Cincinnati – Tepe Travels

Animal Sightings, Exploring Ohio, Museums & Tours, Sightseeing

Kanga Klimb at the Cincinnati Zoo

Written by tepetravels June 24, 2022June 14, 2022

The Cincinnati Zoo has added a few things since we last had a membership. Ben and I went a few weeks ago for a date day and made sure to check out the new Roo Valley. It was lots of fun and the kangaroos are adorable! (Make sure you go earlier in the day to see them active. They are diurnal, active at dawn and dusk.)

One of the things we saw was a new ropes course called Kanga Klimb. It is next to Roo Valley; in fact, if you are on the upper level, you can see into the kangaroo exhibit. Both boys took a break to stand or sit on the platform and watch the kangaroos.

I really wanted to give the boys a chance to do the course, especially since Will will be under activity restrictions in July and August.

The lower level is easier. The platforms are mostly stationary. The upper level is harder; the ropes and platforms move. If you are an observer, the upper level has a walking deck where you can observe your climbers. I could see most of the upper-level course from the walkway. There is part of the walkway that is a clear glass/plastic, so you can see down to the lower level as well.

The average length of climbing on the course is an hour, but it is up to you how long you want to climb. It looked like there was a nice variety of obstacles: a climbing wall, a rope wall, a platform to pull yourself across, a few different kinds of walkways.

The zoo employees have to check the course every morning! They walked the boys through using the safety gear. They were all really nice.

The boys had lots of fun and were even a little worn out at the end. They were a little sore the next day, so it must have been a good workout.

(video sped up)

Tips: Closed-toed shoes are required, no sandals/crocs. Wear sunscreen. Drink water. If observing, a hat would be good. Climbers must be 48″ and taller (48″ to go with a partner, 60″ to go alone), ages 4+.

DETAILS:

WHERE: 3400 Vine St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45220 (Parking lot address is 3427 Vine St.)
HOURS: Daily 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Members can get in at 9:00 am (except during Festival of Lights).
COSTS: Kanga Klimb ($18/zoo members, $21/non-members). Purchase Kanga Klimb tickets at the attraction entrance booth. Zoo admission prices vary on the day. Prices start at $15.50/adult (ages 13+), $9.50/child. Please check website for pricing. Parking is $10 (or included with membership).
PARKING: Yes, on-street or paid zoo lot.
BATHROOM: Yes
TIME RECOMMENDED: 1 hour+ for climbing, 2+ for the zoo
COVID RESTRICTIONS: N/A
Details correct at time of posting, please double-check before you go.

Exploring Ohio, Museums & Tours, YouTube Video Link

The Van Gogh Exhibition: Immersive Experience

Written by tepetravels June 17, 2022June 14, 2022

If you didn’t know, Ben is a big art fan. He enjoys art museums and has taken art lessons to learn new techniques. When he heard the Van Gogh exhibition was coming to Cincinnati, he was excited to go. The Van Gogh Exhibition travels to different cities in the US and Europe. We made it a date day and got the VIP tickets (which included the VR room).

If you buy the tickets ahead, it will say “Secret Location”. You will be notified before the exhibit (we got the email about two weeks before). Cincinnati’s location was located downtown, in the Carew Tower building. There is on-street parking, as well as a parking garage attached to the building.

We grabbed breakfast down at Findlay Market and headed over to the exhibit. After you check in, you enter the Museum portion. Take your time here! There is so much to read and learn. There are prints of his works on the wall (not his real artwork, but canvas prints of his paintings), as well as panels detailing his history. There was a short film about the use of color in his paintings; they think he may have been color blind! The use of bright colors may have stemmed from the fact that those were the ones he saw well. The film showed an image of what Van Gogh may have seen color-wise, and it was all muted.

As you traveled down the room, there was a statue of a vase against a screen. A projector showed images of different vase-based paintings, imposing them over the larger-than-life-sized vase.

The Immersive Room was a large open room, and this is the image you will see the most when it comes to advertising the event. There were benches and lounge chairs scattered throughout the room. You could see various paintings of his shown on a large scale. They added movement to the images, for example, the blossoms falling from the flowers and trees. It was nice to sit and relax and take in the experience. (Click for longer video clips of immersive room.)

After the Immersive Room, you went to the coloring station. You could pick an artwork of Van Gogh’s and color it yourself, or create your own on a blank piece of paper. They had crayons available for you to use. When you were done, you could scan your artwork and it would be uploaded to their website. You could keep your creation or tape it to the wall.

