Bengals with an 8-8 record compared to the 2002 record of 2-14. The Bengals have since posted an 8-8 record in 2004 and an 11-5 record with an AFC North Division Championship. Since their turnaround, a visit to a Bengals game is recommended — if you can get a ticket. Their new home is Paul Brown Stadium, named for the Hall of Fame founder and owner/first head coach of the team in their American Football League days.

Coney Island is a piece of Americana - a park that has been in operation for over 120 years. The park is located closer to Cincinnati, on the Ohio River. General admission is $17.50 to use the rides and Sunlite Pool, the world's largest recirculating pool 200' by 401'.

Kings Island, located in Mason, OH, is one of the world's greatest amusement parks. The park is divided into three different areas - the main park with adult attractions, a children's park, and a water park. Admission to the park grants access to every one of the areas. Kings Island is also the home to record holding coasters including The Beast, the world's longest wooden roller coaster! Kings Island has just recently been sold to Cedar Fair, and the names for some of the rides have changed.

Tours run by the Cincinnati Preservation Association and the Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati focusing on the architecture of older neighborhoods in the city and the rich history that comes along with them.

The Playhouse in the Park is a Tony Award winning playhouse, housing two theaters in Eden Park, not far from the Cincinnati Art Museum. The playhouse hosts performances ten months out of the year.

The Music Hall is the beautiful home to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Opera, and Cincinnati Ballet. The building was built in 1878 and funded by what's believed to be the first matching grant fund drive in the United States. In 1880, the building hosted the Democratic National Convention. Tours can be arranged through the Society for the Preservation of Music Hall (http://www.soc-pres-music...).

Located on the Ohio river and draws big name artists like John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews Band, and Jimmy Buffet.

TimberWolf Amphitheatre

This arena also draws some big name artists, usually teen heartthrobs like Aaron Carter.

The Esquire Theatre is a movie theater that generally runs indie/foreign films along with some other mainstream films. It also hosts twice-monthly showings of Rocky Horror Picture Show. It is on Ludlow Ave, which is close to great coffee shops, restaurants, and specialty stores.

Held several times through out the summer and entertains 8,000 with the hottest musical acts and cold draft beers. The party is held at Yeatman's Cove.

The Appalachian Festival is bigger and better than ever... with more than 130 crafters, dozens of entertainers on three stages, cultural and educational programs and a new mountain life exhibit area. The Appalachian Festival draws nearly 50,000 people over the three-day event to Coney Island on the shores of the Ohio River.

Taste of Cincinnati is held every Memorial weekend and draws 500,000 people each year. More than 40 restaurants sell their food for $5 or less. Live musical acts are there for entertainment once you're full.

Riverfest

Riverfest is Cincinnati's largest bash and is held on the banks of the Ohio during the Labor Day weekend. The event is essentially the spectacular Rozzi's fireworks display, which last for half-an-hour and is choreographed to music by local radio station WEBN. There's also a famous race between rubber ducks called the Rubber Duck Regatta (http://www.rubberduckrega...).

The Cincinnati Zoo hosts the annual Festival of Lights to celebrate the holiday season with 2.5 million Christmas lights and over 100 light displays. Other activities, include ice sculpture shows, taking a train around the zoo, and meeting Santa. You'll want to arrive a few hours before the light display starts because there will be little or no parking left by 4PM. See the listing under the See section for more details about the zoo.

Cincinnati remembers its German history with a two day festival dedicated to beer and the marriage of Bavarian royalty. Cincinnati's Oktoberfest draws 500,000 over two days Munich's Oktoberfest draws 6 million over two weeks making it second biggest Oktoberfest after Munich's. On the Sunday everyone gathers at Fountain Square to participate in the "World's Largest Chicken Dance." This is a must for any visitor to Cincinnati. Oktoberfest is held in mid to late September.

Quirky series of events that celebrate Over-the-Rhine’s history, the coming of spring and bock beer. Usually features a parade in the Main Street Entertainment District on Friday, a nomination of a "Sausage Queen" on Saturday and a series of tours of rarely seen parts of Over-The-Rhine. Performances and other German related events are also included, check website for more details and pricing on tours.