There are plenty of fun activities for seniors in Cincinnati. And there are some surprising things to do and learn, too — even for people who grew up in the region and think they know just about everything there is to know about the Queen City. In honor of Tourism Day on September 27, we thought it might be fun to take a look at some lesser-known attractions around town that could have you seeing Cincinnati in a whole new light.
The 1919 World Series
Even casual baseball fans have heard of the infamous 1919 "Black Sox" scandal. That was the year that our Cincinnati Reds played the Chicago White Sox in the World Series, and several White Sox players took money from gamblers to lose in the championship.
As a result, eight players (including Shoeless Joe Jackson) were banned from Major League Baseball by Commissioner Kennisaw Mountain Landis and a strict no gambling and no association with gamblers rule was put into place — one that, nearly 70 years later, once again significantly affected Cincinnati baseball when Pete Rose was banned from the game.
American Legacy Tours, in cooperation with the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum, has developed a walking tour of downtown that focuses on the events, places and personalities that shaped the 1919 World Series and formed the basis for the modern game.
The tour lasts approximately 90 minutes. It begins every Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 AM at the Cincinnati USA Visitor Center on Fountain Square. With the 2015 baseball season drawing to a close and the weather cooling down a bit, now might be the perfect time to experience a little bit of Cincinnati's rich baseball history.
Cincinnati from the bottom up.
Most people know about Porkopolis' unfinished subway system tunnels. But those aren't the city's only unexpected underground find. Another walking tour of the city (also from the folks at American Legacy Tours) takes participants through several hidden-from-view areas that illustrate Cincinnati's deep history.
The Ultimate Underground tour focuses on Over-the-Rhine and the old brewery district. Its stops include a secret crypt where some of Cincinnati's first settlers are buried. It also visits several recently-discovered tunnels that were used by 19th Century brewmasters for lagering beer — and in the early 20th Century (reportedly) by bootleggers for hiding illicit alcohol from Volstead Act agents.
It then ends with a visit to the newly-revitalized Christian Moerlein taproom, where participants can hoist a pint and toast Cincinnati's rich German brewing tradition, and the return of that tradition in the form of the variety of craft breweries that now call the city home.
Psst . . . what's the password, Mack?
Speaking of brewing traditions and Prohibition history, the Mt. Adams Bar and Grill is a former speakeasy and a wonderful lunch destination.
Owned at one time by the "King of the Bootleggers," criminal defense attorney-turned-racketeer George Remus, the restaurant is a neat destination for seniors who want to fill their bellies while filling their heads with trivia knowledge.
Remus, who moved from Chicago to Cincinnati founded the largest illicit liquor operation in the Eastern United States. He sold bonded "medicinal" whiskey to everyone from Al Capone to small-time backroom bar operators.
In doing so, he became one of the most flamboyantly rich men in the country, throwing lavish parties at his 50-acre Westwood estate, during which he supposedly gave away cars and diamond necklaces as party favors.
After he was arrested and imprisoned for two years for bootlegging, his wife took up with a rogue FBI agent. Once he was out of jail, Remus murdered her in revenge — just down the hill from the Mt. Adams Bar and Grill, near the gazebo at Eden Park's Mirror Lake. He was tried for the killing and found not guilty by reason of insanity — a verdict that was viewed skeptically, but nonetheless stood.
Want to learn more about Remus and get a sense of the time in which he operated? Stop by the Mt. Adams Bar and Grill for a whisky and a burger.
Cincinnati has some fascinating hidden history.
And there are some great activities for seniors who want to uncover it. Try some of the things we mentioned, or do your own research and visit places that intrigue you. It's worth the time to rediscover your city.
