Cincinnati Listed as One of the Top Cities to Visit in 2021 by Travel + Leisure Magazine

The Art Museum’s Art ClimbPhoto: Hailey Bollinger

Travel + Leisure magazine puts out an annual list of the best places to travel in the coming year — generally beautiful and exotic locales from across the globe.

But this year’s list, named the “50 Best Places to Travel in 2021,” does something a little different as a result of COVID-19: It lists the top places to visit right here in the U.S. 

“This year, as we all sat at home and watched the world come to a halt, ‘aspirational’ took on new meaning. When restrictions relaxed this summer, the familiar wanderlust crept back in. With even the most straightforward international getaways ruled out, and many travelers still hesitant to hop on a plane, even simple trips — scenic drives, camping weekends, staycations across town — suddenly felt novel and luxurious,” reads the intro.

“With the first vaccines now rolling out, it seems the end of our long international nightmare is finally (finally!) in sight. In anticipation of that moment, we’ve once again compiled our annual list of the best places to travel in the coming year — with one twist. In honor of our revived appreciation for the discoveries to be made in our own backyards, this year’s list features 50 dynamic, of-the-moment destinations — all right here in the United States.”

The list includes destinations like the Alaskan coast, Las Vegas, Tulsa, Oklahoma and all of the National Parks in general, but at No. 11 (it’s alphabetical — to our benefit) is Cincinnati. 

The write-up calls out Music Hall, the new Kinley Hotel (and its in-house eatery Khora), Please, Goose & Elder, the Cincinnati Zoo and the Cincinnati Art Museum, along with its new Art Climb.

Here’s what Travel + Leisure says:

The first clues that the Queen City — a Rust Belt capital that was hard hit by the decline of American manufacturing — was poised for a comeback started a few years ago, when tech startups and small businesses moved into disused Over-the-Rhine warehouses, filmmakers flocked in to take advantage of tax breaks and early-20th-century architecture, and historic spaces like the city’s Music Hall got a much-needed polish. Now, the urban revival is official — but sneak in a 2021 visit and you can still claim to be a trendsetter. Check into the Kinley, which opened its doors in downtown Cincy in October with a much-buzzed-about restaurant from chefs Kevin Ashworth and Edward Lee. While you’re in town, dine at restaurant standouts Please and Goose & Elder, explore new outdoor installations at the Cincinnati Art Museum, and pay a visit the lauded Cincinnati Zoo, whose animal dispatches on social media are the only reasonable justification for keeping your Twitter account. —Lila Battis

And, per local firm PB&J, the upcoming issue also includes “a feature spread featuring Cincinnati’s premier leisure and food businesses in an article titled ‘A Spark in the City.'”

Travel & Leisure spread on CincinnatiPhoto: Courtesy PB&J

The feature, dedicated to the Queen City’s food scene, includes write-ups on Rhinegeist, Deeper Roots Coffee, Goose & Elder, Salazar, Please, Brown Bear Bakery and Allez.

There’s also a sidebar that praises our hotels and their in-house eateries: The Kinley and Khora, 21c and Metropole and Hotel Covington and Coppin’s.

We’ll link to that story when it goes live on travelandleisure.com.