Happenings at Cincinnati’s Hyde Park Square
Looking like a scene out of a Hollywood movie, Hyde park Square is a vital part of the community. It offers a local fire department, numerous churches, a pubic library, countless eateries, clothing shops, a post office, banks, a funeral home and numerous annual planned activities. The square is surrounded in all directions by beautiful homes. Local residents have created a friendly neighborhood atmosphere that thrives on social interaction. Whether visiting the area or a new resident, you can quickly become accustomed to this idyllic neighborhood. There is no need to feel like an outsider here.
Restaurants and eateries circle Hyde Park Square offering something for every appetite. The Echo Restaurant is a fifties style dinner with the great home cooking that no neighborhood should be without. It opened in 1945 and has been a neighborhood landmark ever since. Breakfast, lunch and the occasional supper are served here. The Echo has become a Hyde Park tradition for Sunday Brunch.
Right around the corner is Grater’s, a Cincinnati ice cream shop that is known world wide for its French churn style ice cream. As summer approaches families make the walk to Graters. A line can often be seen extending out of the front door onto Hyde Park Square as neighbors bump into neighbors and the socializing begins. Ample seating is provided inside, but the benches on the sidewalk in front of the store are the ideal place to enjoy the creamy cold concoction. Voted the number one ice cream in America by Oprah Winfrey and the locals! This is a must eat if you are ever in the Cincinnati area.
Have a seat outside at the local coffee shop Awakenings and people watch to your heart’s content. Small European style cafÃ?© tables are provided on the sidewalk in front of the store. Located Directly across from the Hyde park fire department you can watch as the firemen play corn hole, a local game where opponents try to score points tossing a bag of corn through a hole in a board 30 feet away. Following the rules, the first team to score 21 points wins. Often neighborhood children join in the fun. As you sit you will notice people and their dogs strolling by. An extremely popular neighborhood activity in Hyde Park is walking the dog. Shops place bowls of water near the parking meters outside their shops offering refreshment to the four-legged citizens.
The Hyde Park Square is a local hot spot for the nightlife. Bars like Teller’s and Arthur’s offer up great food and great drinks. Patrons crowd in to watch their Cincinnati Bengals on Sundays. Both restaurants have cozy outdoor seating areas that are perfect for an informal night out. The caviar crowd can find their fix at a great spot to see and be seen, Beluga. It is a hip nightspot known for its appetizers. Guests are greeted by neon blue lighting that makes Beluga visual unique. The square also includes a wine bar as well as a cigar and martini bar. Other restaurants offer shaded outdoor seating areas located directly in front of their establishments, giving patrons a birds-eye view of the entire square.
Every Sunday Hyde Park Square is home to a local farmer’s market. Open from 10:00am until 1:00pm, the market is one of the newer additions to the square’s many activities. Offering locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables, the market has quickly become a new favorite among residents.
Every fall the square hosts the Annual Hyde Park Square Art Show, featuring artists of all types. It is one of the most prestigious juried shows in Cincinnati. It was begun in 1966 as a way to promote community activity in the area and continues to be a major crowd pleaser to this day. Local artists as well as those from nearby Indiana and Kentucky are all represented. Medias include photography, oil paint, watercolor, ceramics, glass, jewelry and crafts. A special youth section encourages young artists to participate as well. The streets around the square are blocked off and perfect for roaming about while taking in the beautiful art. If you want to be a part of this show the application process begins early in the spring.
Each summer the shops in the square organize the Annual Hyde Park Sidewalk Sale. The stores clean house, offering great bargains on their goods. This is a great time to dig through the racks on the sidewalk and find a steal from some of the trendier boutiques like Alligator Purse and Heavenly Bodies. The square also features antique shops, home furnishing stores and a couple of jewelry stores.
Hyde Park Gourmet Food and Wine, located directly on the square, was voted Best Gourmet Shop by Cincinnati Search in 2001. Unique among the eateries on the square, this shop offers a wide variety of goods ranging from cheeses, to wines and specialty foods. A knowledgeable and helpful staff can help with any questions about their gourmet goods. The store offers a great assortment of premium gift baskets that are also available online. Iron tables sit in front of the store offering patrons a place to relax and enjoy their goodies in this beautiful setting.
This year, a local race called The Blast held its finish line in Hyde Park Square. The purpose of the race was to raise health awareness in local businesses while raising money for charities. Proceeds benefited a number of charities including The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Refreshments of “eggs and kegs” were hosted at the finish of the race.
Visitors can stay at The Victoria Inn of Hyde Park. Just steps away from the square, this bed and breakfast is ideally located for easy access to the shops, restaurants and activities on the square. The inn offers a break from traditional hotels and is perfect for a weekend get away or a business trip.
New activates are always being added to the roster of events held at Hyde Park Square. Plans are in the works for horse drawn carriage rides to be available on Friday and Saturdays. Live music can now be found on Thursday evenings. The music is broadcasted by a local radio station, Warm 98. Plans are also underway for live jazz to be played in the square.
Check out new and continuing activities at www.hydeparksquare.org.
