Fountain Square - it's happening!

As a Cincinnati native, I'm excited to see that Fountain Square may actually become a bustle of activity, and potentially attract/keep people downtown. I know that Taste of Cincinnati moved for a number of reasons, but the move to me symbolizes the further decline of the Main Street entertainment area (though there still is a lot happening over that way), and the rise of Fountain Square as the center of downtown Cincinnati. When I put together a mini guide of activities for my future wedding guests, I realized that there are a bunch of great restaurants clustered around Fountain Square and the downtown hotels, which does make it a pretty cool, convenient place to spend a weekend.

And in case you missed it last Thursday, check out the video of the Mentos/Diet Coke geyser extravaganza that flooded the Square! Or read about it here.

McCormick & Schmick's seafood restaurant helped the cause when it opened late last year. And Boi Na Braza opens June 8, serving up meat, meat and more meat. Perhaps best of all, Graeter's is coming back downtown to the Square, with an opening likely sometime in July.

This is in addition to Ingredients, open DAILY for lunch in the Westin; Palomino, which has stood its ground through all the construction; Bistro JeanRo is just around the corner...

Also coming soon to the Square is Via Vite, the new Italian restaurant from the owners of Nicola's. Check back for more news on this soon. Ditto Cadillac Ranch, the rock 'n' country bar and grill that will have a mechanical bull. Now THAT should bring some life to Fountain Square!

Oh - don't forget, the 'Round Town Trolley kicks off this Friday, June 1, looping around downtown from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Print out your very own trolley map here!