Top 5 Things Cincinnatians Know Better Than Anyone Else

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New to the Queen City? Let us show you how it’s done.

1. We have spooky abandoned brewery tunnels, and we like to explore them.
Did you know that there is a network of tunnels underneath our fair city? These 19th century brewery tunnels were largely abandoned after Prohibition, but you can take the wildly popular Queen City Underground tour to get a closer look. americanlegacytours.com/queen-city-underground

2. Goetta is a thing. A delicious thing.
Made of oats, spices, and some offal-style unmentionables (it’s like scrapple, but not), goetta has become a Cincinnati staple that we’re more than a little proud of. The terminally misunderstood treat even has its own festival, so there’s no excuse not to try it. Plus, it is slightly less maligned than our other local delicacy, Cincinnati chili. goetta.com/en/goettafest

3. Pigs really can fly
If there is one thing that confuses out-of-towners more than anything, it’s the decorated pig statues around the city. Nineteenth-century Cincinnati found its industrial niche in pork packing and quickly became known as Porkopolis. Since then, even though the stockyards are no more, the pig embellished with wings has become an urban icon. From the Flying Pig Marathon to the Big Pig Gig, pigs have soared through the streets of downtown for decades. flyingpigmarathon.com

4. Opening Day is a call-in-sick-to-work affair
As the first professional baseball team (founded in 1869!), the Cincinnati Reds know how to rally a crowd. The Reds are always the first team to open up the new season, and they do it up right, starting with the Findlay Market Opening Day Parade. The event is such a huge local touchstone that it has been named as an official “city holiday.” Opening Day for the 2015 season starts on April 6th against the Pittsburgh Pirates. cincinnati.reds.mlb.com

5. There is, indeed, a world record for the largest chicken dance
Cincinnatians are particularly good at two things: dressing in Bavarian clothing and dancing absurdly. Oktoberfest Zinzinnati allows just the appropriate time and place for locals to strut their stuff in dirndls and lederhosen while consuming more sausage and brews than are recommended. Cincinnati is the current record holder for the world’s largest chicken dance (most recently led by local superstars Drew and Nick Lachey). As the second largest Oktoberfest in the world, Cincinnatians know to go big or go home. oktoberfestzinzinnati.com

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