It’s Day 28 (Year 2) of “365 Things to do in Cincinnati” and today we’re featuring a new tour from the guys over at American Legacy Tours – The Spirit of Christmas Tour.
The Spirit of Christmas is a walking tour. The tour will take you into many Over the Rhine churches, all of which were constructed and loved by the original Over the Rhine residents – the German immigrants.
I have been on many (all?) of the tours offered by this fine group – The Queen City Underground Tour, The Newport Gangster Tour, The Queen City is Haunted Tour, The Civil War Tour…. and I do believe the “Spirit of Christmas Tour” is one of my favorites. I don’t know quite what it is about this tour – is it because it’s about Christmas and everyone is merry? I don’t know but I do encourage you to take a look at my pics and read on. You’ll be out buying your own tickets in no time!
Our tour started off at the home of the American Legacy Tours, The Cincy Haus on Vine Street. Our tour guide was Jerry Gels, accompanied by Gail Moe (from the Over the Rhine Foundation).
We started off with a brief description of what we’d be seeing and then we headed off to our first stop – The First Lutheran Church.
This church was gorgeous – inside and out. Located right across the street from Washington Park, you could stand out front and admire the amazing view of Music Hall.
After learning all about this church, sitting in the pews, and venturing upstairs to see the old German classrooms, we headed down the street to see our next church – Nast Trinity United Methodist.
One of the benefits of being on a walking tour like this is that it makes you stop and admire all that surrounds you on these urban streets. The architecture that whips by when you’re in a car can truly be appreciated when you’re on foot.
You might recognize the work of Samuel Hannaford there – he was the architect of Nast United Methodist Church (as well as Music Hall, City Hall and more).
We went inside Nast UMC before proceeding down the street to see this gorgeous building, once a church. It is being “saved” by 3CDC and is currently undergoing foundation/structural repair.
After that we went into an old church building that is being converted into loft-style apartments so that we could understand some of the possibilities of making good use of these very old church structures.
I never tire of hearing old Cincinnati stories and this tour is full of them. I don’t want to give away the “surprises” on the tour – let’s just say you won’t be disappointed!
Our next stop was to see inside Prince of Peace. We got to go upstairs to see the church – a part of the building that hasn’t been used since the 1980′s. It was in a state of disrepair but it was still amazing.
My husband got to sneak up in the bell tower with the caretaker while we were there – very cool!
Our last stop was simply amazing. We stopped in to see Brother Tim at St. Francis Church. This Catholic Church is home to many Franciscan priests and does so much to help the nearby residents and homeless. They were gracious enough to take us through the priests’ residence to see their Christmas decorations.
The indoor and private areas (shown above) can only be toured as part of this particular tour. The following area, however, can be seen any day (until Jan. 6, 2012). You can enjoy their “Franciscan Christmas” from 1-7pm every day of the week. And it’s free (they do accept donations).
Our tour of St. Francis was complete after viewing the inside of St. Francis Church, which was decorated and ready for Advent and Christmas.
I would highly recommend you take some time on a Saturday and go on this tour. It’s being offered on Saturdays at 11am (through and including Dec. 17, 2011).
Click here to find out more info about The Spirit of Christmas Tour and to purchase tickets
The folks at American Legacy Tours have given us 6 tickets to giveaway for The Spirit of Christmas Tour!!!
*****Giveway is now complete. Congrats to our winners – La’Keyta, Michele, Jesse and Stacey *****
Want to win a pair of tickets to The Spirit of Christmas Tour? We will give away 3 pairs of tickets on Tuesday, Nov. 29.
To enter: Simply leave a comment below, telling us if you’ve ever been on one of the American Legacy Tours.Pesky details: On Tues., Nov 29, 2011 we will draw three names (chosen at random) from the comments on this post only. Each winner will get a pair of passes for The Spirit of Christmas and they can be redeemed for any date (Dec. 3, 10, or 17). You may enter to win one time and no purchase is necessary. Be sure to leave us a working email as we will contact the winner via email.
No, I have never been on one of the tours… Me and especially my wife would love too though.
I have never been on any of the tours, but this looks like lots of fun & a great way to celebrate the holiday season!
I’ve never been on one of their tours, although we keep meaning to check it out. This tour sounds awesome!
I have been on a couple of their tours and have loved them all. My favorite was the Cincinnati Civil War Tour which was the first one I have taken. I would love to attend this one, your pictures really motivates me and remembering the awesome tour guides!!
I’ve been on all of them (except this one); Cincinnati and the Civil War was my favorite.
No, I have not been on any of the tours… I’ve read about all of them, and have been wanting to go on them, just haven’t found the time yet. Perhaps I can make this one my first?
I have never been on one of your tours but am so excited to try one. Being new to the area, I can’t wait to learn more about Cincinnati and its rich history.
I have never been on a tour but always wanted to. They seem incredibly interesting!
