Restaurants and things to do in the
Tri-State while staying at First Farm Inn
Lots of unique restaurants, historic sites and things to do are convenient to First Farm Inn. The American Sign Museum, Jungle Jim’s, Big Bone Lick, Perfect North Ski Slopes, the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, the Holocaust and Humanity Center, The Freedom Center, Cincinnati Art Museums, riverfront parks, the Cincinnati Zoo, specialty and discount shopping, and lots of restaurants are short drives from our corner of the tri-state.
Western Boone County offers historic Dinsmore Homestead, Big Bone Lick State Park and Rabbit Hash. Six miles down scenic, twisty and hilly KY 338 in Burlington are three unique restaurants.
West across the river, Lawrenceburg, Greendale and Aurora, Ind. offer small town versions of family-owned restaurants and shops.
Here are directions to some of our favorite places:
Lawrenceburg, Aurora and Greendale, Indiana, restaurants and activities
Get on I-275 West, take the first exit, Lawrenceburg/Aurora and follow it to the light. Free music in downtown Lawrenceburg on summer Thursdays. It’s just 20 minutes to Perfect North Slopes where the national experts on snow making ensure we can downhill ski December-March most years.
NORTH/EAST AT THE LAWRENCEBURG EXIT
GREENDALE MOVIE THEATER, North or right off the Lawrenceburg Exit of I-275 is a movie theater, a Wings and Rings and LaRosas, a regional pizza place. Clean, convenient and reasonable. The theater offers comfortable reclining seats and afternoon discounts.
PERFECT NORTH SKI AREA Lawrenceburg, IN No one can believe there is great skiing, boarding and tubing in southern Indiana, but several Winter Olympians started here! The Perfect family and employees are the nation’s experts at snow making. Three days with temperatures below 28 and they can cover the hill. Fabulous instructors, well-groomed slopes and lots of areas for all ages to learn to ski and board. They offer a Halloween hayride and a holiday lights drive around the lake that supplies unfrozen snow!
WILLIE’S SPORTS BAR Sit inside or out above Hidden Valley Lake and enjoy a diverse menu and drinks. Open year-round. 19325 Schmarr Dr. Lawrenceburg, IN 47025
BARREL HEADS, Hidden Valley 19904 Augusta Dr #5, Lawrenceburg, IN 47025, A mixed menu restaurant at the entrance to Hidden Valley subdivision.
VALLE ESCONDIDO MEXICAN, Hidden Valley 19908 Augusta Dr, Lawrenceburg, IN 47025 Good Mexican food in the same strip.
SOUTH AT THE LAWRENCEBURG EXIT
Lawrenceburg Fairgrounds on the right, Tri-State Antique Shows first Sunday April-October. Walgreens, McDonald’s, Burger King, liquor stores, a bad Tex-Mex restaurant, a KFC, the “Lawrenceburger” and more.
ACAPULCO’S, Lawrenceburg, IN Wonderful Mexican food! Insanely cheap, but watch out for the margaritas. Open every day but Christmas.
WHISKEYS, Lawrenceburg, IN Good meals, steaks, ribs, bbq, full bar, desserts. Try their specialty, peanut slaw. Across from the h.s. on the left, behind Lawrenceburger. Closes 9 p.m. & Sun.
LAWRENCEBURG RIVERFRONT Turn left under the iron arch going toward the river. These shops and restaurants tend to change a bit…. Don’t worry about getting lost, make a few turns and you’ll head back to the main road or be looking at the river. A paved walkway and bike path offers a great walk along the Ohio River floodwall all the way to Aurora.
Be sure to visit THE FRAMERY for original art and jewelry as well as do-it-yourself classes.
Summer Thursdays at 7 p.m. is MUSIC ON THE RIVER, free outdoor concerts with an antique car show and food trucks. Bring your chairs, set up in the streets and enjoy the music June-September.
