KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Explore before the glow: BLINK takes over the evening, leaving plenty of time to discover Cincy attractions during the day.
- Find something unexpected: Underground beer tunnels, fairy doors, neon signs, bison and an international market offer experiences visitors may not expect from Cincy.
- See both sides of the river: Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky offer museums, neighborhoods, attractions and outdoor adventures worth adding to a BLINK weekend.
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Make it family friendly: The Cincinnati Zoo, Newport Aquarium and other daytime attractions give families plenty to do before BLINK begins.
Turn BLINK into a getaway: With four festival nights from Oct. 8 through 11, visitors can explore a different side of the Cincy Region each day.
Fall is already a good excuse to plan a weekend in Cincy. Cooler October weather brings more comfortable afternoons along the river, walks through historic neighborhoods, seasonal events and plenty of reasons to explore Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.
Every other year, BLINK makes the season even brighter.
BLINK returns Oct. 8 through 11, filling Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky with large scale projection mapping, murals, light installations and live entertainment during the nation’s largest immersive art and light event.
The festival may take over after dark, but there is plenty to fit into a Cincy fall getaway before the lights come on. Spend the day cruising the Ohio River, exploring underground beer tunnels, meeting Fiona and Fritz, walking above sharks or discovering neighborhoods on both sides of the river. There are museums, outdoor adventures, restaurants and a few Cincy surprises you probably will not find on a typical fall itinerary.
With four days of BLINK ahead, the question is not only what to see once the lights come on. It is what you can fit in before sunset.
Start with these 10 experiences.
1. See 100 years of neon at the American Sign Museum
BLINK visitors coming for the lights can start the theme early at the American Sign Museum. The museum takes visitors through more than a century of American signage, including hand-painted signs, gold leaf lettering and glowing roadside neon.
It is colorful, nostalgic and a fitting first stop before seeing what a new generation of artists can accomplish with light after dark.
2. See Cincy from the Ohio River
Before walking BLINK’s city streets, see them from a completely different perspective aboard BB Riverboats.
A sightseeing cruise along the Ohio River takes visitors aboard a classic paddlewheeler, with Cincinnati on one side and Northern Kentucky on the other. It is an easy way to experience both cities before BLINK takes over the riverfront each evening.
3. Hunt for tiny fairy doors in Newport
Fall is a good time to explore Newport’s East Row Historic District on foot, especially when there is something unusual to look for along the way.
A fairy door geocaching adventure sends visitors through the historic neighborhood in search of miniature doors hidden along the route. Cooler October weather makes it easy to spend a morning walking the area, stopping for coffee and seeing more of Newport before BLINK begins later in the day.
4. See what is hiding underneath Over the Rhine
Some of Cincinnati’s most interesting history sits underneath one of its best known neighborhoods.
Tours descend into lagering tunnels used by German brewers during the 1800s, when Cincinnati’s brewing industry was booming. Some tunnels were filled during Prohibition and later rediscovered, giving visitors a look at places most people walking through Over the Rhine would never know existed.
Once you are back above ground, spend some time exploring the neighborhood’s restaurants, shops and rooftops. In October, cooler temperatures make Over the Rhine especially easy to explore on foot before BLINK begins.
5. Meet Fiona and Fritz, walk inches above sharks, or experience music history along the Ohio River
Families have a variey of ways to spend a few hours before BLINK.
The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden is home to sibling hippos Fiona and Fritz, along with animals across the zoo’s more than 70 acres. Fall temperatures also make October a comfortable time to explore the outdoor exhibits.
Across the river, Newport Aquarium takes the experience indoors. Its Shark Bridge crosses directly above a tank filled with sharks, rays and hundreds of fish, giving visitors a much closer encounter than the typical aquarium visit.
Enjoy the riverfront by exploring Smale Park and The Banks, with a stop at the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame. This free, family-friendly tourist attraction invites visitors to walk among the stars and be fully immersed in Cincinnati’s musical history complete with LED screens, artist kiosks, and interactive augmented reality experiences.
6. Visit the grocery store with an Elvis chimpanzee
Calling Jungle Jim’s International Market a grocery store leaves out quite a bit.
The 300,000 square foot international market carries more than 180,000 products representing over 70 countries, including more than 1,500 hot sauces. Elaborate displays appear throughout the store, and visitors may encounter an animatronic Elvis chimpanzee during the trip.
It is one of Cincy’s more unusual attractions and an easy stop to work into a BLINK weekend when you want something completely different between the museums, neighborhoods and festival installations.
7. Try your luck before BLINK begins
Adults can add a different kind of entertainment to the itinerary at Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati, with more than 1,600 slot machines along with table games, restaurants and entertainment.
The indoor setting also gives groups an option when October weather does not cooperate or everyone wants to sit down for a while before spending the evening walking BLINK.
8. Spend a fall afternoon in Mainstrasse Village
Historic buildings, independent shops, restaurants and bars make Mainstrasse Village an easy place to spend an October afternoon in Covington.
During BLINK weekend, Cov Craft adds a makers market featuring local creatives. Visitors can browse the market, shop around the neighborhood and grab something to eat before heading toward the evening’s installations.
9. Take a fall hike beside bison
City streets may dominate a BLINK weekend, but Northern Kentucky has a much wilder option less than an hour away.
Big Bone Lick State Historic Site combines hiking trails, fossils, prehistoric history and a resident bison herd. Known as the birthplace of American paleontology, the site gives visitors a chance to learn why fossils discovered in the area became important to the study of prehistoric life in North America.
October brings another reason to go. Cooler weather and changing leaves make the trails a fitting addition to a fall trip before returning to Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky for BLINK after dark.
10. Step inside a Kusama Infinity Mirror Room
The art does not have to wait until BLINK begins.
During BLINK weekend, the Cincinnati Art Museum will feature Yayoi Kusama: All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins, including one of the artist’s celebrated Infinity Mirror Rooms.
Inside, mirrors multiply Kusama’s signature yellow and black pumpkins across the room, creating an immersive installation visitors can experience during the day before seeing BLINK’s large scale art installations after sunset.
Make a Full Fall Weekend Out of BLINK
BLINK may put Cincy on the fall calendar, but four festival days leave plenty of time to see what else makes the region worth the trip. Cooler October weather makes it easy to walk historic neighborhoods, hike near bison, explore the zoo, cruise the Ohio River or spend an afternoon discovering Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.
Then, when the sun goes down, BLINK gives you a completely different way to experience Cincy. With something new to explore before and after dark, a trip built around the festival can quickly become a full fall getaway.
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