Quick Tips:

Pick hotel area based on the sites you want to see. The entire "tri-state" area is quite large and you could spend more time in the car driving from one place to another than you actually do seeing sights if you don't plan well.

Best Way To Get Around:

You'll need to rent a car if you plan on seeing anything beyond the immediate downtown area.

I prefer the original Montogmery Inn, which is in- surprise, surprise- Montgomery, a suburb north of Cincinnati about 10-15 minutes. Same great food as the downtown boathouse, with a much shorter wait.

Whichever location you go to, the must-order dish is the ribs. You can get a ribs & (chicken, shrimp, etc) combo, but you absolutely have to get the ribs. When they bring your plate they'll "bib you", but don't worry, everyone who has ribs will be wearing a bib, and you'll need it. The ribs are dripping in barbeque sauce, and by this time you'll be drooling anyway!

They do have quite a few dishes for the non-rib-eater (like my sister, the crazy woman) such as several seafood and steak entries. I think my mom had a shrimp pasta plate one time that she liked. To check out their dinner menu on the website, visit Montgomery Inn Dinner Menu

"Cincinnati" chili is different than "Texas" chili because it has no beans. This makes it a great topping for a chili-cheese dog, aka a "cheese coney". My personal favorite meal at Skyline is two cheese coneys (with onions) and an order of garlic toast. The coneys are the best when you can't take a bite without chili and cheese oozing out the back end. (I'm starting to drool as I write this article. I'm going to have to head down to visit my parents in Cincy pretty soon just to get my Skyline fix!)

Another popular menu item is the "3-way". This is spaghetti topped with chili & cheese. Or you can upgrade to a "5-way" (chili, cheese, beans, & onions). Personally, I prefer the coneys, but try it for yourself and see what your favorite is.

If you are willing to fork over an additional $20-30 (depending on the number of people) for pure adrenaline, try the Extreme Skyflier. You get hoisted almost 170 feet in the air and go diving towards the ground at 60 miles an hour, skimming a mere 6 feet from the ground. I've watched friends do this, but you couldn't pay me enough money to try this myself. No thanks! But it's fun to watch friends do it.

If you need a break, take a ride up the mini-Eiffel tower for a great view of the park. If it's hot, take a ride on the Whitewater Canyon or Congo Falls (or just go stand on the pedestrian bridge at the end of the Congo Falls ride - you'll get more drenched than the people on the ride!).

The first time I went to Trader's World was actually to look for a veil for my wedding. I was looking for a simple, no-frills veil that my mom could put satin edging on, and someone said that Trader's World of all places had a pretty large wedding area. This was a scary thought to me since it's a place that's only open two days a week and is the same place my sister once bought army pants for a play she was in. But, I figured what the heck, it's worth a shot.

It was an experience I'll never forget. Walking past booths of hubcaps, Harley gear, underwear, flowers and Barbie doll collections (all interspersed together, I might add), I was beginning to wonder what kind of wedding stuff I was going to find. But inside one of the buildings, across from a place that sold wedding cake toppers and another with vintage GI Joe dolls, was a shop (with doors!) that was full of wedding dresses. I didn't end up finding what I wanted, so we just poked around the stalls the rest of the afternoon.

We encountered all kinds of stuff. There was a place that was selling whirlpools, and another selling cabinets. There were numerous places selling hand-crafted furniture. One stand was only selling value packs of sport socks. Next to this was a place that sold and priced old Barbie dolls. Several stands were selling all kinds of lingerie. There were more beanie baby stands than I could count. I could have bought a tye-dyed T-shirt from one place and a handpainted picture of an Indian chief from the next. And this is just inside!

The outside pavilions are even more eclectic - some sell a mixture of garage sale type items (lots of old appliances, dishes, etc.). One place sold a wide variety of new books. There were lots of places selling used CDs, tapes & videos. One place was selling personal hygiene products out of big cardboard boxes (it was a great deal on Dial soap). Another place was selling beautiful pots of chrysanthemums.

Trader's World is definitely worth a visit. Plan to spend at least an entire afternoon (an entire day is very possible) wandering through the place (for the $2 entrance fee, you get a parking spot and a map of the booths). Search the stalls and booths. You may find a great deal laying hidden in the midst of everything.

For more information, visit Traders World online.

Bring your camera for one last picture of the great stadium, then sit back and enjoy the game while feasting on a nachos or hotdog (if you can afford the inflated stadium prices). Bring your glove for a shot at a home run (or foul) ball.