The VR room was next and was optional for an additional cost if you had the standard ticket (but is included with the VIP ticket). I enjoyed it, but Ben’s headset was a little fuzzy. They had you wear a paper mask under the headset (I’m guessing for minimal cleaning on their part?). If you have used a VR before, this isn’t the crisp, clear, high definition you may expect. All the graphics make it seem like you are in a painting.

NOTE: Based on other people’s reviews, we choose the VIP experience because we wanted to do the VR room. The VIP included the standard ticket, the VR, “skip the line”, and a poster. Our ticket time was at 10:00 am, right when they opened, so we didn’t have any trouble with waiting for a spot in the VR room. The VR was only $5 per person, so if you want to save some money and don’t think there will be a big line, and don’t need/want a poster, I would just buy a standard ticket and the VR when you get there. (There was not an option to simply add the VR to the standard ticket online.)

It was a really neat experience and I am glad we went. If you love art, or are simply a Van Gogh fan, then you would probably enjoy this exhibit.

DETAILS:

WHERE: Various locations. Cincinnati’s location is at 18 West Fourth St. Check website for other cities.
HOURS: Monday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, Weekends/Holidays 10:00 am to 9:00 pm
COSTS: Standard ticket $34.90/adult tickets, ages 13+, $19.90/child.
PARKING: Yes (paid on-street or garage)
BATHROOM: Yes
TIME RECOMMENDED: 1 to 1.5 hours
COVID RESTRICTIONS: N/A
Details correct at time of posting, please double-check before you go.

Exploring Ohio, Food

Taste of Cincinnati

Written by tepetravels June 3, 2022June 2, 2022

This past weekend was Taste of Cincinnati. What was once a small one day event that started in 1979, has now turned into a large weekend-long celebration.

There are food booths, food trucks, and live music of all different types scattered around the area. The food costs between $4-$8 per item. There were different beer and alcohol booths, along with soda and water booths.

We were lucky and found parking pretty close for only $5. (Each lot seemed to have their own pricing.) We stopped at a couple different food booths. My first stop was Pompillios, where I tried a chocolate and peanut butter cannoli. I love a good cannoli, and this one did not disappoint. The shell was crispy, the peanut butter filling was delicious. The only real chocolate taste came from a syrup drizzle, which was okay. I’m not sure it added a lot other than stickiness. I would totally eat one of those again.

I wanted to try a mac and cheese topped with goetta, but the line was so long, that I skipped it.

Next, I tried a beef on weck. I had tried this on our trip while in New York. It had been delicious, and I potentially had too high of expectations. The food truck at the Taste had an okay beef on weck. The bun was plain, nothing like the delicious salt and caraway seed topped bun at Adrian’s in New York. (Click here for Adrian’s post.) They seem to sell a lot more wings than sandwiches, so maybe I chose the wrong thing. (Although I am not really a wing girl.)

My final food of the night was an arapa from Empanadas Aqui. It was delicious and so was the cilantro aoili that came with it. I would have eaten more!

This year had beautiful weather and we were able to see a friend’s band play during the event. They sounded amazing!

The Taste of Cincinnati is a great way to find new places to eat near the city. We saw lots of new (at least to us) restaurants and food trucks. It is busy, so I would suggest going when they first open or towards the end of the night when it might be less crowded. We seemed to have gone during a peek time, but it was when the band we went to see was playing.

TIP: If you find a map, grab one! They were out most places we went.

Exploring Ohio, Museums & Tours, Sightseeing

Taft Museum of Art

Written by tepetravels April 8, 2022March 2, 2022

Ben enjoys art museums, so we decided to check out one that we had not been to since we were kids, the Taft Museum of Art. Currently (February 2022), the house is under renovation and is not available to go through. Part of the collection has been moved to the connected Fifth Third Gallery. The rest of the collection was temporarily displayed at Union Terminal (aka the Cincinnati Museum Center, which is also a great place to visit). The house is set to reopen in June 2022, with the art collection restored to being showcased in the house.

The museum is now offering free admission for their bicentennial, although a $10 donation is suggested. When we went in February, there were timed entries and you could reserve your spot online.

The exhibits now have expanded information plaques, which we found very interesting. Since the collection is smaller right now, as not everything would fit in the event space, we were done in about an hour. They had several neat pieces, and we learned a few new things from the plaques.

There is a small cafe and gift shop located there as well. During the warmer months, there is a great outdoor garden patio.