I keep saying I must do a tour…I’m anxious to feel like a tourist in my own town. Maybe winning these tickets is just what I need.
I have not yet been on guided tour by this organization. Now is a good time to start.
We have not been on these tours and have only heard about them from you. We love to tour historical buildings and hope to attend the 18th annual Victorian Christmas Tour of Newport homes this Saturday!
I have been on most of their tours. With the two free tickets I will take two friends who are Chinese students at UC. This is their first Christmas ever. So the tour would be a wonderful introduction to Christmas and Cinti architecture. Hope the students win.
I’ve never been on one of the tours. It’s one of those things I keep meaning to do but timing or money hasn’t allowed it so far. Thanks for the opportunity!
Had tickets to the brewery tour but couldn’t go at the last minute. Would love to do the Christmas tour to “get in the spirit”!
I’ve been on two of the city tours from this group and have enjoyed them both. The Queen City Underground tour was great because we got to see the lagering catacombs underneath OTR. Very cool indeed.
Yes I have. I’ve done the underground tour. Out was amazing
Never tried the tours, although they sound fun. This looks like a nice one!
I have been on the Queen City Tour and it was absolutely amazing!!! I love old architecture and history. I’ve been told many times that I’m an old soul. My husband and I were mesmerized by St. Francis Church and the Friar that we spoke to. It definitely holds a special place my husband’s heart because his uncle spent many years at St. Francis as a Franciscan Friar before he passed years ago and the fact that they remember him. We usually don’t buy gifts for each other so we just plan to do something special together and this would be the perfect Christmas gift for the two of us.
I went on the Underground tour and LOVED it! So cool to learn about all the history in OTR!
We have never attended a tour, but would love to!
I have not been on one of their tours. I would love to try it out.
Their tours are amazing, but this is one I’ve not done!
I have never been on one of their tours but would love to go on this one!!
Have not been on a tour yet, but I love the idea of knowing more about my adopted city and would love to take a tour!
My husband and I went on the Queen City is Haunted tour in October of 2010. It was a great time and very interesting. Our tour guides were wonderful!
I have never been on any of the tours but would absolutely love to take one!
I have taken two of the tours; the Gangster Tour and the Queen City Undreground Tour. Both were educational as well as entertaining.
This looks like an awesome tour. I have been wanting to stop in and look at one of these old churches, but have never had the time. I have seen the basilica in Covington, and it is breath taking. I am really impressed at the rich history of Cininnati. I am a transplant fom Miami, FL and it’s wonderful to now live in area with such a rich architectural and spiritual history.
No, I have never been in one of these tours but they sound fabulous. Might be something nice to do with my Dad. He and I have always loved sightseeing and things historical in nature. Thanks for the post.
I’ve never been on one of the tours, but I love touring Cincinnati’s churches!
I have never been on one the the tours. Looks like the perfect way to get into the holiday season!
I have been on the Underground Tour and Ganster Tour, both were superb. Thanks for the opportunity for lucky # 3.
This sounds like fun!! I have done the tour of newport last halloween and its worth it so I’m sure this would be too! Would love to try this one too! I miss the good ol days where u go downtown to visit the tunnels in shillitoes with the elf displays and santa
I’ve been on the Newport is Haunted tour but never any of the Cincinnati tours, which all sound so interesting. I would love to go on this one!
I have been on the Queen City Undergroun tour. Would live to take my mom on this one!
I’ve never been on a tour — I just moved to Cincinnati! It looks so interesting!
Never been on one of their tours. Saw your photos over the weekend & was bummed that I was out of town for this tour. Thanks for letting me know there are 3 additional tours & for this chance to win tickets
Never been on the tour – Tis the season to be merry!
Never been.
I’ve never been on any of the city tours.
the tours we’ve enjoyed have been great! Would love to try this one!
I’ve not been on any. I’ve been in Cincinnati one year and am always looking into what to do. Thanks to you guys, I recently went to Balluminaria. Also will be checking out Willy Wonka this Saturday.
No I haven’t been on one of the tours. I have had a conflict every time I have been reminded of them. I have a fascination with church architecture so I am going to have to make time for this one!
I have lived in Cincinnati my entire life and have never even heard of these churches! They look beautiful! When you grow up in the suburbs, sometimes you miss out on all the wonderful history that downtown has to offer. My mother is also a lifetime resident and would surely be fascinated by this tour. I have never been on any of the tours offered by this group.
I have never been on one of the tours, but this one looks really interesting.
I’ve never been on any. Looks awesome!
Win or lose, I’m doing this tour. Thank you for sharing, it looks amazing!
We did the Spirit of Christmas tour and it was great — access to beautiful churches in OTR you would usually never get.
We thoroughly enjoyed the OtR Brewery tour, although I don’t think it’s run by American Legacy … did you realize that Nast Trinity is the “mother church” of the Methodist Church in Germany? Its original members actually sent Methodist missionaries to Germany
We’ve been on the Gangster tour (twice, brought friends since it was so cool the first time) as well as the Haunted Newport tour and the Brewery Tour. They do an amazing job and I’m so glad to see how popular they’ve become!
