Day 46 of “365 Things to do in Cincinnati” takes us underground… on the Queen City Underground Tour. A new addition to the Newport Gangster Tour lineup, this experience takes place on the “Ohio side of the river”.
Special Note Here: All proceeds from the Queen City Underground Tours on Memorial Day Weekend will go to pay for their teacher and student mission trip to Jamaica this summer. Help them raise funds for their mission trip by attending a tour this weekend!
The “Queen City Underground: Breweries, Bosses and Burials Tour” is a walking tour that takes place in the Gateway District. Once known as “The Paris of the United States”, this area is said to be the home to America’s largest intact set of historical landmarks.
The Queen City Underground tour will take you places you may never get to see otherwise. As the tour progresses you will hear stories detailing this area’s rich German heritage. The picture above was taken in what used to be a German indoor beer garden. The room was incredibly huge and standing in it makes one imagine the fun that went on in that room.
The group of teachers that lead these tours really did their homework. The tours are full of stories, facts, and legends about the great people who helped shape Cincinnati. Our wonderful tour guide Jerry (above) is recounting a story of an entertainer who shot arrows at his wife… and hit his target!
You might recognize our tour guide from Newport Gangster Tours above (“Mac”). He’s a great storyteller and a fabulous tour guide. The picture you see above was taken in an unfinished floor area of a restored building turned loft style apartment complex – one that had a hidden treasure below…
We changed venues a number of times and at each stop our tour guides told some stories of the “the Bosses” of that part of the block as well as facts about the building itself. Some stories (and visits) included “Breweries” too – and you won’t believe how much beer those Cincinnati folks drank!
The last part of our tour took us into the St. Francis Seraph priest’s personal residence. While we stood in the courtyard outside we learned all about the Irish church that once stood on these grounds and the Germans who later built the structure that is now the St. Francis Seraph Church. Then we went inside to see what is UNDER the personal residence… and I will leave that for you to discover on your own when you take the tour!
Being Cincinnati born, I thought I knew a lot about our city. After all the events and tours that I have experience over the last 46 days, I know that I am just scratching the tip of the iceberg!
This is a walking tour and you will need to climb up and down a number of stairs. I would highly recommend wearing gym shoes. You might also get just a tad dusty so don’t wear your Sunday best! 
The Queen City Underground Tour is just $15 and lasts about two hours. Tours take place on Saturdays starting at 10:30am. You will find all the details on their site: Queen City Underground Tours
I want free tickets!!!! please?!
I would like tix to the Queen City Underground tour, because I am not a native to Cincinnati and I am fascinated by the history of this city. Recently, I have been paying attention to events surrounding all of the former breweries in the city, and the hopefull development of the Brewery District (esp with the streetcar!). I remember a friend’s grandmother telling me that the sub-basement of “The Warehouse” on Vine street was a distillery when she was a kid, during prohibition…is that true?
I would love to win a set of these tickets. I love learning the history of the area, and have taken several of the other tours by Architreks, and the Brewery tour, so this one would be really cool to do also. It’s been on my list.
I’d looovee free tickets…pretty please?
I want the tickets to surprise my brother because he is a huge history buff and LOVES the city of Cincinnati! He would be thrilled if I could surprise him and take him on this tour. Not to mention, who doesn’t like breweries?!
My family decided that we would take the time to learn more about the city we live in versus traveling this summer! This would be a great way to start our summer learning and traveling.
Most of my heritage is German, and my boyfriend is a brewery and distillery aficionado, so this would interest both of us on many levels – not the least of which is that Cincinnati isn’t often thought of as a “gangster town” the same way Chicago or New York is. Being the intellectually curious people we are, who enjoy good trivia and knowing the local history, I’m sure we’d have a great time!
I totally want tix to this event because im about to move to cincinnati and i think its a grrrrreat way to get aquainted with all cincy has to offer!
I want free tickets, please!
Sounds like a great tour. Hopefully I’ll win the tix and find out!
I would love to win the tickets to Cincinnati Underground Tour. My dad has wanted to take one of these tours for a while.
I would love to win these tickets for my Dad and I. He just recently had a birthday and this would top off his birthday and make it the best one yet!! My Dad is a huge Cincinnati history buff.. When growing up he would take me on adventures, showing me where old breweries were, historical buildings and homes, and would show me all the neat things in Cincinnati that most people don’t even know exist in our awesome city!! We both would love to be able to go on this tour. He has always wanted to do the brewery tours to actually be able to go in to these old historical places, and this is the perfect chance
Thanks!!