We plan on going back after the house reopens. I’m sure it will be amazing with all the pieces back in place!

NOTE: There is a parking garage on the grounds, which is free with admission. When we went, there was some construction going on, so it was confusing to see the entrance. Coming from Pike Street, you want to stay to the left and turn left into the drive (looks like an alley) next to the house. Do NOT follow the road to the right, or you will have to drive around the block again.

DETAILS:

WHERE: 316 Pike Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
HOURS: Friday 11am-4pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am-5pm (Through 5/21/22. Check website in May for updated hours.)
COSTS: Free/Currently a $10 donation is suggested (through 5/21/22). Normally admission is around $18.
PARKING: Yes (in garage on property–free, or city street parking/garages/lots–normally paid)
BATHROOM: Yes
TIME RECOMMENDED: 1 hour+
COVID RESTRICTIONS: Need to show proof of vaccination ages 12+ or negative test, timed entry (2/2022)
*Details correct at the time of posting, but please double check before you go.

Exploring Ohio, School, Sightseeing

Mercantile Library

Written by tepetravels January 21, 2022January 18, 2022

When I was searching for unique things to do, this came up on my list. I used to work in downtown Cincinnati for years and did not know the Mercantile Library was there!

This Library is in an older building from the 1800s and is located on the 11th floor. (Don’t worry, there is an elevator going up to the Library.). There is paid parking available on the street or in nearby parking garages.

This not a public library. That’s right, I said NOT a public library. It is a membership/subscription library. Annual dues are $65 (For an individual. There are several different membership options available.) This library began in 1835, created by a group of local merchants. They shared their books and funded the library with their own money. They eventually rented space in the Cincinnati College building. After a fire in 1845, the group pulled together to raise $10,000 to help rebuild the building, and in return the Library was given a 10,000 year lease.

I love older buildings; there is almost always something interesting about them. The library had a tiled floor entry, neat architectural details, and a spiral staircase. (I am a sucker for spiral staircases.) The second story on the right hand side had glass walkways! The building still had the old style US Mail Chute in the walls.

The Library doors open to a nice area with seating and select books displayed. To the right is the service desk, a bathroom, the spiral staircase leading to a meeting room, and a flight of stairs leading to a second story of books. To the left is additional seating, books behind glass door cases, and another flight of stairs leading to a second story of books. Some of these books were old, some were new. There were books I never heard of. There were also books I don’t think the public library would have (i.e. a section on the occult).

It was so quiet! There were only a few other people there, but they all were quiet while they read or worked on their laptops. I would not say that it is a younger child friendly library. There were no children’s books that we could see. However, on the plus side, it is a place where you could go to relax and read or get some work done. There were windows everywhere letting in light and views of downtown.

If you are in the downtown Cincinnati, Ohio area, check out this library treasure. It was a neat space and is a great piece of history. I never really thought about the history of libraries before. They were all funded by local taxes to become public libraries.

DETAILS:

WHERE: 414 Walnut St., Cincinnati Ohio 45202
COSTS: Free to Visit. Memberships begin at $30 for students. Individual memberships are $65, Household Membership $110. There are other membership packages as well.
HOURS: MONDAY-FRIDAY 9:00AM to 5:30PM, SATURDAY 10:00AM to 3:00PM
PARKING: On street (paid) or parking garage (paid)
BATHROOM: Yes (1)
TIME RECOMMENDED: 1+hours
COVID RESTRICTIONS: Masks required as of January 2022
*Details correct at the time of posting, but please double check before you go.

Exploring Ohio, Holidays, Museums & Tours, School, Sightseeing

Visiting the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

Written by tepetravels January 17, 2022January 18, 2022 2 Comments

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

We went to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center yesterday.

They have free admission on 1/17/22 for MLK Day, but we were worried it would be too crowded, so we went the Sunday before.

“Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”, Winston Churchill wrote. Everyone has a bias, even the history books and museums; we wanted to expand the kids’ views and to expose them to all different views of history so that they could learn, research, think for themselves, and listen to all points of view. Each museum has been a different experience, so we weren’t quite sure what to expect of the Freedom Center.

I will say we were pleasantly surprised. I thought the spacing throughout the Center was very nice and that there was nice mix of props (statues, cotton bales, buildings, maps, a few artifacts). There was a lot of factual information, along with some personal anecdotes.

The third floor is where most of the exhibits are and where they recommend you start your visit. The Center did a pretty good job with decorations around the exhibits and movie screens to set the scene. There is an outdoor terrace that has a great view of the Ohio River and Suspension Bridge. It also has Freedom’s Eternal Flame (a gas fueled flame). The Terrace was closed while we were there; of course, it was about 28 degrees outside.

