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Tucked against the banks of the Ohio River and surrounded on three sides by hills, "The Queen City" prides itself on offering big-city attractions and amenities with small-town charm. Cincinnati is home to the headquarters of major corporations like Procter & Gamble and Kroger, it boasts a major symphony, art museum and zoo, and redevelopment along the waterfront has brought a pair of state-of-the-art sports stadiums for Reds and Bengals fans. Amidst its growth, though, the city that was once the largest producer of pork in the nation has remained clean and friendly, with a low crime rate and a laid-back attitude.

Downtown Cincy is compact enough that walking is the ideal way to get around -- there is even a Minneapolis-style skywalk that allows pedestrians to walk between buildings without ever going outside. The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority also operates a bus system (Metro) throughout the Greater Cincinnati area, and fares are just $1 within the downtown zone.

Cincinnati's nearest airport isn't even in Ohio, but across the border in Covington, Ky. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, a major Delta hub, is 13 miles south of downtown and offers public transportation into the city via the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK) for $1.25. Taxis charge a flat rate of $24.

Head For The Land Where Pete Rose Is Still A Hero
Opened in 2003, the Great American Ball Park offers spectacular views and all the amenities of a modern facility while paying homage to the rich history of professional baseball's oldest team. The Reds Hall of Fame and Museum honors former stars, Crosley Terrace stands as a monument to the Reds' former home, the legendary Crosley Field, and yes, Pete Rose remains Charlie Hustle here -- behind the scoreboard is a giant mural of the bat and ball from his record-breaking 4,192nd hit.

Find Out Why NFL Teams Fear Da Tiger
Adjacent to Great American Ball Park stands another new facility -- Paul Brown Stadium, also known as "The Jungle," home to the Bengals since 2000. Not only has the team elevated itself from NFL laughingstock to playoff contender in recent years, but it also features the funkiest theme song (and music video) in all of sports, "Fear da Tiger," by Cincinnati native Bootsy Collins.

Take Your Pick Of College B-ball Powerhouses
Cincinnati is quietly a hotbed of college hoops, with the University of Cincinnati, Xavier and nearby Dayton all making regular appearances in the NCAA tournament. Cincinnati and Xavier have a particularly contentious rivalry, competing head-to-head in the Crosstown Shootout since 1927. Xavier and Dayton, already rivals in the Atlantic-10 conference, play for the Blackburn/McCafferty Trophy (named for famous former coaches) during their annual regular-season meetings.

Learn From The Masters
Held annually as part of the nine-tournament ATP Masters Series, the Cincinnati Masters made its debut in 1899 and is now the oldest U.S. tennis event still played in its original city. This U.S. Open tuneup is also the only non-Grand Slam tournament to be played at a three-stadium venue, enabling nearly 200,000 fans to catch the action every August.

Party As You Run
Held in May, Cincinnati's Flying Pig Marathon is known as one of the more festive 26.2-milers in the country. Many enthusiastic spectators wear some sort of pig garb, and there's entertainment throughout the course. If you're not ready for a marathon, another option is the Run Like Hell/Party Like Hell 5K run on Halloween, which winds through a cemetery and ends with a party that includes food, drinks and live music.

Taft Museum of Art
316 Pike St.
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
The Tafts -- the first family of Ohio -- lived in this 1820s Federalist-style mansion before bequeathing it and their art collection to the city in 1927. Recognized as one of the nation's finest small art museums, its collection of more than 700 pieces includes works by Rembrandt, Hals and Whistler's early masterpiece, At the Piano. Its renowned Chinese porcelains collection includes more than 200 works from the Tang, Ming and Qing dynasties.
http://www.taftmuseum.org/

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
3400 Vine St.
Cincinnati, Ohio 45220
This zoo is the nation's second oldest -- it dates to 1875 -- and among the finest. It was one of the first zoos to exhibit animals in a no-bars environment, simulating their natural habitats. Its prize is a striking white tiger. Don't miss the manatee exhibit or Nocturnal House, featuring aardvarks, barn owls, Indian flying foxes and vampire bats.
http://www.cincyzoo.org/index2.html

Contemporary Arts Center
44 East Sixth St.
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
A cutting-edge museum in Cincinnati? The Contemporary Arts Center was one of the first museums in the U.S. to exhibit Picasso's Guernica and Robert Mapplethorpe's controversial nude photographs. It was also an early champion of Warhol, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, among others. The building itself, opened in 2003, is a noted piece of 21st-century architecture, designed by Pritzker Prize winner Zaha Hadid.
http://www.contemporaryartscenter.org/

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
50 East Freedom Way
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
The museum traces the history of slavery in the U.S., from colonial times through the Civil War. Particular attention is paid to the Underground Railroad, the secret escape routes that spread, like capillary veins, throughout the northern and Midwest states, and along which an estimated 100,000 slaves traveled in search of freedom. Films, exhibits and an old wooden slave pen from Kentucky help bring the collection to life.
http://www.freedomcenter.org/

Cincinnati Museum Center
1301 Western Ave.
Cincinnati, Ohio 45203
Three museums are housed in the city's art deco Union Terminal: The Museum of Natural History and Science, where you can travel back in time to the Ice Age -- walk over a glacier and through a re-creation of a Kentucky limestone cave, complete with underground waterfalls, fossils and a live bat colony. The Cincinnati History Museum, which recreates scenes from the city, from the time the area was first settled in the 18th century, on forward through time. Cinergy's Children's Museum is consistently ranked among the top 25 children's museums in the world.
http://www.cincymuseum.org/

1990 Cincinnati Reds (defeated Oakland A's, 4 games to 0)
1976 Cincinnati Reds (defeated New York Yankees, 4 games to 0)
1975 Cincinnati Reds (defeated Boston Red Sox, 4 games to 3)
1962 University of Cincinnati (defeated Ohio State University, 71-59)
1961 University of Cincinnati (defeated Ohio State University, 70-65)
1940 Cincinnati Reds (defeated Detroit Tigers, 4 games to 3)
1919 Cincinnati Reds (defeated Chicago White Sox, 5 games to 3)