Hi there,
I would love to win the pair of free tickets as my boyfriend just moved to Cincinnati. I’ve been trying to prove to him how wonderful our city is–he’s lived in LA, NYC, Chicago, and even a few cities in Europe…so Cincy has to get up there on his list! This tour would open his eyes to the hidden gems in our great Queen City and I’d get to show him why my town rocks! I want him to look back on his time spent here with me and say that Cincinnati turned out to be one of his favorites.
Thanks much!
Hi, I would really love tickets to the Queen Ciry Underground Tour. I’ve lived in Cincinnati my whole life and in the last few years have finally started traveling outside of my little bubble, exploring Cincinnati and all the amazing things it has to offer. I’m a history nerd and love learning interesting tidbits about Cincinnati’s past, so, pleeeaseee pick me!!
I think it would be amazing to win the tickets. I love finding out more cool things about the city of my birth, and it would be awesome to share with my boyfriend when he comes to visit from Sweden. Sounds like a really fun time
I would love to win the tickets. I am so intrigued to take both tours. As a history buff this is so interesting to me.
I am a Cincinnati native who is very interested in learning more about Cincinnati! I have always loved the old architecture of the many great buildings in Over the Rhine, and would love to learn even more about this great city! Please give me free tickets to this wonderful tour!
I am a Cincinnati native who is very interested in learning more about Cincinnati! I have always loved the old architecture of the many great buildings in Over the Rhine, and would love to learn even more about this great city! Please give me free tickets to this wonderful tour!
I’d love to take my husband on the tour for his birthday. This is a great idea!
I would love to win free tickets. I love OTR, history, summer and beer. This tour sounds like the perfect combo.
I would love tour tickets! I moved to Cincinnati just short of two years ago, and I am loving immersing myself in the city’s history.
This sounds so enlightening and fun! I’d love to win free tickets!!
I’d love to try this.
i would love to go!!! <3
I’d love the tickets, because I love history and it looks like a lot of fun.
I want free tickets!
MY BF’s B-day is coming up…What a great way to celebrate! What history loving, brew loving, architect wouldn’t love the marvels of such a tour! He would be so thrilled…Pretty, Pretty Please!
When I attended UC years ago, I always heard rumors of some Frat members making their way into the underground. (I understand they are now inaccessible to the general public). I would love to explore them. I am also looking for something unusual to do with a large group for a company event to help our staff to learn more about Cincinnati history.
I love Cincinnati and learning and seeing all the great things we have here. I’d love to get tickets for the Queen City Underground so I can learn even more. Thanks for having such a great site.
Just found your blog and have fallen in love it. We’re always looking for new things to do on the weekends and new ways to explore the city. We would love to win the tix. Thanks!
I love your blog, I’m learning about so many activities that I didn’t know existed. I’d love to be entered for a chance to win these tickets. Thanks for hosting the giveaway!
I’d love to win the tickets because I love learning more about Cincinnati history.
I would LOVE to win tickets to the Underground tour! There is so much rich and colorful history behind our city and I’m really interested in learning all about it. I’ve done the Newport Gangsters Haunted tour and it was so much fun, I’m sure the guys do an amazing job with this tour as well- they’re such great storytellers!
Thanks for hosting the drawing and great job with the blog!
We would love to win these tickets! Last year we took my parents to the ghost and ghouls tour in Newport and were fascinated with the stories. I would love to win these tickets for my boyfriend and I. He moved to the area about two years ago and I moved here about 9 months ago. Whenever people come visit us they call my boyfriend the “mayor” for all of the things he knows about the city…this tour seems like it would be a blast and would help us to learn even more about a city that has opened its arms to us and our families (who are now seriously considering moving here too)!!
This would be a great first date with someone. If I won which guy would I take with me hhhuuummmm?Hope I get the chance to worry about that problem when I WIN!!!!!
I would LOVE to be able to take this tour. I love this city!
It would be so awsome to go to see this tour, I used to live next to Hurley Wisconsin and the gangsters would go up there when the heat got hot to let things cool down. They brought money to the locals who conspired to hide them and take care of them. Some of the people worked for them for quite a while u ntil they got caught elsewhere, though there was a big shoot out and the place still is open to the public so they can see the bullet marks. It would be sooo cool to see this!
I would like to win the tickets because I am extremely interested in Cincinnati history. I have just begun to research and understand our lovely city and this would help. My interest peaked after taking an undergroud tour of Seattle last fall, and realized that every city must have secrets just waiting to be explored and stories to be told. I said after that, that I wanted to start a tour like this or find one here in cincy, so this is super exciting! Thanks!
