Airplanes, Oktoberfest, and All the Things in Between
The star of our 2024 Fall Roadtrip was Ohio! Not only was it the main reason for this trip, but Cincinnati and the surrounding cities were fantastic. We were both thrilled to be able to immerse ourselves into downtown and really feel like we got the full experience.
We tried to do everything we could while we were in Cincinnati, including a visit up north to the Air Force Museum, Oktoberfest, and a Hidden Caverns tour.
Table of Contents
Air Force Museum
Our first stop was actually in Dayton, Ohio, instead of Cincinnati. Since it is about an hour north of Cincinnati, it was easier to stay here to visit the Air Force Museum than try to drive up.
If you didn’t already know, Nathan LOVES airplanes, so going here was a must-do if we were anywhere in the area. We planned to spend the whole day there, and some blogs suggested taking multiple days, it is so big!
While I agree it’s definitely a massive place, you would have to go really slow or stop to read literally every sign. I think we were a successful happy medium, but we did spend the entire day there, and my feet were exhausted after!
I will warn you now, there are 391 photos in this album, and if you don’t care about planes (like me) then you probably won’t care to see a picture of just about every single plane we saw 😜.
Also, I apologize now that the accuracy and detail of the planes will be nonexistent from me. If you are interested, Nathan would LOVE to talk about it with you!
If you want to see all of our pictures from the museum, you can check them out here on Google Photos!
They did a great job taking you through the ages of planes, starting with the Early Years and World War II, into the Korean War and Southeast Asia War. The Cold War area was probably the largest, with the Missile Gallery.
Last included the Presidential Area, and Space and Research.
We did get to sit in a few of the planes, which was fun! It was shocking how small and surprisingly comfortable it was. Everything just fit snug right around you.
I will also say that the missiles were huge!! I am shocked they even have a building big enough for all these massive planes, but the missiles were something else!
Then my favorite part of the whole day was the Presidential planes, mostly because you were allowed to go inside them and see how they changed over time with technology and size. Also, the fact that the walkway was so small that I barely fit was funny.
By the end of the day, we were exhausted from walking and being on our feet all day. So we went to a local pub, The Dublin Pub (website here), that had some amazing food and drinks.
Then we were off to bed so we could drive down to Cincinnati the next day!
Downtown
For the rest of the week, we stayed downtown at the Doubletree by Hilton, downtown. It was an interesting experience, partially because it was an old building renovated for the hotel, so the old quirks were fun, but also because it was a shared building with the Hampton Inn, and they shared all amenities like breakfast.
Once we checked in, we were set up quickly and started our workday. It was an interesting experience to split vacation mode with work mode. I think we did a great job with it, but it was a new experience to be somewhere new, and still doing the same old routine at work.
One of the first things we noticed throughout Cincinnati is the incredible street art! I don’t think I have ever seen so much of it, and it was all beautiful. It became a little bit of a game to find the next mural, and we even saw someone starting to paint a wall, prepping for a mural.
The next morning, we both took advantage of being downtown next to a river and did our runs outside! It was by far the most enjoyable run I have done, seeing the water and trees everywhere. 😍
The culture and diversity here were also amazing! There were inclusivity signs throughout the city, and it felt incredibly safe for anyone to be here.
The first day for dinner, we decided to go to a local pub like place a burger, and then we knew we were going to get groceries to make dinners for the rest of the week to better accommodate my diet as well as save a little money.
The local pub turned out to be a total dive bar, complete with an old school cigarette machine 😳. They had delicious burgers, but you ordered at the bar, and we were the only ones in there eating and not drinking. 🤦♀️🤣
After dinner, we went grocery shopping for supplies. While that was a non-event, we saw the greatest thing – this Kroger used robots to track inventory!
I have no idea how it works, and if you got in its way, it paused and waited for you, just like a Roomba does.
It was hilarious and adorable. I wish we could see these all over the place!
Later in the trip, before our Hidden Caverns tour, we decided to explore Findlay Market. As you probably know, we have grown to love these multi-shop markets that you can find in big cities. Sadly, it was late in the day and season, so it wasn’t totally open, but it was still a cute area that I could see getting food or dinner if we lived here.
Even better than the market was this amazing chocolate shop!
Maverick Chocolate Co. (website here) was so good I would be willing to buy it online. Mostly because I have never tasted chocolate like this!
Not only was their dark chocolate actually dairy-free, but the beans were sourced from all over, creating incredibly unique flavors.
I tried the Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate, which wasn’t filled with PB but made with it, so it was just a subtle taste of PB throughout.
Then the real winner was Madagascar Dark Chocolate, which has the most unique fruity flavor to it. I wouldn’t be able to do any justice describing it, but if you ever get a chance, you have to try it!
On our last day in the city, we went out to breakfast to this adorable cafe called Sleepy Bee (website here). They were very busy, but well worth the wait! Not only were they environmentally and LGBT+ friendly, but they had buckwheat pancakes! Silly thing, but it is one of the few flours I can have, so to be able to get a pancake at a restaurant was amazing!
Nathan even tried a local food we kept seeing on the menu called Goetta. We learned that it is a meat-and-grain sausage of German inspiration. Can’t say he would order it again, but it was fun to try!
Oktoberfest
Arriving downtown a few days early meant that we got to watch them set up for Oktoberfest as we did our daily runs or nightly walks. It was so much fun seeing it all come together throughout the week!
Plus, we got lucky, and this was the first year they hosted it at Sawyer Point and Yeatman’s Cove. Not only was that a beautiful area of the city, but it also had considerably more space than the previous locations, so while it was busy, it wasn’t unbearable.
We actually ended up going for dinner on Thursday night when they opened and then again on Saturday to meet up with some work friends. Saturday was definitely much hotter and busier, but they were both great days.
Nathan was able to get a souvenir cup, which made his drinks a little bit cheaper.
Plus, he was able to enjoy all his favorites, including grapefruit Schofferhofer!
We tried lots of food too! Nathan got a platter and dessert, I cheated on my diet for a pretzel and a chimney roll. Sadly, mine were both a disappointment, but Nathan enjoyed his!
Saturday, we spent a lot more time hanging out under the tents. Still insanely hot, but it was easier to handle sitting down and hidden from the sun a little bit.
It ended up being a fantastic experience, and we would happily go visit again for anyone who wants to join next time!
Hidden Caverns Tour
The last thing we managed to squeeze in on our trip was a local excursion. The Hidden Caverns tour by American Legacy Tours (website here) was a unique end to our trip. It got us to a part of the city we hadn’t visited yet and provided a lot of history on the major brewing industry that was part of Cincinnati’s beginning.
As a funny start to our walk, the guide was telling us the history of the brewery where we started the tour.
I happened to look up at a nearby church and started laughing because it 100% looked like the church was flipping us off.
The guide even made a comment about it and promised that it was just a poor angle and that he would prove that it was a pointer finger.. which was technically true.
I still think it is funnier that it is flipping us off.
Once we got to the caverns, the guide led us down these terribly steep stairs. Even being stable, my fear of heights was definitely triggered! Once we got down, though, we got to see the caverns that used to be where they stored all the beer!
It was a fascinating history of storage to a speakeasy during prohibition to a dumping ground when they were no longer in use. This company has been cleaning and restoring the area for tours for a few years.
The tour was a nice, low-key end to our stay and provided a little more insight into the city that we wouldn’t have otherwise had!
Cincinnati will definitely be going to one of our top places we have visited in the United States! Granted, it was a little warm for supposedly being fall, but the city was clean, beautiful, and so inviting!
If you want to see all of our pictures, you can check them out here on Google Photos!
