I knew when I started this journey I was getting into something pretty big and amazing. I also knew that starting with the Loveland Section was taking a big bite out of the cookie; a delicious bite, but a big bite. Here we are, still, exploring the Loveland Section. Logically any section of the Buckeye Trail that goes through a major city like Cincinnati will have a lot to offer. I shared earlier if you are looking for a way to quickly get a lot of miles behind you, this is not the journey you.
If you are visiting Cincinnati for the first time you will want to enjoy the area at your leisure. Who knows when you will be back to this part of the state again? If this is your backyard, as it is mine, there is nothing sweeter that rediscovering the gems outside your own front door.
With that said, we are off again. Continue down Madison, and take a right onto Erie. You are officially following the Buckeye Trail. Park when you can for our next stop, Hyde Park Square, is only six blocks away. Welcome to a shopper’s and food lover's paradise…
Hyde Park Square is the heart and soul of our neighborhood. Here, families and friends meet to shop, eat, buy fresh foods at the Farmers’ Market, listen to live music and enjoy the historic park area tucked in the center of the square. If ever there was an idyllic neighborhood center this would be it.
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| Many restaurants have outdoor seating, including Indigo. |
Most of the buildings surrounding the square were built by 1930. The center green space, which is original to the square, has gone through a few transformations. In 1900 the center fountain was donated to the people of Hyde Park by Mr. Charles Kilgour. At that time, the square was at street level. Today is it stands a few feet above street grade and includes a drinking fountain, park benches and small gardens.
After visiting a few of the shops and boutiques, settle down with a nice meal; you have many places from which to choose. Tellers of Hyde Park, located in an old bank, has delicious food. I am never disappointed with their Eggs Benedict or Burrito con Chorizo. If you want something with a bit more history, try The Echo Restaurant (opened in 1945) where simple, straightforward, home cooked meals that cause lines to form outside the door, are served in a no-nonsense eatery. If a pub and a cold beer is what you have in mind, be sure to stop in to Arthur’s which serves local draft beer and award winning appetizers (the cheese sticks are pretty tasty) and be sure to take a look at the wall mural featuring former bar regulars. When it comes to snacks I will admit I am desperately addicted to Patty’s Old Fashioned Popcorn. Homemade, delicious and brought to you by two of the nicest proprietors; Patty and Randy who remember our names and make us feel like family. Or, take a scoop of Graeter’s Ice Cream to the square to savor on a park bench, under the tress with the sound of the fountain in the back ground. Once you are able to escape your food coma, it’s down Erie we go for wait for it ... more food!!
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| Sunday is market day! Fresh breads, cheese, meats, waffles, veggies, fresh flowers and much more.. Market opens with the ringing of a bell at 9:30 am. |
As you drive down Erie more food and drink establishments are available to you. The Coffee Emporium is a favorite. Their outdoor sitting areas surrounding the two-story establishment always draws a crowd. It is best to park on Victoria Ave (left, off of Erie).
The Buckeye Trail continues East on Erie, but we are turning right on Pinehurst (across from Cumin and Hap’s Irish Pub) for two short side trips. At the four-way stop at the top of the hill, turn right on Observatory and then first right on Observatory Place to see the historic Cincinnati Observatory Center, the first observatory in the United States. The observatory was founded in 1843 and was originally located in Mount Adams. As the area (downtown) around Mount Adams grew, the clear air needed for optimal observation was compromised. Entering our story again, Mr. Kilgour who donated four acres for the present location of the observatory. While Mr Kilgour may have wanted the observatory as a way to increase the desirability of the Hyde Park/Mount Lookout neighborhoods, it was the foresight, determination and persistence of Ormsby McKnight Mitchel. At the time, the United States did not have an observatory and many believed we never would. Even the weight of President John Quincy Adams could not get such a project launched. Fortunately, Mitchel, who studied astronomy at West Point (graduating with Robert E Lee and Joseph Johnston), became a bit of a celeb speaker and his new found fame helped to generate interest in such a project. The observatory was built in Mount Ida in 1843. Former President John Q. Adams attended, giving his last public address. (Mount Ida was renamed Mount Adams in his honor).
During the Civil War, the observatory ceased operation and Mitchel, who was sent to command a small brigade of Union troops, died of yellow fever in Beaufort, SC. The observatory was moved to Hyde Park in 1873. Today, the Cincinnati Observatory is a fully functioning 19th Century observatory, used daily.
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| Cherry Trees in Spring Bloom |
Return to Observatory and turn left and follow this road into Ault Park, a 224 acre park with a grand Italianate Pavilion fronted by two stone staircase flanking an impressive cascading fountain. The park was started with the donation of 205 acres of land by Levi Ault. The pavilion was dedicated in 1930. There were dances, fireworks, picnickers, a nationally recognized rose garden and then the tax dollars dried up and park began to decline. The pavilion began to crumble, biker gangs commandeered the park, the surrounding neighborhoods were subjected to loud music, ruffians and crime. The city wanted to close the park but a few local residents had another idea. The park was saved. Today, the Ault Park Advisory Council plays a crucial role in supporting the park and hosting many events such as dances, wine and beer tastings, an art show and the most popular of all events the Fourth of July fireworks.
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| An Autumn Morning View from the Pavilion |
Looking out from the pavilion is a fabulous view of Hyde Park, (in the winter when the leaves are down you can see the Observatory) Lunken airport, and the park, including the main lawn. To the left or south is the garden designed and maintained by the park horticulturalist. To the right or north are the adopt-a-plot gardens. The adopt–a-plots were started during the revitalization of Ault Park as a way to beautify the park and encourage neighborhood involvement and sense of ownership.
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| South gardens in Summer Bloom |
Leave Ault Park the way you came in, returning to Erie and taking a right. Continue on Erie to Red Bank Rd (right) Redbank bends to the left and becomes Wooster Pike (left). Stay on Wooster merging right into Mariemont.
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