The 3rd floor also had an modern day slavery exhibit that went over Forced Labor, Child Labor, Sex Trafficking, Bonded Labor, and Domestic Servitude. The crazy statistic that I saw was that 59% of online recruitment for sex trafficking victims was on Facebook.

The second floor had a Pavilion, which is currently closed. There was a Slave Pen (an original structure brought into the Center) that you could walk into. The inside was very empty, other than a wooden box that had some shackles in it. There were several films available on the 2nd floor. You first walk into a waiting room and listen to a short film with Oprah Winfrey. The doors automatically open to go to the next theater. I thought the movies were well done. One of the theater rooms was even decorated with trees to help set the mood for the film.

There were only a few interactive exhibits. I think there is a lot of opportunity to do several more interactive exhibits. (For example: an example of hidden stairs and rooms that you could walk through, touching cotton plants.) There were some visual aids, but it was mostly reading. It was definitely an older child/adult type of museum in terms of attention level and retention. It would have been nice to see a map of known Underground Railroad stops in Cincinnati. Ben and I both knew of two, but I’m sure there plenty more.

There is small store on the main floor. (The postcards were $3 each, which I think is the most expensive postcard we have bought!)

DETAILS:

WHERE: 50 East Freedom Way, Cincinnati, OH 45202
HOURS: Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
COSTS: $15/adult, $10.50/children ages 3-12, under 3 free. (Family Season Pass is $65)
PARKING: Yes (Paid parking available on-street or nearby parking garages.)
BATHROOM: Yes (On our visit, only the 3rd floor bathrooms were open.)
TIME RECOMMENDED: 2-3 hours
COVID RESTRICTIONS: Masks are required (as of January 2022).
*Details correct at the time of posting, but please double check before you go.

RELATED POSTS:

Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon
Fort Sumter (the start of the Civil War)
Confederate Memorial Hall Museum (An interesting take on others side of the Civil War.)

Christmas, Exploring Ohio, Food, Holidays, Sightseeing

Exploring Near Home: Doscher’s Candies

Written by tepetravels December 3, 2021December 3, 2021

One of the things I really wanted to do when we got back home was to explore our area more, just like we would if we were visiting the area. Our year of travel showed me that we get to be complacent and set in our daily schedules when we live stationary.

I happened upon an article about Doscher’s Candy Company while scrolling through my social media feeds. When I saw that they were the makers of the French Chews that Nick loves to get at the grocery store, I knew we had to check them out!

We went on the boys’ next day off of school and got there right when it opened, but it was a lot busier in the store than I thought it would be on a Wednesday morning. Of course, it was the day before Thanksgiving. The store is currently in a cute antique home and has its own large parking lot.

I loved the interior of the store. It was set up incredibly well, and everything looked so appealing. We saw many different types of candy canes, including dye-free. The boys were there for one thing, and one thing only: French Chews. Normally we only see the vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate French Chews at the grocery store. However, Doscher’s store had so many different kinds including were several new, holiday, and limited edition flavors (candy cane crunch, birthday cake, green apple, blue razz, orange cream).

We had a lot of fun exploring the space and picking out some candy. The gift shop also offered non-candy gifts including candles, books, seasonal gifts, and locally sourced items. I may have went a little overboard, but how could I resist the cute mini-French Chews and all the different flavors? St. Nick picked out some candy canes for the stockings as well.

If you are in the Cincinnati area, I would check out Doscher’s! Of course, it’s fun to look and find candy all year long, but St. Nick’s Day and Christmas are coming up as well (wink, wink).

HISTORY:

Doscher’s is the oldest candy cane maker in the US. The company began in 1871 making candy canes. They currently make candy canes, Candy Buttons, French Chews, and caramels. The location we were at makes the candy canes, candy buttons, and French Chews. They still make the candy canes by hand! The caramels are made in Bozeman, Montana by a store they own.

How do you like to eat your French Chews? I like mine nice and soft, whereas Nick likes to freeze and then crack his into pieces.

DETAILS:

WHERE: 6926 Main Street, Cincinnati, OH 45244
HOURS: Tuesday to Friday, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
PARKING: Yes
NOTE: Currently, they are not offering factory tours. If they open the tours back up, I would love to go.

SIMILAR POSTS:

Hammond’s Candy Factory Tour (Denver, Colorado)

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