PROOF 124, Lawrenceburg, IN Renovated firehouse at 124 Short St. Outdoor seating, happy hour specials, fabulous coconut shrimp, diverse menu. Open 11-9, til 11 Fri & Sat. 812-221-3040
RIVERWATCH Floating barge in the Ohio River anchored at the Lawrenceburg riverfront. Open late April thru September, depending on flood and weather conditions. Go to the big clock where the road ends. Park in the free garage and walk down to the river. 812-539-3625.
STRONG’S BRICK OVEN PIZZA
1 E. High St. 47025 On the corner, one block from the riverfront with in and outside tables. Locally owned wood-fired pizza chain. Call hours in advance to order pizzas for Music on the River.
A few blocks from the riverfront, RIDGE WINERY opened a tasting room with charcuterie boards, downtown along the railroad tracks. Bring food from any of the other downtown Lawrenceburg restaurants to enjoy with your wine. They offer a large selection of award-winning wines in a bright sunny spot.
GRAND BUFFET Great Chinese food, fresh, tasty, huge selection, bargain prices. Sushi, ice cream, they have it all and ridiculously cheap. Closed Sundays. It’s in the middle of the strip center on the right or West side of the road. 391 W. Eads Pkwy. 47025 812-537-9598
SAKURA JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE 1059 W. Eads Pkwy, 47025 812-537-4003 In the red brick strip center across from McCabe’s Greenhouse. Food and entertainment, fresh and fun.
ZORBA’S GREEK GYROS 1093 W. Eads Pkwy, 47025 (812) 537-9888 Authentic Greek salads, gyros, burgers, salads. Eat in or take out. Family owned.
THIRD AND MAIN, AURORA 47001 Steak, ribs, chicken, fish, vegetarian. Elegant, fine dining but burgers too. 812-655-9727
HILLFOREST, AURORA Stop to tour this magnificent historic home built by a whiskey baron in the 1840s. Fabulous collection of antique children’s toys and great local docents. 213 5th St. 47001 812-926-0087
Downtown Aurora, Indiana, is a charming small town with the historic Hillforest Mansion on top of the hill, a park along the river, restaurants and some little shops that change fairly frequently.
SOUTHEASTERN INDIANA ART GUILD Shucks, the old downtown department store, is open when someone is working at their studio a block from the singing bridge.
RISING SUN, IN Past the casino is a cute little town, riverfront and little shops. The car ferry from Rabbit Hash was designed to bring Kentuckians across to gamble. The ferry’s cost, schedule and reliability keeps changing.
WOLF CREEK HABITAT & RESCUE 14099 Wolf Creek Rd., Brookville, IN 513-312-9143 Open year-round. A family who rescues and cares for injured wolves. Open weekends 11-5.
WESTERN BOONE COUNTY, KY
Go left out of the drive down Stevens to Ky 20.
CREATION MUSEUM This competitor to Hobby Lobby’s “Bible Museum” in D.C., is just 2 miles from First Farm Inn, on the left off Bullittsburg Church Road. The Australian founders profit mightily selling a variety of fundamentalist religion (not creativity, as some expect). Their “ark encounter” amusement park is 45 minutes away, toward Lexington.
Go straight under I-275 to see Bullitsburg Baptist Church with it’s keyhole-shaped baptismal pool and stone crypt, at 250+, the oldest church in the county and the “mother” to Baptist Churches in the region.
GAP OUTLET Hebron exit off I-275, left at the second light. Gap Outlet sells overstock, returns and more from all their chains. Bargains galore, but check for buttons and working zippers!
I-275 HEBRON EXIT North on 237 off the Hebron exit are pizza places, a Mexican restaurant, some bars and a variety of ever-changing shops in strip centers.
HEBRON GRILLE 1960 Northbend Road, Hebron, KY Locally owned restaurant offers a diverse menu of food and drinks.
South of 275 is fast food. Another few miles south and you’ll reach Kroger grocery, deli and liquor store as well as a couple more strip centers.
