Things to Do at The Banks in Cincinnati: A Local Guide to the Riverfront

The Banks is the stretch of riverfront between Great American Ball Park and Paycor Stadium where Cincinnati meets the Ohio River. What makes it unusual isn't any single attraction — it's the concentration. Professional sports venues, a riverfront park system, cultural institutions, a live music venue, restaurants, and a pedestrian bridge into Northern Kentucky all sit within a walkable district that functions as more than a game-day destination.

For anyone searching for things to do at The Banks, the answer is rarely just one thing. The district brings together experiences that usually exist miles apart and makes them neighbors. Here is a local guide to what is actually there and how it all fits together.

Start at Smale Riverfront Park

Smale Riverfront Park is the public-space backbone of The Banks. Stretching along the Ohio River between the two stadiums, it connects the entire district through a series of terraced gardens, promenades, and interactive features designed to draw people toward the water.

The park includes porch swings facing the river, interactive fountains and water features, a custom-built carousel, adventure playgrounds, and lawns that fill with people on summer evenings. The Black Brigade Monument honors the Black soldiers from Cincinnati who volunteered to defend the city during the Civil War. Walk far enough west and the park connects into the broader Ohio River Trail, which continues along the water toward the Roebling Suspension Bridge and beyond.

Smale is not a passive green space tucked behind the attractions. It is a major reason the riverfront feels like a place to spend time rather than simply a place to pass through on the way to a game.

Cincinnati Sports Live at The Banks

The two venues that literally bookend The Banks play an outsized role in shaping the district's identity.

Great American Ball Park

On the eastern edge sits Great American Ball Park, home of the Cincinnati Reds. The ballpark opens directly onto the riverfront, and on game days the surrounding streets, restaurants, and park fill with fans. The Reds' presence gives The Banks a rhythm that runs from spring through early fall.

Paycor Stadium

On the western edge sits Paycor Stadium, home of the Cincinnati Bengals. On NFL Sundays, the district transforms. The concentration of tailgating, foot traffic, and pre- and post-game activity makes The Banks one of the most active riverfront environments in the region during football season.

Having both major professional sports venues within the same compact stretch is what makes The Banks different from a typical entertainment district. The stadiums are not nearby — they are part of the district itself.

Culture Along the Riverfront

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center sits directly on the riverfront, and its location is not incidental. The Ohio River historically marked the boundary between slave states and free territory. For enslaved people seeking freedom, crossing that river was a profoundly significant act. The museum's placement on this specific stretch of the Ohio River gives its exhibits a geographical and historical gravity that a downtown office building could not provide.

The Freedom Center documents the history of slavery, the Underground Railroad, and the broader global struggle for freedom through permanent and rotating exhibits. It is one of the most significant cultural institutions in Cincinnati, and its riverfront location is part of what makes it powerful.

Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame

Located along the riverfront promenade, the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame recognizes the contributions of Black artists from Cincinnati and Southwest Ohio to American music. The outdoor installation honors inductees across genres including rock and roll, R&B, funk, soul, and gospel, reflecting the region's outsized influence on popular music history.

The Walk of Fame is a free, publicly accessible experience that adds a cultural layer to a riverfront stroll. It is worth visiting on its own, not merely as a passing feature between the stadiums.

Live Music & Entertainment

The Andrew J. Brady Music Center is The Banks' primary live-music venue. The indoor-outdoor facility hosts national touring acts throughout the year, and its location within the riverfront district means a concert can easily be paired with dinner, a riverfront walk, or a pre-show drink. The venue's schedule changes regularly, so checking current programming before planning an evening is worthwhile.

Beyond the Brady Center, The Banks hosts seasonal programming, outdoor events, and festivals that take advantage of the riverfront setting. The district's entertainment identity extends beyond game days, particularly during summer months when the outdoor spaces are most active.

Eating, Drinking & DORA at The Banks

The Banks offers a concentration of restaurants and bars that range from casual game-day spots to sit-down dining. The restaurant mix changes over time, so verifying current options before visiting is always the most reliable approach. The dining environment is designed to serve both the game-day crowd and the everyday visitor, which means the experience can feel very different on a Tuesday evening than on a Bengals Sunday.

The Banks participates in Cincinnati's DORA (Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area) program, which allows visitors to purchase an alcoholic beverage from a participating establishment and carry it within designated outdoor boundaries. DORA hours and rules are set by the City of Cincinnati and apply within specific boundaries and times, so it is not unrestricted public drinking throughout the district. Understanding the current DORA boundaries helps set expectations before visiting.

Walk Across the Roebling

The John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge is one of Cincinnati's most recognizable landmarks, and it creates a direct pedestrian connection between The Banks and Covington, Kentucky. Completed in 1866, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time and served as the engineering prototype for the Brooklyn Bridge.

Walking across the Roebling is one of the simplest and most distinctive experiences available at The Banks. The bridge provides panoramic views of the Cincinnati skyline, the Ohio River, and the Northern Kentucky riverfront. It makes the physical connection between Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky tangible — you can stand in Ohio and walk to Kentucky in minutes.

This is one of the places where the Greater Cincinnati region's identity as a bi-state metropolitan area becomes immediately visible. The river is not a barrier here; it is a crossing.

Getting Around Without Moving the Car

The Banks is compact enough that once parked, there is little reason to move the car. The district is pedestrian-oriented, with sidewalks, promenades, and park connections linking the stadiums, museums, restaurants, and riverfront.

The Cincinnati Connector streetcar provides a convenient connection between The Banks and the broader Downtown and Over-the-Rhine areas. The streetcar's riverfront stop places riders within walking distance of Smale Riverfront Park, the Freedom Center, and the entertainment venues, making it possible to experience The Banks as part of a larger Downtown itinerary without relying on a car for every leg of the trip.

The Central Riverfront Garage sits beneath the district and provides substantial parking capacity, which is part of why The Banks can absorb large event crowds without the surrounding street grid collapsing. For non-event visits, surface lots and nearby Downtown parking provide additional options.

The Banks Is Still Evolving

Developed through the Central Riverfront Master Plan to transform riverfront industrial land, The Banks remains an evolving mixed-use district. While the stadiums, Smale Riverfront Park, cultural institutions, and dining infrastructure are firmly established, remaining undeveloped parcels continue to be part of city planning for future residential, retail, hotel, and office space.

More Than a Game-Day Destination

The Banks brings together experiences that most cities spread across miles — professional baseball and football, a riverfront park, a national museum, a music venue, a cultural walk of fame, restaurants, and a pedestrian bridge into another state. That concentration is what makes it distinctive.

You can spend a morning walking along the Ohio River, visit a museum that confronts one of the most difficult chapters in American history, grab lunch, walk across a 19th-century suspension bridge into Kentucky, and return for an evening concert or a ballgame — all without leaving a compact stretch of Downtown Cincinnati.

The Banks is not a single attraction. It is a district where several different Cincinnati experiences coexist, and that is what makes it worth understanding as more than the space between the stadiums.