Let's go to Cincinnati for a long weekend is not something you hear often. A small city in Ohio can't possibly have anything to offer for avid tourists. Cincinnati is an easy five hour drive from Chicago, and as we approached from Indianapolis, the first thing that pleasantly surprised us was the hills. Cincinnati is near Indiana, and sits right on the border of Ohio and Kentucky and is home to less than 300,000 people.

We stayed at the Kingsgate Marriott at the University of Cincinnati, a perfect compromise between proximity to downtown and the distance from the crowds and hassle. The university was recently voted by Forbes magazine as one of the top universities campuses in the world, and as we walked through we knew why. Frank Gehry designed a building and the football stadium is bang in the middle of the campus. Coolest campus ever. The hotel is also walking distance from the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens. The zoo is the second oldest zoo in the U.S. It opened in 1875, just 14 months after the Philadelphia Zoo on July 1, 1874. The Reptile House is the oldest zoo building in the United States, dating from 1875. Spread over many acres, with hundreds of exhibits, the zoo is the perfect place to spend a day in Cincinnati with or without kids.

Cincinnati is on the Ohio River and on the opposite bank is Newport, Kentucky. Between the two cities, there is plenty of development to allow for relaxing walks by the river. Newport, Kentucky has a big tourist attraction called Newport on the Levee and is perfect to catch a bite, catch the sunset behind Cincinnati or simply catch a movie. The Newport Southbank Bridge, popularly known as the "Purple People Bridge", stretches 2,670 feet over the Ohio River, connecting Newport to Cincinnati. The John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge spans the Ohio River between Cincinnati, Ohio and Covington, Kentucky and was Roebling's first version of the more famous Brooklyn Bridge in New York.

Downtown Cincinnati is focused around Fountain Square, a popular public square and event location. The Taste of Cincinnati is held on the last weekend of May. Cincinnati is also home to numerous structures that are noteworthy due to their architectural characteristics or historic associations including the Carew Tower, the Scripps Center, the Ingalls Building and the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal. Over-the-Rhine, a neighborhood just to the north of Downtown Cincinnati, boasts among the world's largest collections of Italianate architecture and is one of the largest historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Cincinnati was voted by the Lonely Planet guide as one of the Top 10 places to visit in 2012 and after visiting it, we would definitely say, if you are driving by or within driving distance, make the trip. Spend a weekend.