I am fascinated with downtown history and architecture. As a downtown resident I am all for activities that would bring people into our city and explore our history. I would love to take this tour and bring some friends along who wouldn’t normally venture into OTR.
I’d love to win tickets. This tour looks like a lot of fun!
Would love to win these tickets and go on a much needed date night with the hubby!
I have ALWAYS wanted to go on this tour, but timing-ise wasn’t able to make it happen. Would love to show my husband one more reason Cincinnati is better than NKY!
I need tickets to the tours becasue my In Laws and nephew are coming to visit in early September and I want to find really interesting and informative things about Cincinnati to show them. I think this will be a great way to learn and perhaps the tour will also be in early September!
Free tickets would be great birthday gifts for me and for my husband!!
I ould like some Queen City Underground tickets because it sounds like a fascinating part of my native city’s history and I would love to experience it.
Free tix please, cause the underground is the best kind of ground. It’s common knowledge.
With my German heritage and degree in history, Cincinnati and Northern KY have always fascinated me. My son is doing a thesis on the German influence on Cincinnati architecture, especially the breweries. Would love to surprise him with tickets!
Free tickets would be great!
I would love to win these tickets so I can learn more about Cincinnati. I recently had knee surgery but am finally fully healed so this would be a great way to celebrate being back in action
I absolutely love Cincinnati, and I love the show Cities of the Underworld and doing something like this in my hometown would be awesome. I love history, and Cincinnati is just full of it. Hook it up!
My husband loves the idea of the Queen City Underground! He talks about this all the time and he doesn’t even drink. We would like to learn about Queen City because it is quite surprising how little we know about Cincinnati.
My friend and I have been wanting to go on these for some time. I’ve heard they’re awesome, and this post just confirms that! (That seems to be the case with most of these posts!)
Last year, I took my new girlfriend on the Gangsters Tour in Newport as a day date. She said it was one of the most original dates anyone had thought of. Well, we are getting married in June! It would be such a nice gift to celebrate our marriage and remind us of some of the dates that we went on to fall in love. Won’t you help me keep it original? For her sake?……..lol……..Thanks!
Who doesn’t love free tickets to anything? I recently moved here when I got married since my husband lived here. Since he is a teacher, he has the whole summer off. I told him this summer we are going to do something every weekend that is very Cincinnati so I can learn about everything Cincinnati has to offer…and convince others to move here too
I would love tickets because tomorrow is my birthday, for real! And because for my birthday, two of my friends are coming in. One is from GA and one is from CA. They’ve NEVER been to Cincinnati and I think that tour would be awesome to show them that Cinci can be as awesome as Atlanta and maybe close to LA hahaha. It would be an awesome birthday present and something awesome to do with friends who aren’t from here!
I’m leaving a comment for the drawing lol. The reason I would like these tickets is because one, I’ve been a suburban kid in the outskirts of cincinnati my entire life and really haven’t been downtown much. second, as newly becoming a realtor of this great city I want to learn as much as possible history, architectual, and cultural about the city of cincinnati. I’m actually going down to the wine tasing tonight and you should come as well lol.
This looks like so much fun! I can’t wait to experience this.
I think the fact that so many cities have an underground is both fascinating and terrifying at the same time. I guess I’m hoping for fascinating with this, but it’s most definitely an experience. Cincinnati has so much history that it’s really a shame so much of it’s unknown and untapped. At least you’re doing you part to get the word out!
This sounds absolutely fascinating! I love history and am a sucker for guided tours with information that helps to connect people and places. I moved to Cincinnati 3 years ago and love exploring all the city has to offer, which is a lot! Thanks for finding all these treasures and posting them for us!
We loved the Gangsters tour in Newport…this would be so interesting to do as well!
I would love to win these tickets. We moved to Cincinnati this Winter for my husbands work and I am very excited to get to explore the city and get to know the history. We have a young daughter with special needs and this would be the perfect reason to go out together just us adults, something we NEVER get to do!
This is wonderful. We’ve been on ghost tours, and architecture tours in other cities. This sounds like a great time! At a Waffle House in Missouri a decade or so ago, someone sitting near us asked where we were from. He started telling us all the wild times he had in his youth in Newport. Really? Guess he was right. We’d love to take this tour.
Thanks so much for sharing a few photos of the underground history of Cincinnati! I would love to learn more and be entered in to the contest. I’ve been following your blog since day four! Great stuff.
Michelle
My husband and I moved here years ago from Germany (American Army).The very idea of seeing this bit of history so rich in both American and german history just gives me goose pimples.Id be floating on air for days!!!!!
i would love to have free ticket’s, this seem’s like it would be very fun…