My husband and I just relocated to Cincinnati and we didn’t have the opportunity to go on any tour yet! We hope we can get the tickets
I’d love to go on most of these tours, but I haven’t done one yet.
No, I’ve never been on one of these tours, but with three kids there isn’t much time to do things like this
However, I would LOVE the chance to check this tour out with my husband for a little “us” time.
I’ve never been on any of the tours nor did I know they existed. I’d love to win tickets and be able to see OTR in a different way. Growing up in the suburbs we always thought of it as the “really bad part of town,” glad these tours exist to help the sheltered people, such as myself, to hopefully have a better appreciation for our great city. How much are tickets to purchase? I know more than a few people that would thoroughly enjoy this tour.
I have not been on any of the tours but love history and old buildings and Christmas so this is right up my alley! Would love the chance to go.
To date, we have not participated in any of the tours. Would appreciate the opportunity.
I have never been on one of these tours. Hopefully, this one will be my first!
My parents took my son on the gangster tour last year and they loved it! My son and I went on the Haunted Tour last year and we loved that one too! These tours are a great way to experience our city in an entirely unique way.
We just moved to Cincinnati so we have never been on one of these tours. It would be a great chance to see some more of the city!
I have been on several of their tours, including all of the haunted tours and the Underground tour, all of them are amazing. American Legacy Tours is an asset to OTR and such a vital figure in helping us keep the valuable history in the area alive.
My parents and I went on the Cincinnati Underground Tour after getting tickets through Groupon. What a fun experience! We’ve recommended it to everyone we know, esp those visiting Cincinnati for the first time.
I would love to win tickets to this tour I have lived in cincinnati all my life (25 yrs) and I am just now starting to explore
the tour sounds awesome so pick me! Thanks bonnie
Never been on one of their tours but have been on one of the Architrects tours….it was awesome to see all the buildings close up and so much history….
The churches and tour are amazing!
I was on a tour this weekend with my friend! We had such a great time!! It is really worth it to check out these great tours, everyone! I hope so much to go on the Spirit of Christmas tour with my mom.
I have never been on this tour but the churches look BEAUTIFUL! I would love to go on this tour!
I’ve been on the Underground Tour – very cool. I learned so many things I never knew about the city I’ve lived in for over 20 years.
I’ve been on the brewery tour… which is like the underground tour… But I believe it was put on my the brewery district people. The xmas tour sounds awesome. I’ve lived and worked downtown for almost a decade now and I don’t think I have EVER been inside a single church.
I have never been on one of these tours but it sounds really fun! Great way to learn about our beautiful city!
I have never experienced an American Legacy Tour. This one seems wonderful. Thank you so much for the pictures. I feel that I almost attended vicariously because they were so very enjoyed.
We went on the underground tour and loved it! We enjoyed hearing the history of OTR and also love the tour guides! Thanks!
Cool! I would love to go on one of these tours!
Never been, and would love to go!
I wanna go!
I’ve been on 3 seperate ones! Loved them all! But have never seen this one!
I have been on 3 of there tours but have never been on this one! Would love to take my wife!
Wow! these tours look really interesting. Cincinnati maybe
is cooler than I thought.
My wife and I would very much enjoy the tour!
Thanks for the opportunity to win a pair of tickets.
I have never been on one of the tours and would love to go on this one. I am a German teacher and this is right up my alley.
We have been on several of the Queen City Underground tours, including the German brewery tour , the Civil War tour and the haunted Cincinnati and Newport tours. Always a great time!
This is such a great idea! Will additional tours be offered if the three listed sell-out? I was raised in the suburbs but my favorite holiday memories from childhood all involved visiting downtown and the surrounding “mounts”. Acre lots and newer houses never seemed as festive and warm as places I visited once a year around Ft. Square, the marbled banks along Fourth Street, the historic downtown churches, or saw in Eden Park and Mt. Adams. Great idea, one I wish I had found earlier!
Seeing the inside of so many churches (in just this one area) reminds me of visiting Europe. There are very few moments where Cincinnati evokes thoughts of Europe…but here’s to one of those. Looks like a great tour!
I’ve never gone on one of the American Legacy Tours but have always wanted to go. This tour in particular looks amazing as the architecture in the older churches seems gorgeous!
I commute to Cincinnati each day passing lovely old buildings and areas. I have not yet been on of the Cincinnati tours, yet. I would love to go on the Christmas Spirit tour!
I bet the tour is amazing!!! Have been studying stained glass in a fine arts class and it would be neat to see the churches especially.
I have not yet been on one of these tours – would like to
.
I love to look at old churches – no matter the denomination. There is so much history. Would love to do this tour
I moved to the Cincinnati area last year and have been enjoying getting to know the area.