Cincinnati FAQ

People visiting Cincinnati have a number of exciting activities to choose from when deciding what to do while in town. According to Tripadvisor and the U.S. News & World Report , Cincinnati’s most popular attractions include:

• Visiting the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens
• Catching a Cincinnati Reds game at the Great American Ballpark
• Exploring art, history and culture at the Cincinnati Art Museum , the Contemporary Arts Center , National Underground Railroad Freedom Center American Sign Museum or Cincinnati Museum Center
• Walking across the Purple People Bridge into Newport, Kentucky.
• >Hiking through 40 miles of walking paths in Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum
• Shopping and dining at Findlay Market in Over the Rhine
• Experiencing hundreds of exotic and local plants at the Krohn Conservatory and >Eden Park<
• Riding world-famous roller coasters at Kings Island<
• Strolling along the riverfront at sunset at Smale Riverfront Park

The top activities and events for Xavier students include: 

• Visiting shops and restaurants at nearby Hyde Park Square or Findlay Market
• Attending outdoor concerts at Riverbend Music Center
• Viewing the annual Labor Day fireworks festival
• Enjoying the nation's largest Oktoberfest celebration or Findlay Market
• Shopping at Kenwood Towne Centre and Rookwood Commons
• Cheering the >Xavier men's and women's basketball teams on to victory
• >Eating >Skyline Chili Graeter's Ice Cream and LaRosa's Pizza
• Enjoying events, dining and shopping at Newport on the Levee
• Experiencing music, shopping, food and dancing at Fountain Square
• Exploring Cincinnati Parks , including more than 70 parks and 34 nature preserves
• Going to a professional football game, baseball game or soccer match. 

Find more things to do in Cincinnati by exploring nearby Cincinnati neighborhoods (link) and discovering ways to get around (link). 

People who live in Cincinnati, Ohio experience all four seasons throughout the year. In autumn, they enjoy mild days and cool evenings and take in colors of orange, yellow and red as leaves fall from the trees. In winter, they zip up their insulated coats, layer on a scarf and wade through the occasional snowfall. In spring, they remember to pack an umbrella. In the summer, they jump in pools under cloudless skies in an attempt to win a never-ending fight against the humidity.

Occasionally, the weather in Cincinnati can be unpredictable. While rare, floods, tornadoes and severe thunderstorms do occasionally occur in the area, typically during the spring and summer seasons. All Xavier students are notified via campus safety communications before and during inclement weather scenarios.

Cincinnati, Ohio is a world-class destination for multiple Fortune-500 companies (link), start-up businesses, visual artists, musicians, sports fans and lovers of historic architecture. It’s also known for its college basketball programs (Go, Musketeers!), the Cincinnati Reds Major League Baseball Team, its unique style of chili and its public parks system, which constitutes 5,000 acres—nearly 10 percent of Cincinnati’s total land area.

U.S. News & World Report notes that Cincinnati has a lower crime rate than similarly-sized metro areas in the United States. They rate Cincinnati as the Best Place to Live in Ohio for 2021-22, and the #44 Best Place to live in the United States for 2021-22. According to the site, the area's violent crime rate and property crime rates were lower than national rates in 2020. U.S. News & World Report Best Places rankings are evaluated using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI, the U.S. Department of Labor and internal resources.

Cincinnati, Ohio experienced tremendous growth during the four decades following its initial settlement in 1788. During the 1790s, the area was home to more than 700 settlers. By 1820, one year after Cincinnati had been officially chartered as a city, the population had risen to nearly 10,000 people. This sudden influx of traditions, trades and ideas fostered a community centered on arts and commerce unlike any other in what was then known as the American west. 

In 1819, Ed. B. Cooke wrote in the Inquisitor and Cincinnati Advertiser, "The City is, indeed, justly styled the fair Queen of the West: distinguished for order, enterprise, public spirit, and liberality, she stands the wonder of an admiring world." According to the Cincinnati Museum Center, by 1820, citizens, extremely proud of their city, were referring to it as The Queen City or The Queen of the West.