Sensational Cincinnati: Lively museums, dining lead cultural revival of the 'Queen City'

The last decades have tainted the "Queen City" with racial unrest (following the 2001 police shooting of an unarmed black man) and a reputation for intolerance (following the unsuccessful prosecution of the Contemporary Arts Center and director Dennis Barrie on charges of "pandering obscenity" for a 1990 Robert Mapplethorpe exhibit).

But the last few years have seen a cultural revival in Cincinnati, which sits regally at the southwestern end of the state on the Ohio River. A visitor will find world-class museums, a vibrant night life and dining scene, and a rich look at Ohio history.

Less than a four-hour drive from Cleveland, Cincinnati is as different as a place in the same state can be, with a warmer climate, more leisurely Southern pace, strong German heritage, hilly geography and a lovely river location.