BURLINGTON
TOUSEY HOUSE TAVERN Historic house has great food, excels at special diets. Be sure to visit all the rooms and see the murals and cute historic décor. 5963 N. Jefferson 41005 Always best to make reservations: 859-586-9900
WASHINGTON SQUARE Sandwiches, salads, wraps, melts and beer available 8-8. 5981 N. Jefferson 41005 859-817-0322
ZOZO’s TAVERN An unusual mix of foods at reasonable prices. Everything is fresh and well prepared: sushi, tacos, noodles, udon, salads, tempura, dumplings — a huge variety of fabulous food in an 1840’s building. 5991 N. Jefferson 41005 859-689-9999
On the other side of Zozo’s is an ice cream stand, open seasonally.
EAGLE BEND ALPACA FARM southwest of Burlington offers farm tours and a fiber shop by appointment. They raise prize-winning alpacas and Cormo Sheep.
DINSMORE HOMESTEAD Well-preserved historic house run by five generations of women wed to men who died early. Originally Easterners, they maintained relationships with well-known friends including Teddy and Eleanor Roosevelt. Their outdoor cookhouse, carriage house and cemetery remains as well as the slave home. They educated their slaves despite laws against it. Research has discovered names and histories of many slaves, moved to and from Louisiana and Missouri. Tours Wed., Fri., Sat. from summer to fall.
RABBIT HASH, KY A short in an antique Coke machine burned the store on 2-13-16, but it was completely rebuilt with historic accuracy. The fire disclosed that, like many houses along the Ohio, the store’s framework was a flatboat from the East Coast which likely crashed at that bend in the river, then was torn apart to become a building foundation. Rabbit Hash offers a tiny location for festivals and live music. Enjoy a beer, sample Kentucky Cream Candy, taste local wines or try a sarsaparilla as you visit with the eclectic crowd attracted to this unique spot of Americana. The seven buildings that comprise the town include art, antiques, and sometimes food.
BIG BONE LICK STATE PARK From Rabbit Hash, follow the river road south (Ky 338) to Big Bone Lick State Park. You can keep going east and get back to I-75-71. The birthplace of American paleontology, widely known by international scientists in the 1700s, has a small museum open Thursday-Sunday 10-4. Walk the short, paved walking trail surrounding diorama of mammoths and mastodons mired in the salt marsh. Watch the largest bison herd east of the Mississippi from a new observation platform. Good hiking, great playgrounds.
Further south in Boone County is VERONA VINEYARDS WINERY & BISTRO offering their own wines, bourbons and beers as well as food, music, line dancing and special events. Check their schedule.
EAST TOWARD CINCINNATI, BUT IN KY
THE GREYHOUND TAVERN, ERLANGER Great food! Monday=fried chicken. Onion rings, Ky. hot browns, fried fish, deliciously prepared, reasonably priced. Full bar.
GURU INDIA Great Indian food. 2303 Buttermilk Crossing, Crescent Spring, KY 41017 859-341-5858 Several other restaurants are also in that strip.
NEWPORT ON THE LEVEE HOFFBRAUHAUS, BRIOS, and a variety of other changing establishments. There you access the Purple People Bridge to hike across the Ohio. German beers brewed here, accordion music, loud! 3rd & Saratoga, Newport 41071 859-491-7200
GRAETER’S ICE CREAM Cincinnati’s trademark ice cream is on Oprah’s Favorite Things list. Take I-71-75 north to the first exit, Buttermilk Pike. They make the chocolates that go into the ice creams.
JAPANESE — MIYAKO SUSHI AND STEAK HOUSE 2511 Ritchie Ave., Crescent Springs, KY 41017 859-578-0031
AMERASIA – A COLLECTION OF CHINESE KUNG FOOD 521 Madison Ave., Covington, KY 41017 859-261-6121 Looks a like a little New York bistro, inside you’ll taste why people are waiting in line to eat. Named the best Chinese restaurant in the greater Cincinnati region.
