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Rick Pender offers third edition of 100 Things to Do in Cincinnati Before You Die, guide to exploring region


Cincinnati has intrigued adventurous souls since 1788 when it became the first gateway to America’s western frontier. The beautiful Ohio River valley enticed immigrants from 19th-century Germany, and their entrepreneurial spirit is still evident two centuries later.

The third edition of 100 Things to Do in Cincinnati Before You Die, published by Reedy Press, is an up-to-date guide to exploring all the Tristate has to offer, with numerous new choices for both visitors and longtime residents to experience.

The region’s European influences are reflected by a bounty of food and drink to be enjoyed at an authentic tavern, a subterranean cocktail lounge, a Belgian bistro, and tasty Cajun fare. The rich arts community continues to flourish with renovations to the historic Cincinnati Music Hall and new stages for the award-winning Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. Gorgeous parks can be found throughout the region, and Findlay Market, one of America’s most admired public markets, is a must-visit destination.

Local author and tour guide Rick Pender provides fresh reminders of why longtime residents love it here, and it’s a destination that never fails to surprise tourists. With this book as your guide, and many means of transportation available, the Cincinnati region awaits your exploration.

A veteran local journalist, author, and tour guide, Rick Pender has covered and promoted local events and arts since the 1980s. His features and reviews appear regularly in CityBeat, the city’s newsweekly, and Cincinnati Magazine. He is also the author of Oldest Cincinnati and co-author of The Cincinnati Bengals: An Illustrated Timeline. You can follow his writing on Facebook and via his website, RickPenderWrites.com.

Rick Pender

“It was easy to come up with “100 things to do” in Cincinnati when I wrote the first edition of this book in 2016,” said Pender. “In fact, I had to trim my list, which was nearly twice that long. The second edition, published in late 2019, was about 20 percent new, but the pandemic changed things even more. As life in Greater Cincinnati moves again in a positive direction, a third edition was needed. More than a third of the book’s contents are new or revised.”
 
Mentioned in the book is that Northern Kentucky is on the upswing with The Baker’s Table in Newport, lots of options on Covington’s Mainstrasse [Frida’s, Otto’s, Bouquet) and classic Cajun fare at Knotty Pine on the Bayou in Cold Spring. As a family-friendly attraction: The Newport Aquarium offers a “Shark Bridge” across its shark tank plus a glass tunnel with under water views. As for outdoor activities, opportunities to play pickleball are everywhere. If outdoor music is on your list, head to one of the two new music venues — MegaCorp Pavilion in Newport’s expansive Ovation development).

There is plenty more in the updated guide, and every listing has been reviewed. Purchase the book here.
 


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