Get your tickets NOW for an exclusive new tour in Over-the-Rhine

Tickets are now on sale for Meet Me in OTR, an exclusive tour designed to “reintroduce” Cincinnatians to the neighborhood, particularly those who have been stuck at home for the past year, or people who have never been.

“You can be assured that we will maintain safe social distancing, and masks are required except when seated for lunch,” says Barb Cooper, founder of Cincinnati Food Tours.

The catch? The tours — which are being offered on April 10th and 24th — are limited to 10 people, so you have to get tickets ASAP. Price per person is $65 and includes an outdoor tour of Music Hall, a stroll through Washington Park, lunch specially prepared at Sacred Beast Diner, a glass of beer or wine, a tour of Findlay Market, and a ride on the streetcar. The event starts at 11 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m.

If you miss out don’t worry: Cooper says that Cincinnati Food Tours is happy to arrange a similar experience for private groups of 10 on other days. The locally owned organization has been offering a variety of culinary experiences, corporate outings, streetcar tours, progressive meals, and bus tours since 2012.

“As we creep back to ‘normal,’ we feel we need to invite people back to our urban core to regain the energy we had pre-COVID,” she says. “We are particularly targeting those who may not feel comfortable exploring the neighborhood or riding the streetcar on their own.”

The idea came about when Mindy Rosen, executive director at Friends of Music Hall reached out to Cooper to collaborate more with local businesses. A portion of the ticket price goes to support Friends of Music Hall and The Corporation for Findlay Market, according to Cooper.

“And of course, we are supporting Sacred Beast by purchasing lunch for each group,” she continues. “We always include a 20% gratuity for servers.”
 
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Read more articles by Jessica Esemplare.

Jessica Esemplare is the managing editor of Soapbox Cincinnati and a graduate of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Shortly after completing her degree in magazine journalism, she began covering local and regional topics at The Cincinnati Herald and, later, as an editor at Ohio Magazine. Her writing has also been featured in U.S. News and World Report.