Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati: Your Two-Day Itinerary

Nestled along the wide shores of the Ohio River, the Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati region offers expansive skyline views, vibrant Midwestern attractions, and a rich, bourbon-soaked heritage. 

Northern Kentucky itself—which comprises Florence, Covington, Newport, and the Corridor—is a classic example of Southern hospitality, with one-of-a-kind businesses, a historic German Village, and attractions like Big Bone Lick State Historical Site. The area offers seven Kentucky Bourbon Trail distilleries on The B-Line®, and the region’s food and drink scene, on the whole, is not to be missed. Kentuckians are fiercely proud of their bourbon heritage, and fertile agricultural land means the food here is amazing. 

Just north of the river, Cincinnati, home to the first professional baseball team in the US and one of the most popular zoos in the country, sits walking distance from Northern Kentucky. Like its neighbor to the south, locals are known to be welcoming and eager to show off their city to visitors, evident in the calendar of big-city events that move at a small-town pace. Cincinnati’s restaurants are also some of the best in Ohio, with six of them honored in OpenTable’s 2024 list of Top 100 Restaurants in America. 

You might be surprised at how close some of these sights are on the banks of the Ohio River, making it easy to navigate between historical landmarks and modern, popular experiences in a short amount of time. Whether you’re looking to level up your Cincinnati business trip, check off stops on the Bourbon Trail, or bring the family for a memorable holiday trip, the Northern Kentucky–Cincinnati region has plenty to fill your weekend. 

Day 1: Florence and Covington, Kentucky

In my opinion, every good trip starts with a local coffee shop, so head to Enlightenment Coffee first for a quick locally roasted latte and breakfast. If you’re an early riser, you could opt for The Hive East Coast Kitchen & Coffee Bar for a heartier meal, but finish quickly. The thing you don’t want to miss today is a walking food tour of the German-influenced, storybook-like Mainstrasse Village. 

This Covington neighborhood tour includes five food stops showcasing the area’s greatest hits (Bavarian pretzels with beer cheese, pizza, and fried chicken waffles); a beer; and a healthy dose of history, covering how Germans settled in the area in the mid-19th century, eventually earning it the designation as a National Historic District. Some walking tours can have a frenetic pace, but this one is a single mile long, leaving plenty of energy for more activities. 

After your food tour, head to Riverside Drive (aka the Riverwalk), and check out the Robert Dafford Murals on the floodwall. The 18 murals depict Covington and Northern Kentucky historical events, including the meeting of General George Rogers Clark, Simon Kenton, and Daniel Boone at the Licking River. While there, take a short walk on the 1,057-foot Roebling Suspension Bridge, which connects Covington to Cincinnati and served as the engineering prototype for the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. 

Then, head back to Covington to check out a contemporary gallery or live theater performance at The Carnegie museum, the largest arts venue in Northern Kentucky; previous exhibitions have spanned a study of collage strategies and a display of monochrome paintings. You could also stop by the Behringer-Crawford Museum, which traces Northern Kentucky’s cultural, archaeological, and industrial history while spotlighting local artists.

For dinner, there are some real gems in Covington. Check out the original location of Agave & Rye (a regional hit that serves flavor-twist tacos, including butter-and-garlic lobster or Nashville Hot Chicken and mac-and-cheese). There’s also classic Southern food at Libby’s Southern Comfort or the sustainably sourced Bouquet. If you’re staying in Florence, head to historic Tousey House Tavern or Purple Poulet, which has the best fried chicken in Kentucky, according to Southern Living. 

To finish off your night, the food court Covington Yard is a beautiful place to grab a drink and watch the sun set over the river. 

Day 2: A stop on The B-Line® and Cincinnati 

I’m an animal lover, so my choice stop in Cincy is the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, home to world-famous hippo Fiona. It’s the second-oldest zoo in the US and, in 2024, USA Today readers named it the second-favorite zoo in the country. You can tour the zoo in four to five hours, but it’s only open from 10am–5pm for much of the year, so be warned it can eat up the majority of your day. 

