The Cincinnati region has some of the most beautiful landscapes in the country and the largest park system in the state. Cincinnati's parks, according to the National Park Service, are among the highest in the nation, covering more than 5,000 acres. And in recent years, plans have been made for several park improvements worth more than $1 billion.

The Cincinnati area is home to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, which attracts more than 1.2 million visitors each year to see a wide variety of animals, plants, birds, and more.

There are also many festivals that take place throughout the year, such as the Cincinnati Music Festival. Many Cincinnati residents spend the weekend in Newport, Kentucky, just across the Ohio River, which is home to a large outdoor shopping mall that houses a beautiful AMC movie theater and the Newport Aquarium, among many other attractions.

If you want to cross the river to Kentucky, there is the option of taking the Southbank Shuttle, which circles the Riverfront on both sides of Ohio and Kentucky. It's also a short drive or a walk across the bridge to get back to downtown Cincinnati.

The Cincinnati Museum Center and Union Terminal are both within a reasonable walking distance as well.

Baseball has been a Cincinnati tradition, at least since the early days of Great American Ball Park. Cincinnati was home to the first professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Sox, later the Reds, which were founded in 1869. The Cincinnati Reds are the second-oldest professional team in the United States after the New York Yankees.

In 1842, thousands of militiamen from Kentucky and Pennsylvania flocked to Cincinnati as part of an expedition planned by Harmar St. Clair against American Indians. Hotels, restaurants, and taverns opened to meet the needs of settlers traveling westward along the Ohio River.

Cincinnati had 297,517 residents in 2010, making it the 18th largest city in the country, according to census estimates. Cincinnati has become one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States, with a population growth rate of 4.5% per year since the 1950s. According to a 2010 study by the University of Cincinnati School of Public Health, 53 percent of children live in Cincinnati, the second-largest city among the 50 largest cities.

The boom years of Cincinnati faded after the Civil War, but they also played an important role in the development of the city's industrial and agricultural industries. In 1890, Cincinnati became the second-largest city in America after New York City. The economic downturn that hit many other Rust Belt cities 100 years later also hit Cincinnati hard.

The Cincinnati skyline is breathtaking, and Devou Park offers great views of the city skyline and neighboring Mt. Adams and the Ohio River.

If you want to stay downtown or even across the Ohio River, there are several hotels in the area, some of which are actually located in Covington, Ky. Some of these hotels are located directly on the Kentucky side of the river, just blocks from the bridge.