Walking Cincinnati. Danny Korman

      Tulips bloom near the Purple People Bridge along the Cincinnati riverfront.

      BOUNDARIES: Smale Riverfront Park, Theodore M. Berry International Friendship Park, Third St. in Newport, Fourth St. in Covington, Greenup St. in Covington

      DISTANCE: 4.2 miles

      DIFFICULTY: Easy

      PARKING: Metered parking on streets; or inside Central Riverfront Garage, 99 E. Second St., underneath Moerlein Lager House

      PUBLIC TRANSIT: Metro (go-metro.com) and TANK (tankbus.org) buses serve downtown Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, respectively. Southbank Shuttle Trolley (tankbus.org/routes/ss) connects the riverfront cities of Newport, Covington, and downtown Cincinnati, with signs marking each stop. Cincinnati Bell Connector streetcar (cincinnatibellconnector.com) connects the Cincinnati riverfront, downtown Cincinnati, and Over-the-Rhine with 18 stations. Cincinnati Red Bike (cincyredbike.org) has bicycle rental stations at 122 E. Second St. (Great American Ball Park), 97 E. Freedom Way (Freedom Center), 5 W. Merhring Way (Smale Riverfront Park), and elsewhere.

      Cincinnati Riverfront Park is the place where locals and visitors alike go for recreation and relaxation, mostly during warmer months, although hardy outdoorsy city lovers visit year-round. The action happens in four separate and connecting parks along the Ohio River, with Theodore M. Berry International Friendship Park to the east, Sawyer Point Park and Yeatman’s Cove in the middle, and John G. and Phyllis W. Smale Riverfront Park tucked between Paul Brown Stadium and Great American Ball Park.

The activities along here run the gamut, from sitting on a swing overlooking the river and having a picnic under a grove of trees, to walking through interactive fountains and a meditative labyrinth, or simply biking along the Ohio River Trail. Just north of the river and between both sports stadia are National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and The Banks, a mixed-use development designed to complement the massive public improvements along the riverfront. The initial phase, which opened in summer 2011, included Current at The Banks apartments atop 96,000 square feet of street-level retail, which includes mostly bars and restaurants.

      Walk Description

      Start your walk at the top of the Walnut Street Steps at Theodore M. Berry Way, which serves as the entrance to Smale Riverfront Park. Opened in 2012, Smale Riverfront Park was designed to be the new front yard for the region. The park is situated on 45 acres along the riverfront. It flanks the city’s beloved John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge, which allows pedestrians to get between the sports venues in Cincinnati and attractions in Northern Kentucky. When the first pedestrians crossed on January 1, 1867, its 1,057-foot span made it the longest suspension bridge in the world, a record it retained until 1883 when Roebling’s most famous project—the Brooklyn Bridge—opened. It’s designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

      Next to the steps is Schmidlapp Event Lawn & Stage, a venue for concerts, small community festivals, and picnicking. Proceed down the steps past the interactive fountains and bike runnel, which helps facilitate walking a bicycle up and down the stairway. Once at the bottom of the steps, cross the Ohio River Scenic Byway to enter the park.

      Walk through the Women’s Committee Garden, which honors women who made the park possible. Turn left at the first walking path and pass through the meditative labyrinth on your left. Opposite the labyrinth and down the sloping lawn is Race Street Promenade, which follows the Ohio River. Walk past the Black Brigade Monument, the first piece of public art to be commissioned in Smale Riverfront Park and a monument to Cincinnati’s little-known Black Brigade, an African American military unit that served during the Civil War.

Keep walking toward Main Street Fountain on the left. Across the Ohio River Scenic Byway at Joe Nuxhall Way is the Moerlein Lager House. This popular microbrewery and restaurant houses the Beer Barons Hall of Fame. Continue walking east past the swings—after you sit down and swing back and forth a little—and eventually back to the Ohio River Scenic Byway. Across the street is the Great American Ball Park, home field of the Cincinnati Reds, established in 1881. The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum is located on the west side of the ballpark, which has panoramic views of downtown, Mount Adams, the Ohio River, and Northern Kentucky.

      Turn right on the Ohio River Scenic Byway and walk east past the U.S. Bank Arena on the left. Just past the Taylor-Southgate Bridge overhead is Yeatman’s Cove. Opened in 1976 and the first big effort to reconnect downtown with the city’s riverfront, the park features Serpentine Wall, a contoured concrete wall of steps used for special events and lounging. Along the northern edge of the park and in the shadow of One Lytle Place Apartments is Lytle Place Fountain, a respite on a hot summer day.

      Continue eastward through the brick archways underneath the Purple People Bridge. Greeting you on the other side is a 12-foot statue of Cincinnatus, the Roman soldier and farmer after whom Cincinnati is named. Sawyer Point Park opened in June 1988, in celebration of Cincinnati’s 200th birthday. Initially designed to educate natives and visitors with a riverwalk filled with late-1980s environmental sculpture, Sawyer Point has evolved into a lush park with maturing trees and gardens, concessions, tennis and volleyball courts, and a playground.