Cincy Family Favorite Archives • Consistently Curious

I have a confession to make and I hope you are sitting down for this. I just rode the Cincinnati Streetcar for the first time, EVER!! After you have processed that bit of info and pick your jaw off the floor, consider this: many Cincinnatians have yet to experience this amazing way to see our beautiful city. It sounds unbelievable, but completely understandable because I was one of those people until recently.

The streetcar route stops along downtown Cincinnati’s most iconic landmarks, foodie scenes, and trendy boutiques. Developing your own streetcar itinerary is perfect for a fun group outing, a family day or a night on the town. After scoping out the streetcar tours that were offered I decided to make my own Cincinnati Streetcar Food Tour for an epic birthday bash for my husband. You can peek at our itinerary below. If you are looking for something unique to do in Cincinnati, I highly recommend putting together your own streetcar tour.

A Few Cincinnati Bell Connector Tips

Currently, the going rate for an all-day unlimited streetcar pass is $2.00 per person. That’s right, two bucks! The fare is only $1.00 for 2 hours and $0.50 for a child’s 2-hour pass.
Download the app to make your streetcar experience as smooth as possible. The app is CincyEZRide. Go to buy tickets. In the first box select Cincinnati Bell Connector (it is the last option), Follow the prompts to pay for your fare and you are all ready to begin your adventure.
Fares can be purchased at the ticket vending machines located at each station. Cash and credit are accepted at the machines.
The trains typically run 12-15 minutes apart. However, we did experience a wait time of nearly a half-hour at one point. Thank goodness the station we were waiting at was by Rhinegeist. We can only assume a streetcar was taken out of commission at it was near 7:00 pm.
When the streetcar approaches, it will come to a complete stop. You will then need to push the button on the door to open it.
Nothing is scanned and tickets are not collected as you enter the streetcar as you should have already paid prior to boarding via the app or ticket machine. They do random fare inspections to ensure that riders are paying, and those found without a paid fare will be fined.
When approaching your stop, press the red stop button to signal to that you would like to exit.
The streetcar runs Monday-Thursday from 6:30 am to midnight, Friday from 6:30 am to 1:00 am, Saturday from 8:00 am to 1:00 am, Sundays and Holidays from 9:00 am to 11:00 pm.

Planning Your Cincinnati Streetcar Tour

One of the beauties of the streetcar is there are 18 stations along a 3.6-mile loop that goes from The Banks to Over-The-Rhine. With that much of downtown Cincinnati covered there is bound to be a few stops that will please everyone in your party. The Cincinnati Bell Connector has all the stations and a map listed on their website. Remember when planning your stops take note of which way the streetcar is headed. Nothing is worse than planning a whole trip only to have to do it in reverse!

Don’t have any idea of how to even start planning this epic adventure? From family-friendly stops, a beer enthusiast tour, to eating your way through the city, we have come up with an ideal itinerary for you. We are sharing our Classic Cincy Streetcar Tour below. Get our Beer Enthusiast Tour, Family Friendly Tour and Cocktail Tour for FREE HERE!

Classic Cincy Streetcar Tour

We recommend parking in the Washington Park Garage or under Fountain Square depending on where you would like to begin your journey. Don’t forget to double check how late the places you want to visit or open till. Often times restaurants close on certain days or are only open for dinner.

Mix and Match Your Tour

One of the best ways to plan your tour is by opening up Google Maps and honing in on places along the streetcar line. I wouldn’t plan on more than four or five stops for a fun-filled evening. That is how we discovered a few gems that you might want to consider adding to your next itinerary.

Cobblestone OTR

Located by Washington Park this corner bar has an intriguing history. The bar sits along Cincinnati’s historic horse-drawn streetcar line and is named from the cobblestone pavement that surrounds a good portion of OTR and Washington Park. The interior decor is streetcar inspired from photos to a streetcar on the bar. It only a few feet away from a current streetcar station which makes this an ideal stop!

Arnold’s Bar and Grill

Cincinnati’s oldest tavern is a must for any first-time visitors to Cincinnati or any local for that matter. Arnold’s was established in 1861 in the same room that is currently the bar today. The second building that makes up Arnold’s use to be a barbershop. The legend of the bathtub of gin that Hugo Arnold had during prohibition is Arnold’s stable and remains today. Be sure to snap a photo in the bathtub for a keepsake! Get off at the streetcar station at 8th and Main to get Arnold’s.

Taqueria Mercado

Every food tour needs tacos so I added Taqueria Mercado to our list! If you enjoy Mexican food and strong margaritas this is the place for you. We split appetizers and two pitchers of margaritas and we were debating whether to continue on with the food tour or stay and eat more. They are currently undergoing some renovations, but the food is still great. Use the streetcar stop for the public library on 9th and Walnut. Taqueria Mercado is located on the corner.

Cincinnati Streetcar Birthday Tour

For inquiring minds who wanted to know where all we went on Streetcar food tour here is our itinerary. I completely planned it with the streetcar going in the opposite direction so we got to add some fun stops.

Final Words Of Advice

Go in with the mindset that your itinerary will change. Because it likely will. Don’t hold yourself to a tight schedule and stay at stops as long as you like. We ended up stopping at multiple unplanned stops and even did a little walking to another streetcar station to explore some of the city. The beauty of planning your own tour is that it is yours and on your timeline! Now go and create an epic streetcar tour and share your favorite stops in the comments!