CAMWS CONVENTION INFORMATION

103rd Annual Meeting, Cincinnati, Ohio

April 11-14, 2007

LOCAL ATTRACTIONS:

Welcome to Losantiville–or Porcopolis–or the Queen City–or Cincinnati: a city and an area rich in history, in culture, and in things to do and to see. As you arrive, look around and begin to enjoy what makes Cincinnati and the tri-state area unique. If you fly into the city, you will be landing in Kentucky and will make your way through Covington or perhaps Newport, before crossing the Ohio River into Cincinnati. As you cross the bridge a view of the Ohio should reveal much about the history and the industry of the area. On the Kentucky side you might want to stroll across (or climb, if you’re adventurous) the Purple People Bridge to Sawyer’s Point in Cincinnati and the bronze statue of Cincinnatus. From there a walk along the serpentine wall will lead you to the recently opened National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Nearby, spanning the Ohio River, is the Roebling Suspension Bridge, the model for the Brooklyn Bridge in NYC. It’s a popular walk to the city of Covington on the other side.

If it’s parks you like, try Eden Park with its Capitoline Wolf (sculpture), Krohn Conservatory (flowers), the Cincinnati Art Museum, and Playhouse in the Park–each a masterpiece in its own way. The world famous Rookwood Pottery was near here, and you can find exquisite examples from it, along with its history, in the Art Museum. Or you can have lunch or dinner in one of its former kilns in what is now the Porcopolis restaurant. And if you want to continue the museum trail, just on the eastern edge of downtown is the Taft Museum of Art, home to some 700 works of art in a home dating back to 1820. On the western edge of downtown is the marvelously art deco Union Terminal that now is also home to the Museum of Natural History & Science, the Cincinnati History Museum, and an Omnimax theatre. As you return to your hotel in the middle of downtown you will be almost next door to the Contemporary Arts Center and Cincinnati’s most popular landmark, Fountain Square.

Also in the central downtown you can find musical, stage, and theatre productions at the Aronoff Center, Music Hall, and a number of other venues. There’s sure to be something going on that will catch your attention. And of course there is no dearth of restaurants, cafes, and bars in the immediate area: info about these will be provided in your registration packets.

You might want to walk (or catch a bus or taxi) a few blocks south, crossing the River to visit Newport where you’ll find the Hofbrauhaus Newport, the only American site of the famous Munich beer hall, and across the street from it is Newport on the Levee, a restaurant/entertainment complex where you’ll find Mitchell’s Fish Market just a few feet away from the acclaimed Newport Aquarium. Also in Newport is the World Peace Bell, the world’s largest swinging bell. And next to Newport you’ll find Covington with its priceless Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, inspired by Notre Dame in Paris and boasting of the world’s largest hand-blown stained glass window.

Most of these areas are within easy reach, but if you have your own transportation, you might also want to look into Pyramid Hill, north of the city near Hamilton, OH, with its 265 acres of outdoor sculpture, or head west into Indiana (Lawrenceburg, Belterra, Rising Sun) to one or other of the nearby casinos (or is it casini?).

But you don’t have to wait till you get here to decide what you might want to see, or where you might want to dine, you can start now by visiting the internet. Quite comprehensive are the websites of the Cincinnati Regional Tourism Network (www.cincinnatiusa.com) and The Cincinnati Enquirer (www.cincinnati.com). More limited to downtown venues, but with good maps of the area surrounding the hotel, is www.gototown.com.  And while you are visiting the city, don’t forget to ask a native about the pigs of Porcopolis or look for the nearby bronze sculpture of Hecuba.

Back to the home page of the 103rd Annual Meeting