Some of the best travel advice I could give anyone is to just go travel to new cities, new states, new countries, etc. You just never know what you may find and what you may like. Don’t knock it until you try it. With that said, I recently made a trip to Columbus, Ohio to visit my friend and we decided to take a day trip down to Cincinnati. First time I have been to either one of these areas. I am a huge baseball fan and would like to visit every baseball stadium so it was a no-brainer road trip to go see a Reds game. And, I really enjoy visiting new cities. I had a great time and it seems like an up and coming destination to me. There is a lot to do in Cincinnati. This trip was very built around what I enjoy - food, donuts, beer, and baseball. And, there is only so much time in the day to do all the things. I just wanted to share my trip and give some love to Cincy as a fun place to visit. I will add some additional popular things to do as options as well for everyone. There is definitely something for all.

The trip down to Cincinnati from Columbus is about an hour and 45 minutes. I learned Ohio is really, really flat. Cincinnati is a pretty large city so having a car was helpful to get around to some places before the baseball game. Our first pit stops were breweries. It was almost 90 degrees and we were parched. The first stop was MadTree Brewing. They had a huge facility and a wood fire pizza restaurant inside. Tons of beer options and non-beer options. Definitely one of the big beer companies in the state.

Our next stop was to Esoteric Brewing. This one was off the beaten path a bit in Paramount Square, a much smaller space. Pretty eclectic vibes inside.

The last brewery we visited was Rhinegeist Brewery, which had the most hype per my research. This was my favorite by far and the best beer in my opinion. They have a massive space as well in a former pre-prohibition bottling plant located in Cincinnati's historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. They have cornhole, ping pong, TVs, and even a rooftop space.

Other breweries to check out: Sonder Brewing, West Side Brewing, Brink Brewing Company, Humble Monk Brewing Co, Woodburn Brewing, Streetside Brewery.

After this, we made our way Downtown to our hotel to check in. Fortunately, this was about a 10 min walk to Great American Ball Park since we were running late. For the 2023 baseball season, there have been changes to the game to make it go by faster. This game lasted only about 2 hours and 45 minutes and it was high scoring. Typically, when I go to a new ballpark I like to walk around a lot, get some food, and watch 4-5 innings maybe. The stadium was absolutely packed and the lines were crazy. Given we got there late, I didn’t have too much time to walk around or get a bite to eat. We had great seats and the game was really good and competitive so we watched most of the game. Awesome fans I must say. Really fun environment (since the Reds are doing well). And, from what I saw a really cool stadium that I would like to come back to.

After the game we retreated back to the hotel to cool down and decide on dinner. With the Reds stadium Downtown, there is quite a bit to do around the area. There are lots of restaurants within walking distance. And, we did not feel like getting the car and driving. We decided to go to Nada, a pretty good Mexican gourmet cuisine spot.Very vibrant space with outdoor seating off the street. I believe this is a small chain in Ohio. We could tell a lot of places were busy after the game but we actually were seated pretty quickly.

On the way back to the hotel, we saw the famous Graeter’s Ice Cream founded in Cincinnati. I heard a lot about this ice cream shop. The line was insanely long at night. And, my buddy mentioned there was one down the street from his house in Columbus so we did that instead. But, if you are only in Cincinnati, I would highly recommend it as your late night dessert option. It was really great ice cream. I was overwhelmed as usual deciding on options but I went with Butter Pecan and Cookie Dough. Random opposite selections I know, that’s just my style.

We had limited time so I didn’t get to try as many food options as I would like. Everyone says to get Skyline Chili but it was 90 degrees. Maybe next time. However, here are some other options that were on my list I did get to try: Maplewood Kitchen and Bar, Mazuntae Taqueria, The Eagle,Incline Public House, Moerlein Lager House, Taste of Belgium, Eli's BBQ, Crown Republic.

Of course, a trip to a new city would not be complete without seeking a donut shop, preferably the highest rated if possible. On the way back to Columbus, we stopped at Holtman’s Donuts. They had a great selection of donuts from the classics to cronuts to gourmet toppings. This donut shop has been around since 1960 and definitely seemed like a staple for Cincinnati. We got there mid-morning and I could tell the early crowd took a dent in their selections. I went with the apple fritter, oreo red velvet, chocolate sprinkle, maple frosted, chocolate glazed (cake), and my buddy wanted to try the cinnamon cronut. The fritter was really tasty. The red velvet was my favorite. It was vanilla frosting (not cream cheese) with oreo crumbles on a red velvet cake donut that was super moist. It was awesome. I highly recommend it and it’s actually across the street from MadTree Brewing, which we didn’t realize until we looked across the street eating donuts by the car!

