Hello Friends!

I hope you’ve been wondering where I’ve been. 🙂 I’ve been several places actually, but I’ve been spending most of my weekends in Cincinnati — as a tour guide!

Those who know me know that 1) I LOVE Cincinnati, and 2) I always encourage people to start any trip to a new city with a food tour. So what could be more perfect than me becoming a tour guide for Riverside Food Tours in Cincinnati?!

Being a Tour Guide

I love this job! I’ve been leading the Over-the-Rhine Cocktail Tour for more than a year now and enjoy it every single time I lead it. I share some of the German history of Cincinnati as we walk through town and take people to four different bars to sample a cocktail at each. What could be more fun?

Over-the-Rhine

Cincinnati has become such a vibrant city. What used to be a “sketchy” neighborhood has been transformed into an entertainment district full of craft cocktail bars, fine dining restaurants, and lots of artsy shops. Washington Park hosts different events and festivals nearly every weekend, and both locals and out-of-towners are taking note. There has never been a better time to be a tourist in my hometown.

I love meeting such an interesting mix of people every week (because yes — people who take cocktail tours tend to be interesting, of course). I usually have a blend of locals and people visiting Cincinnati for business or pleasure. As we tromp past the German tenement housing built in the early 1800’s, we stop into some of Cincinnati’s best establishments where I get to introduce guests to some of the staff and give them the stories behind the iconic bars.

One such place is ghost baby – a speakeasy built in a German lager tunnel 145 feet below the ground. Most guests are thrilled to have me take them there since getting a reservation can be hard. Ghost baby has been written up in many local and national magazines and can be seen in the Robert DeNiro film Alto Knights, (formerly Wise Guys 2) coming out in March 2025.

But that’s just one stop on the tour. We visit other small, historic spots that people might otherwise miss. And even for people who have been to these establishments, most are usually unaware of the historical significance of this trendy neighborhood, so they get those backstories and a sip of something they may have never tried before.

What I’ve realized as I lead strangers through my beloved city is that this mirrors what I’ve always intended to do with this blog: promote tourism and encourage people to get out and explore what makes a place unique. Now I get to do so in my own backyard and I love it!

Have you ever been a tourist in your own hometown? If not, why not?!