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The Cincinnati Zoo hosts the annual Festival of Lights to celebrate the holiday season with 2.5 million Christmas lights and over 100 light displays. Other activities include live music, ice sculpture shows, taking a train around the zoo, and meeting Santa. You'll want to arrive a few hours before the light display starts because there will be little or no parking left by 4PM (of course you could take an alternative mode of transportation as well). See the listing under the See section for more details about the zoo.
CHHE
CHHE has a heart-wrenching and inspiring exhibit called Mapping Our Tears, which follows the stories of Cincinnatians involved in the resistance to Nazis and Holocaust survivors now living in Cincinnati. One part of the exhibit tells the tale of a local man, who after interrogating suspects to be tried at the Nuremberg Trials became U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg.
The Cincinnati Zoo is one of the most important zoos worldwide because of its success with the mating of animals in captivity. Right now, the zoo's biggest star is Fiona, a young hippo born prematurely in January 2017 who became a social media star when the zoo began posting updates on her condition. Her first birthday party in January 2018 drew about 7,000 fans. The zoo received worldwide media attention in 2016 when gorilla Harambe was killed by zookeepers, an incident resulting in outrage around the world. The zoo is well worth a visit.
The William Howard Taft National Historic Site, which is administered by the National Park Service, was the birthplace and home of William Howard Taft. William Howard Taft served as the 27th President and became the 10th Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court. The Taft family has become one of the most politically distinguished families in Ohio, let alone the US.
Check out the only museum dedicated to the sign industry and features a very large collection of signs from all around the United States. Covering nearly 100 years of sign making and advertising, the museum boasts an impressive collection of painted, light bulb, plastic, and of course neon signs. Guided tours are available at 11AM and 2PM during museum hours. The museum also houses Neon Works, the last full-time neon workshop in Cincinnati and is able to demonstrate their craft during weekday tours.
Small venue that attracts some well-known acts. Crowds can get rough with mosh pits growing annoyingly large.
The Esquire Theatre is a movie theater that generally runs indie/foreign films along with some other mainstream films. It also hosts twice-monthly showings of Rocky Horror Picture Show. It is on Ludlow Ave, which is close to great coffee shops, restaurants, and specialty stores.