What do the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, California’s Gold Country and Cincinnati have in common? All made the Lonely Planet’s top 10 U.S. travel destinations
list, published online Dec. 20.
Lonely Planet, a travel guide and information website that garners millions of monthly visitors, listed Cincinnati in between the Hudson River Valley and the Four Corners Region, but ahead of locations such as Chicago, Yellowstone and Boulder. The 145-word review touts Findlay Market, The Art Museum, OTR and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center as places to visit.
Freedom Center workers were grateful for the international exposure. With a financial deficit and talks of closing the doors, the center, which opened in 2004, has cut spending and is on the hunt for public funding. As an institution that has received national, and even international acclaim, staying open, especially with the soon-to-be-finished Banks Project, is a must.
“The mention couldn’t’ have come at a better time for us,” says Stephanie Creech, external relations manager at the NURFC. “We are working hard to close our financial gap and keep this important institution open for the people of Cincinnati. We also hope it helps show the tri-state area what a national treasure the center is.”
Findlay Market, the oldest continuous outdoor market in Ohio and a location on the National Register of Historic Places, was an obvious choice as a place for Lonely Planet to highlight, but as one of the cornerstones of the revitalization of OTR, the mention may help to bring more visitors to the market.
“I think people are really starting to realize the historical value of Findlay Market,” says Barb Cooper, owner of Daisy Mae’s Market, a vendor at Findlay Market. “If Findlay Market can be what the rest of the city spurs off of, it will really turn around. We need to be positive about what we have in the city.”
By Evan Wallis
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