#hosted

The Hotel

For the bros’ fall break this year, we decided to take a road trip to Cincinnati, Ohio to experience a new state and to visit family friends that moved not too far away from the city. Just over the bridge from Kentucky, Cincinnati had a unique feel, offering a big city with lots of options to choose from for tourists. When searching for a hotel that gives back near the city, I discovered The Summit Hotel, a local hotel doing so much good for animals in need.

As we arrived at The Summit Hotel, the bros were fascinated by the big common area centered by four massive, glass elevators which they instantly decided was a rocket ship that had to be ridden constantly. The hotel was kid-friendly, offering some grounds for the bros to throw the football but was still close to Cincinnati’s city center, located only about fifteen minutes away by car. The boys also were enamored by the on-site shuffleboard and billiards room, the perfect additions for young families.

We enjoyed the one bedroom suite option, which was a comfortable stay for our family, offering a bedroom for Logan and I and a rollout Queen bed in the sitting area, giving us great space for our stay. The on-site fully-equipped gym was great for the bros to get a workout in and breakfast options were plentiful with three options to choose from. Our favorite option was The Market, a quick grab-and-go eatery stocked with donuts, bagels and breakfast sandwiches.

Overall, the hotel offered a comfortable stay as we set out to explore Cincinnati, although we felt extra good about choosing this for our stay knowing they were doing so much good in their community. The boys loved seeing golden and red statues of Maxwell, the beloved late dog of The Summit Hotel owner, around the building, an ode to their involvement in the community. Maxwell stands for their partnership with United Pet Fund, a local warehouse shipping products to pets in need in the surrounding area. You can read more about The Summit Hotel’s good works for furry friends here.

The Friends

Logan and I met wonderful friends, Jon and Erin, at our Christian gym when we all lived in Florida. Jon and Logan have remained friendly as spiritual encouragers and connect frequently, so it was especially great to be able to visit with them. 

We were able to enjoy dinner and fellowship together, visit their new church, Grace Point Fellowship, in Ohio and experience their new home in nearby Beavercreek, Ohio. Their adorable son kept our bros entertained, playing football in their lawn and giggling as they all tackled each other. We can’t wait to have them visit us in Greenville next!

The City

Cincinnati is not hurting for dining options, a city known for its foodie revival. Our first meal was a Nada, an eclectic Mexican street food eatery that offered speciality tacos and delicious margaritas. We especially enjoyed the amazing jalapeño cornbread – if you visit, you can’t not order it! If you’re looking to end the evening with dessert, be sure to stop by Graeter’s Ice Cream, a local ice cream brand that is special to our family after Logan chose to have it sent to my parents the first day he met them in 2004.

We also visited MadTree Brewery, located near The Summit Hotel, just outside of the city. This brewery had a great vibe, delicious options and a fall-themed beer flight that was super impressive. My personal favorite was the S’more-flavored beer that I’m still thinking about!

We wanted to visit well-known Findlay Market, but it was closed on Monday, but we were still thrilled to walk around it, dreaming of the delicious options it had throughout the week. We snuck in a meal across the street at Goose & Elder, a trendy bar and restaurant that had a delicious chicken gumbo option for lunch.

To keep the bros entertained, we then headed to the Cincinnati Museum Center, enjoying three museums in one spot for the price of visiting one. The Museum of Natural History & Science was super interesting and our personal favorite, with all of us especially enjoying the Ice Age exhibit. The bros ran their little hearts out around the Cincinnati Children’s Museum and we ended the day at the Cincinnati History Museum. It was so cool how the museum was converted from a 1930’s train terminal which had a lot of its original features preserved.

To end our time in Ohio, we scheduled a special dinner at Sotto, an underground Italian eatery. This restaurant was one of the highlights of our trip as we enjoyed sitting at the chef’s table, learning more about the process of how they made the meal. The chefs were so engaging with our kids and made them feel so welcome and we all loved watching the pasta be made. The food was beyond delicious and we all decided it was a top restaurant that we’ve experienced on our travels.

Thanks for a great fall break, Cincinnati!

Tip: For a unique experience, be sure to swing into Ohio Book Store, a family-owned, used book store that is different than anywhere we’ve visited. Logan even found some articles about his championship high school baseball team in the store!

Bro tip: Bring a football for the front lawn of The Summit Hotel.