(Today I am turning the blog over to my dear friend Korie Frost. She will be writing about her recent experience!)
Like my friend Mindy, I love a good experience. Give me time with a person I adore and I’ll take that any day over receiving a material thing. My husband Kenny knows this about me all too well. He also knows my love for our city, Cincinnati. I love the sights. I love the people. I love the history. Needless to say, he scored huge with my birthday gift this year. He treated me to a Queen City Underground Tour! We started out at the office location (1332 Vine St) for the 10:30 tour, to get checked in. This just so happens to be right next door to Holtman’s Donuts! If only we had gotten there earlier, we could have gotten coffee and a donut to start the morning out right! Alas, this was a birthday surprise so I didn’t know any better. So take heed friends, and trust me on this one. Get there early and go to Holtman’s. You will never regret this.
The tour starts and I am immediately sucked in. So much interesting information and our tour guides were hilarious. I learned about sharp shooters here in Cincinnati, the city’s roots in beer love and brewing history as well as a beautiful local church and the crypt that lies beneath! I don’t want to give too much away, so I will purposefully be somewhat vague so you’ll GO and EXPERIENCE this for yourself! Keep in mind, this is a walking tour so wear comfortable shoes and proper attire. We started in the heart of Over the Rhine (OTR) on Vine Street and landed on Liberty Street where we found ourselves in front of the beautiful St. Francis Seraph Church.
We learned the interesting history of this church and then were led underground. The crypt awaits… ok, I may have geeked out right about here.
Once above ground, we were able to see inside the sanctuary. The stained glass was gorgeous!
We went back outside and headed to a nearby apartment building which was once a brewery.
We again found ourselves underground in the cellars used for making lagers. And this is where my second geek out happened. I mean, come on! Look at those stairs!
Underground, we learned all about Cincinnati’s vast beer brewing history as well as prohibition’s effects on the city. These chambers were huge! And crazy. What I love about history is how I always find myself lost in thought about how things must have looked back in the day. I definitely did a lot of this while we were underground!
The tour ends at Christian Moerlein’s Tap Room where you can enjoy a beer and a snack if you so desire. Cheers!
GO THERE (OTR)! TRY THAT (Queen City Underground Tour)!
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