To include the zoo in your visit, head there first thing in the morning to catch the morning cheetah run (usually at 10:30am, but confirm on the website). Download a map of the zoo to your phone, and visit a keeper talk or two as you wander the grounds. 

Depending on when you finish at the zoo, head to Findlay Market for a snack, pick a restaurant for dinner (more on that below), and then finish your night with drinks and music at Ghost Baby, an underground bar with mood lighting, cocktails, and live music. 

If you opt out of the zoo, start your day in Covington with a morning distillery tour of Second Sight Spirits, a stop on The B-Line® founded by two best friends who joined the circus in Las Vegas, then returned to Kentucky to start the distillery. In addition to the typical distillery walkthrough, Second Sight has a boozy craft coffee bar and a fortune-telling fish. 

Then, spend the rest of your day in Cincinnati, starting with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center for some curated history on the enslavement of Black people, the fight for civil rights, and stories of community. Museum officials suggest 2–3 hours for a full walk-through (currently 1–2 hours, as it’s under renovation). 

The food scene in Cincinnati is packed with delicious stops, including sweet Graeter’s ice cream and Cincy–style chili—poured over spaghetti, hot dogs, or fries, heaped with cheese, and eaten with a fork like a casserole. If you’re only in town for a day, taste a little bit of everything with a three-hour curated streetcar food and culture tour of Downtown Cincinnati and Findlay Market. The tour stops vary day to day, and you’ll get some great city history as a side dish. (Ask your tour guide for a dinner recommendation, too.) 

Walk off your lunch by strolling the grounds and beautiful steps at the Cincinnati Art Museum (the museum itself closes at 5pm, so it may be closed by the time you get there). Then, take your time heading to a stand-out dinner, like the underground rustic Italian restaurant Sotto, elevated diner Sacred Beast, or iconic Eli’s BBQ, which now has a brick-and-mortar location in addition to its Findlay Market stall. 

Plan your trip

Where to stay 

Choosing the right place to stay for your travel needs is paramount, and because Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) is nearby, you’ll have plenty of options.

If you’ll be spending most of your time in the sprawling Northern Kentucky region, which offers a number of hotel options at a reasonable cost, stay in the riverfront area at a place like the award-winning Hotel Covington. Other boutique hotel options include the eclectic Pickle Factory and the more luxurious North the Hotel Covington. There’s also cute bed-and-breakfasts like Weller Haus B&B or First Farm Inn for more Southern charm.

If you’re planning to spend more time in Cincinnati, stick to downtown neighborhoods near the river. You can pick the stylish 21c Museum Hotel, which includes a 24-hour contemporary art gallery, or Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza for something more familiar.

How to get around

Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati aren’t large enough for a robust public transit system, but there’s one shuttle you need to take note of: the TANK Southbank shuttle. The shuttle serves Bellevue, Newport, Covington, and Cincinnati and costs just $1 per ride (other buses cost $1.50 per ride). It runs every 15 minutes on weekdays (6am–11pm) and on weekends (10am–11pm). Check the website for a list of stops and to download a pocket map. 

Many sights in Northern Kentucky are close enough to walk to, but if you need to head a little farther out, take a shuttle as close as you can and then pick up an Uber or Lyft to your final destination. The TANK airporter shuttle can get you from the airport to Downtown Cincinnati or Downtown Covington for $2. 

When to go 

Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati are the most popular—and therefore busiest—in late spring and summer. Average weather will be 43–65ºF in April, 53–75ºF in May, and 62–83ºF in June, though there is a decent chance of spring showers. Residents love “porch weather” festivals and making any excuse possible to eat outdoors. An influx of thousands of visitors for the Kentucky Derby in May could lead to crowds, however, so be aware of that when making plans. 

Fall is also a beautiful time of year to visit, just as the leaves are changing colors in mid-October or early November. Depending on your tolerance for cold weather, you can visit off-season for cheaper hotel room rates, though some sights may have shorter hours in the winter.