Here are the shopping sites, restaurants and events they suggested.
Not all addresses and contact information are listed for locations due to space, but the contact information at the end of each city’s list of options will get you all you need to know.
Cincinnati
Nori Muro, assistant marketing manager of the CincinnatiUSA Regional Tourism Network, highlighted the city’s top three shopping destinations — one of which is just down the road from Dayton.
She cited Kenwood Towne Centre, the new Cincinnati Premium Outlets mall in Monroe and downtown Cincinnati in general as shopping hot spots.
“Kenwood Towne Centre (7875 Montgomery Road) is Cincinnati’s premier destination for the most unique shopping experience,” Muro said.
For bargain shoppers, Muro said, the Premium Outlets mall at 400 Premium Outlets Drive in Monroe and the Prime Outlets mall at 8000 Factory Shops Blvd. in Jeffersonville both offer substantial savings. Muro noted that the Jeffersonville mall has 100 stores offering everyday savings of up to 65 percent.
As for dining, Muro points out that Orchids at Palm Court at the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza Hotel on West 5th Street was recently named the city’s No. 1 restaurant by “Cincinnati” magazine.
Other great restaurants she suggested are The Precinct on Delta Avenue, which Muro called Cincinnati’s best steakhouse, and Carlo & Johnny on Montgomery Road, another steakhouse rated highly by Zagat.
If you are looking for hip night spots, Muro suggested Bootsy’s Produced by Jeff Ruby, which is a Spanish-influenced tapas and sushi restaurant; NADA, a modern Mexican restaurant and bar and The Righteous Room.
“The Righteous Room is a new bar offering a great list of wines, located across from the Aronoff Center for the Performing Arts,” Muro said.
This fall there also are stellar exhibits and events to see, including “Secrets of Egypt,” running through Jan. 3 at the Cincinnati Museum Center; “Roaring Tigers, Leaping Carp: Decoding the Symbolic Language of Chinese Animal Painting,” which also continues through Jan. 3, at the Cincinnati Art Museum; and the Cincinnati Zoo’s Festival of Lights, which starts Nov. 27 and goes throughout the holiday season.
And, speaking of the holiday season, Muro said there are three dozen free holiday events taking place this year in Cincinnati.
The free events are headlined by the Extreme Santa: Rappelling Santa in Fountain Square, Scuba Santa at the Newport Aquarium, and Segway Santa at the Segway Store in the Gateway Quarter.
Segway Tours also will be held downtown year-round, weather permitting. And another attraction to see at Newport Aquarium will be the Boutique Bowling Lanes, which is opening this winter.
For more information on any of these sites or events, visit www.cincinnatiusa.com or call (859) 581-2260.
Columbus
For places to see and things to do in our state capital, we turned to Scott Peacock, media relations manager at Experience Columbus.
Peacock said the best places to shop in Columbus are:
■ The Easton Town Center, at 160 Easton Town Center in Easton, which features entertainment, dining and retail shopping in an indoor/outdoor setting.
■ Polaris Fashion Place, at 1500 Polaris Parkway, which has six anchor stores and 150 other specialty shops and restaurants.
■ The Short North Arts District, along North High Street in Short North, which is home to eclectic galleries and shops, all within walking distance of the convention center.
Peacock added that there were bargains to be found at each of these sites, but gave a nod to the Short North Arts District’s boutique and consignment shops for where to find the biggest savings.
Peacock said the Short North and the Arena District on Front Street are Columbus’ entertainment hot spots.
“With Nationwide Arena, the Blue Jackets, Huntington Park and the Columbus Clippers, the Arena Grand Movie Theatre and plenty of restaurants to satisfy your appetite, these two districts are adjacent to each other, and there are plenty of affordable hotel options within each district,” he said.
If you are looking for a great meal, The Refectory on Bethel Road, Cap City Fine Diner & Bar - Grandview on Olentangy River Road, and North Market on Spruce Street make the short list.
“(The Refectory) is Columbus’ most award-winning restaurant,” Peacock said.
“It features contemporary American cuisine and classic French cuisine is complemented by a world-class wine cellar encompassing over 700 selections.”
As for the city’s top free events, Peacock cited the Gallery Hop, which is held at the Short North Arts District from 4 to 10 p.m. on the first Saturday of every month; the “Chihuly XIV” exhibit going on now at the Hawk Gallery on East Main Street; Village Lights on Dec. 6 in German Village; and First Night Columbus, which is being held throughout downtown on Dec. 31.
Besides the “Chihuly XIV,” other art exhibits worth the ride north include the work of Belgian contemporary artist Luc Tuymans at the Wexner Center for the Arts going on through Jan.3, and “Glass Art 365,” an exhibit that has multiple locations downtown.
Other new and notable Columbus attractions are:
- The Grange Insurance Audubon Center, which opened in August on West Whittier Street in German Village. It is one of the first such centers in Audubon's storied history.
- The Lincoln Theatre, on East Long Street, which completed its $11 million restoration in May. The 1928 theater hosted jazz greats Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and Etta James.
- And baby elephant Beco can be seen from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, year-round at the Greater Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
For more information on these sites or other things to do in Columbus, visit www.experiencecolumbus.com or call (866) EXP-COLS or (866) 397-2657.
Indianapolis
Kimberly Harms, associate director of media relations for the Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association, had reams of great information about the biggest city in Indiana.
Harms said some of the top shopping destinations to hit in Indianapolis are the Circle Centre Mall, at 49 W. Maryland St. in the heart of downtown; the Castleton Square Mall, which is on East 82nd Street on Indy’s northeast side and is the largest mall in the state; and The Fashion Mall at Keystone, at 8702 Keystone Crossing on Indy’s north side.
Harms said The Fashion Mall, which is home to 95 specialty shops, is the center of upscale shopping in Indianapolis.
If you want to buy something uniquely Indiana, Harms noted that the Indiana Historical Society History Market at 450 W. Ohio St. features the best of Indiana literature, art, music, jewelry, pottery, toys and much more.
If you are looking for the best bargains in Indy, Harms suggested the recently expanded Indianapolis Museum of Art, which offers free admission everyday. The museum is on North Michigan Road.
“It is one of the nation’s top 10 largest and 10 oldest general art museums,” Harms said.
She also said the National Art Museum of Sport on West Michigan can be a cheap, quality date.
“It is always free and contains art ranging from paintings to poems that were inspired by sports and sports figures,” Harms said. “This is a good date idea — he likes sports, she likes art, and they go have a drink at the (University Place) hotel after.”
Harms added that The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis on North Meridian Street offers Target Free Family Nights from 4 to 8 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month and a handful of other days that are free.
As for dining, Harms recommended attending the Devour Downtown event Jan. 25 to Feb. 6. She said the event is a great way to try upscale restaurants at a highly discounted rate; $30 for a three-course meal.
Other notable upcoming events include the Bands of America Grand National Championships and Percussive Arts Society International Convention from Nov. 11-14 downtown, and “Barbie: The Fashion Experience” at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis from Dec. 19 through February 2011.
For the holidays, Indianapolis will host 12 Free Days of Christmas. The events taking place from Dec. 13-24 include several free concerts and free admission to multiple museums and sites.
For more information on these places and events or other destinations in Indianapolis, visit www.visitindy.com or call (800) 323-INDY (4639).
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7325 or jikelley @DaytonDailyNews.com.
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