Travel: Clooney, slave-era stories and meatloaf in Cincinnati

An hour south-east of Cincinnati, we are standing outside the Beehive Tavern in the pretty riverside settlement of Augusta, which just happens to be the hometown of George Clooney.

At that moment, we bump into a very genial older woman coming out of the tavern. In the most courteous manner, she enquires what has brought us Brits to Augusta.

When we tell her we are on our way to sample the bourbon at the local distillery, she jokingly chides us as “Terrible drunks!” before flashing us a winning smile and adding: “Thank you so much for visiting.”

“Who is that lovely woman?” we ask our guide. “Nina, George Clooney’s mother.” Of course it is. The ocean-going charm and the effortless sense of humour should have told us as much. This memorable encounter is typical of this captivating, very friendly part of the USA.

Most British visitors to America would routinely spurn the so-called “flyover states” in favour of the glamour of the coasts. They would not immediately think of going to Cincinnati, Ohio, which since last year has been served by a direct BA flight from London.

But this Middle American city, which is relatively unknown to foreign visitors, has an unexpectedly large amount to offer British travellers. Situated on the border between Ohio and Kentucky, Cincinnati is overflowing with culture, sport, fine food and, oh yes, bourbon. It is ringed by the 46 distilleries that comprise the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Talk about spoilt for choice.

Surprisingly green, Cincinnati is chic, stylish and – unlike many US cities  – eminently walkable. It is a great pleasure to amble around, losing yourself in such beautiful districts as Covington and Mount Adams. The city is also a crucible of modern American history, which crystallises at the highly impressive National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

Sitting on the banks of the Ohio River – the boundary between north and south during the Civil War – the museum fixes an unflinching gaze on the often-shameful history of the Deep South. It is dedicated to the story of how thousands of slaves escaped to freedom from the southern states by using the clandestine Underground Railroad network.

The location of the museum, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, recognises the significant role played by Cincinnati in the history of the Underground Railroad. Numerous slaves evaded captivity by crossing the river there in the dead of night. Cincinnati was the motor of the Underground Railroad.

The focal point of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is The Slave Pen. Built in 1830, this small wooden structure is the only known surviving rural slave jail.

Previously used to imprison slaves before they were shipped off to auction, it was discovered concealed inside a tobacco barn at a remote farm in Germanton, Kentucky, and reassembled plank by plank in the heart of the museum.

Sitting inside the Slave Pen contemplating the brutal shackles that chained up to 60 men 24/7 in a very confined space with no sanitary facilities is a profound and disturbing experience. I challenge anyone to remain unmoved by it.

Another powerful museum is Fort Ancient, half an hour north east of Cincinnati. Built around 25,000 years ago by indigenous tribes, it is one of eight Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, which last year were named as Ohio’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site.

These vast earthworks – 3.5 miles of soil walls enclosing 100 acres atop a 235ft-high plateau – were constructed as a religious monument.

The colonists’ prejudiced attitude towards the indigenous peoples is reflected in the fact that they claimed that Fort Ancient had been built by either biblical giants, aliens, ancient Egyptians or the inhabitants of Atlantis. They believed the indigenous people were simply too primitive and violent to have been able to create this mighty shrine.

Also well worth visiting is Findlay Market in the German-accented Over the Rhine district of Cincinnati. The area around the market is surrounded by 250 fabulous murals which are the centrepiece of the city’s biennial light-installation festival, Blink.

Findlay Market also houses one of Cincinnati’s oldest restaurants. Opened by German immigrants in 1852, Eckerlin Meats serves a speciality called Goetta. Every morning, hungry customers queue around the block for this delicacy.

It is a delicious patty made from the original owner’s secret recipe, containing sausage meat, oats, onions and black pepper.

It is a scrumptious version of meatloaf and a very apt signature dish for Cincinnati, a city which you should be rushing towards like a bat out of hell.

Factfile

A package with America As You Like It with flights from Edinburgh (or Glasgow) via Heathrow and four nights room only at the Holiday Inn Cincinnati Riverfront, from £995 per person.