All in all, I thought Cincinnati was a great experience. We had very limited time and I would definitely go back to experience more of the city. Downtown is great if checking out the baseball game or football game, as I did see the Bengals stadium nearby off the highway. Aside from what I have shared, here are some other activities to do for all that are popular: Newport Aquarium, Sawyer Point & Yeatman’s Cove, Fountain Square, Findlay Market, Over the Rhine Food Tour, Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Contemporary Arts Center, Contemporary Arts Center, Jungle Jim’s, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Riverwalk, Roebling Suspension Bridge.

HIKING FOR DONUTS

A blog for the outdoors foodie enthusiast

Hi, I’m Mark. I live in Connecticut. I take new trips every chance I get. A good trip has a great hike, great food, and something fun to do. My goal is to search out new trips and share them to inspire others to try something new and exciting.

If you are looking for posts in a particular place, search by city or state here.

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Voodoo Donuts Denver, CO

The first stop off the plane was Voodoo Donuts. The popularity of this donut shop makes it a must try. Once you walk in, you see and feel how different this is than a standard donut shop. There is a hip and fun vibe going on. There’s a big selection of unique flavors and types of donuts. They are known for a raspberry filled donut shaped and decorated like a Voodoo Doll and their wittiness. The crazy options I chose were the Chuckles, chocolate frosting dipped in hot chocolate cocoa powder with peanuts and caramel and chocolate drizzle, and the ODB, chocolate frosting with Oreo cookies and peanut butter. In addition, I had to the get the Voodoo Doll, Plain Glazed, Double Chocolate Cake, and Maple Bar.

City Donuts, Denver, CO

City Donuts has a few locations spread out through Colorado near the Denver area. This was your standard old school donut shop. The customer service was fantastic. The person working went into detail on how their donuts were made and the history of the company. Appreciated it because it gave me time to decide what I wanted. Unfortunately, I was pretty full from breakfast but I settled on the Maple Glaze and Chocolate Frosted with sprinkles. Super fluffy and tasted homemade. Pretty big sized donut as well. And, they hooked me up with some free donut holes. The bag the donuts came in was a great touch.

Amy’s Donuts, Colorado Springs, CO

The stand out donut shop in Colorado Springs has to be Amy’s Donuts. This shop had my head on a swivel. Not even over exaggerating, there were over 50 different flavor combinations. To narrow it down was a tough task. They covered the basics but then went over the top with wild toppings and flavor combinations like Almond Banana Caramel, Butterfinger, and Maple Bacon Fudge. The final decision was the Maple Turtle, Reese’s Pieces, Nutella Crumb, Bizmallow Caramel, and S’mores. And, a Raspberry filled glazed bar to complete the spectrum of donuts. They will pipe in the jelly fresh when you order. Big fan of that. The verdict, the Maple Turtle was amazing as it sounds.

Montrose Donuts and Deli, Montrose, CO

The perfect hiking for donuts location. Located 15 minutes outside of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, you must visit Montrose Donuts and Deli. When I walked in, I was delighted to see all the options. They had bear claws, old fashion, cake, yeast, cinnamon bun, bow tie, cruller, French cruller, fritter, bars, and filled donuts along with muffins and more baked goods. And, a glazed buttermilk bar. What?!? I had to try this. Best donut of the trip. Tasted like a delicious and sugary glazed biscuit. Along with the glazed buttermilk bar, I also tried the chocolate cake sprinkle, bow tie glazed, blueberry glaze cake, cinnamon crumb, old fashion maple, and cinnamon crumb glaze fritter. The donuts were all pretty delicious. Highly recommend for your hiking for donut needs.

OMG Donuts, Arvada, CO

Located in a small plaza driving through Arvada, I found myself at OMG Donuts. This is another small business, old school shop cranking out the classics. Very friendly. I got there late afternoon and they still had some good options. I went with the Plain Glazed, Double Chocolate Cake, Maple Bar, Chocolate Frosted and Red Velvet. The red velvet cake stood out to me for some reason and that was the best decision I made. One of the best cake donuts I have EVER had. Wow, super moist and the flavor was on point. The chocolate cake was good also, super chocolaty almost like eating a chocolate cake. The yeast donuts were fluffy and light. This was a great donut shop find.

HIKING FOR DONUTS

Hi, I’m Mark. I live in Connecticut. I take new trips every change I get. A good trip has a great hike, great food, and something fun to do. My goal is to search out new trips and share them to inspire others to try something new and exciting.

If you are looking for posts in a particular place, search City or State here.

SEE OTHER POSTS IN ARCHIVE