A revised edition of the award-winning book of historically themed cycling tours in and around Cincinnati, Ohio Bicycling Through Paradise: Historical Rides Around Cincinnati includes nineteen historically themed cyclist tours for all abilities centered around Cincinnati, Ohio. Written by two longtime cyclists-one a professor of history and one an architect-this book dives into the details of local landscape and history encountered along the route. Rides combine familiar destinations like Lunken Airport, Eden Park, and Loveland Castle with lesser-known sites like Underground Railroad stations, ruined stone canal locks, and a nineteenth-century socialist commune, all located in and around the greater Cincinnati area. Stops along the way include public parks, covered bridges, and one-room schoolhouses. The book includes a QR code to link readers to a companion Community Page where cyclists will find downloadable turn-by-turn directions and wayfinding photos, plus a place for cyclists to share their feedback, making this book an interactive experience.
Kathleen Smythe is an avid cyclist and a professor of history at Xavier University. Chris Hanlin is an architect, amateur historian, photographer, and longtime cyclist.
Introduction Cycling Advice Part I: Waterways 1. Path Dependency: Layers of History along the Mill Creek Northside, Ivorydale, Elmwood Place, and Lockland 2. William Henry Harrison and the Shawnee Nation The Ohio River Valley West to Harrison's Tomb, Shawnee Lookout, and Indiana 3. Visions and Dreams on the Little Miami Scenic Trail From Milford to Xenia via Loveland Castle, Kings' Mills, and George Barrett's Concrete House 4. Floodplains and Hilltops Eden and Ault Parks, Cincinnati Observatory, Pioneer Settlement and Lunken Airport 5. Following the River: The Story of Mary Ingles Alexandria and Bellevue, Kentucky 6. Swimming Pools, Parks, and the Integration of Coney Island 7. The Whitewater Canal Route Indiana from West Harrison to Cedar Grove, Brookville, and Metamora Part II: Paradise 8. Bicycling Through Paradise Mariemont, Perintown, Harmony Hill, Felicity, and Utopia 9. The Party Tour: Breweries and Inclines Amusements Past and Present in Over-The-Rhine 10. Town and Country Mt. Airy Forest, Winton Woods, Greenhills, Glendale and Sharon Woods 11. A Holy City: Churches, synagogues, and Shrines Northern Kentucky, Downtown Cincinnati, Walnut Hills and Evanston 12. Immortality and its Consequences Spring Grove, College Hill, Fernald Preserve, and Whitewater Shaker Village 13. Immortality, Continued Hamilton, the Hollow Earth Monument, Chrisholm Farmstead, and Miamisburg Mound Part III: Big Ideas 14. Homeland Insecurity Military Installations from Fort Washington to Newport Barracks to Fort Thomas, Kentucky 15. People, Animals, Water, and Salt Anderson Ferry, Burlington, Kentucky, Rabbit Hash and Big Bone Lick 16. Building a Nation's Soil: The Civilian Conservation Corps Big Bone Lick and Walton, Kentucky 17. Black Community Leadership in Madisonville 18. Crosstown Missions Xavier University, University of Cincinnati, and Hebrew Union College 19. Art Deco Architecture Lunken Airport, Downtown, Union Terminal, and the Mt. Washington Water Tower 20. Industry, Rustbelt, and Re-development Norwood, Oakley, and Madisonville
Easy to navigate. A novel concept and format. This book is a great excuse to ride in a new place. (Joe Humpert, president of Queen City Bike and founding member of Licking Valley Velo)