MAI THAI AND SUSHI Great Thai food. Sushi. Take I-71-75 south to the US 42 exit.
HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES HEALTH FOOD GROCERY Florence. Red brick building on left. Any herbal mixture or organic food you’d like.
LIBBY’S SOUTHERN COMFORT Fabulous Southern comfort food, Kentucky Hot Browns, fried chicken, goetta hush puppies, great drinks, salads and more. AND, next door to the cat cafe where you can visit with or just watch the kitties!
PURPLE POULET A family-run establishment in a historic house on the corner in Newport. Charleston and New Orleans in the Bluegrass. Awards for best fried chicken. Large selection of bourbons, ryes and whiskeys.
Cincinnati Museums, Restaurants, Things to Do
PENDELTON ART CENTER 1310 Pendleton St., 513-559-3958 x 1257 “The world’s largest collection of artists” in this 8 story warehouse in downtown Cinci. Open 6-10 Final Fridays each month. Amazing variety of art styles, techniques and prices for everyone.
ESSEX GALLERY You never know what you’ll find on an Essex Gallery walk. Visiting artists set up tables in the halls downstairs. Residents open their studios. Food trucks offer snacks in the parkinglot. Musicians play in every corner.
AMERICAN SIGN MUSEUM, Open Wed.-Sat. 10-4. Sun. 12-4. Bring back memories with iconic signs and symbols of all sizes. Highly entertaining even for little kids. 1330 Monmouth Avenue, Cincinnati OH 45225 (Camp Washington neighborhood) Free parking. Phone: 513-541-6366
EDEN PARK KROHN CONSERVATORY A dessert wing, rainforest with waterfall, orchid room, bonsai gallery, changing exhibits.
Go northeast to the adjoining park for a great playground, duck pond and the best Cincinnati overlook thru the big stone pillars on the right just past the Conservatory.
CINNCINNATI ART MUSEUM Free admission, but a small parking fee. A beautiful building, lots of antiquities, pieces from every major historical artist, a room of Cincinnati artists, and changing exhibitions. Watch for special events.
JUNGLE JIM’S INTERNATIONAL MARKET, 5440 Dixie Hwy, Fairfield, OH 45014 513-674-6000. More fun than you can ever imagine in a grocery store. It’s a tour around the world. Look up to see the 1950s firetruck, glass bottom boat, giant cake, Sherwood Forest singing diorama, check out the award-winning restrooms. Find any international food you ever have tasted or looked for. Pick up a map as you go in the store — or you will get lost.
CINCINNATI ZOO The nation’s sexiest zoo, the most successful at breeding exotic and endangered animals! Plan to spend a day to see everything. Leave about 4 p.m. to cross the bridge before rush hour on weekdays. 3400 Vine St. 45220
CINCINNATI MUSEUM CENTER, (ABOUT 22 MILES, 30 MIN.) Take I-275 W. to I-75 N to the 5th St. exit, watch for signs, very confusing. The Museum Center includes the Cincinnati Children’s Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Cincinnati History Museum and the Center for Holocaust and Humanity.
CENTER FOR HOLOCAUST AND HUMANITY You can easily spend all day. 1301 Western Ave, 45203 (513) 287-7000
NATIONAL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FREEDOM CENTER, (21 MILES, 30 MIN.) Take I-275 E. to I-71-75 N. to the 5th St. exit. Watch for signs and hunt for the ball fields. 50 W. Freedom Way, 45202.
SMALE RIVERFRONT PARK (21 MILES, 30 MIN.) Take I-275 E. to I-71-75 N. to the 5th St. exit. West Mehring Way,
Cincinnati, OH 45202. Hike along the river, bike rental, walking piano, giant chess or checkers, fountains, flowers, fly the giant pig, playgrounds, work-out stations. Lots of fun things to do!
CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM (21 MILES, 30 MIN.)
Free admission. Take I-275 E. to I-71-75 N. to the 5th St. exit. 44 E. 6th St., 45202.
