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Hidden Gems in Cincinnati For A Great Day Out

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, INC. and The Coca-Cola Company, all opinions are mine alone. #ChickenCoToGo #CollectiveBias

Cincinnati is an amazing city, full of things to do and things to see any time of the year. The city truly has something for everyone, and for me, it has great food, great photo opportunities, and the Reds. On our last visit to the city, we took advantage of some beautiful weather to have a family picnic at Smale Riverfront Park and explore a little bit!

Let’s start with our picnic. I didn’t want to deal with a traditional picnic basket or a big thermal bag, so we did something even better – we stopped at the newly renovated Bellevue, KY The Chicken Co. at the Kroger Deli and bought our lunches there! The Chicken Co chicken is fresh, hand-breaded daily and crispy. For just $5 a meal, we were able to feed everyone some delicious food at a great price. Each meal was a lot of food too – a great value for just $5.

$5 meals at The Chicken Co inside Kroger deli

What might have been the best part though, was trying the Coke Freestyle machine. I am still thinking about the Cherry Vanilla Diet Coke I created! Everyone thought it was cool that you could start with your favorite Coke product and add flavor to it.

Coke Freestyle Machine at Kroger Coke Freestyle flavor selection

We took our lunches and Coke drinks to Smale Riverfront Park and found a shady spot to eat. Make sure you grab condiments and utensils/napkins before you leave the Bellevue, KY The Chicken Co. at the Kroger Deli and if you have several meals, ask for a bag to hold everything!

Kroger deli meal deals are perfect for on the go and spontaneous picnics

After our lunch, it was time to explore. The riverfront park is a great place for a walk and to watch all of the boats, especially during the summer. Across the street, our favorite place was quiet – Great American Ballpark. Imagine grabbing a meal at The Chicken Co. and then taking in a ball game. That would be a great money saver! Something to note, the Reds Team Shop IS open year-round! I had no idea, but you can see their hours on the Reds website and stop in if you need some new team gear!

If you love finding hidden, beautiful things in a city, then you absolutely need to explore the ArtWorks street murals and other art installations. The first time I saw one, it was such a beautiful surprise! A gorgeous art mural on the side of a building, just of nowhere because I had no idea where they were around the city. How awesome that so many hours were spent creating something for so many people to see!

I know you want to see these for yourself, so I want to share a couple of my favorites and also share the official mural map so you can take a self-guided walking tour!

Visit the ArtWorks Cincinnati website and you’ll find the map plus tons of other information. If you’re really ambitious, you could visit all 132 murals, or you can pick a neighborhood and start small.

If you find yourself Over-The-Rhine, please check out some local shopping hot spots! Definitely check out Homage for great Ohio wear. Food, art, shopping? Any day! Another place I would check out, especially if you have the whole family, is OTR Candy Bar. Save this for after lunch!

There are so many things you can do in Cincinnati, I can’t possibly share everything with you. Grab a convenient and inexpensive lunch and start exploring!