At the end of February, I wrote an article that gave a “walking tour” of Cincinnati that would allow you to visit many of the locations that appear in the Unbreakable Bonds and Ward Security books. (To read part 1 of this series, click here.) Today, I thought we’ve cover another part of Cincinnati that makes several appearances within the two series.
Assuming you’re on Day 2 of your Cincinnati vacation, we are going to be wandering around Eden Park today just outside of downtown Cincinnati.
Eden Park served as a little haven for me when I was living in
Cincinnati so it seemed only natural that the boys would return to the area a few times for me.
We are starting at the Cincinnati Art Museum, which is one of the oldest art museums in the country with more than 67,000 pieces spanning 6,000 years. General admission is free and it’s a great place to wander through. It is also the site of the charity party that Lucas attended with Andrei as his bodyguard in Shiver. As they escaped the museum, Lucas and Andrei took Hollis on a high-speed chase through Eden Park and along the expressway.
From the Cincinnati Art Museum, you can hop in your car or wander to the other end of the park, past Mirror Lake (which appears in the car chase) to Krohn Conservatory. This is hands down one of my favorite places in the world.
Built in 1933 with exquisite Art Deco accents, Krohn Conservatory holds more than 3,500 plants and usually has a special seasonal exhibit. My two favorite exhibits are the Butterfly Show that usually runs through April and May, and then the holiday display that usually goes up around Thanksgiving. I love spending time wandering through the various rooms, learning about the plants and just soaking in the quiet, relaxing atmosphere.
Krohn Conservatory makes an appearance in Dantès Unglued when Shane and Quinn go to speak to one of the volunteers about the mayor’s wife. I’m working on including the Conservatory in future books.
From the Conservatory, I’ve got two small side treks. There are a set of steep stairs off the back parking lot. Up those stairs, there is another smaller section of the park that the Twin Lakes. That section of the park includes an overlook where you can see the Ohio River and the bridges. From that overlook, you can see the location we chose to build Snow and Jude’s house, which first appears in Unbreakable Stories: Snow. (If you can’t take those stairs, you can drive up to that section of the park. (If you’re a fan of Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan series, the bridge for the Twin Lakes also figures into one of her books.)
Also, directly across the street from the main entrance into Krohn Conservatory, you will find another set of stone stairs leading up into a wooded grove. (Yes, there are a lot of hills in Cincinnati.) At the top of that climb, you will find yourself in the Presidential Grove, where a tree has been planted for each of the U.S. presidents. This is the grove where an unknown person led Shane and Quinn on a fast-pace chase through the park in Dantès Unglued.
While you’re on the east side of town, I’d suggest jumping into your car and heading over to the Cincinnati Zoo. It is the second oldest zoo in the country and one of the greenest. They have amazing exhibits, including a chance to see hippo Fiona and the Cheetah Run. While the zoo hasn’t figured into the series yet, I feel like you can’t miss a chance to visit this phenomenal zoo.
That’s your Cincinnati tour for today. I’d say that you’re likely exhausted at this point. Go find some Cincinnati chili or Graeter’s ice cream to chill out. Two local favorites. I’ll be back with one more tour article to pick up some strangler locations.