How to Plan a Cincinnati Reds Weekend Trip (Even If You’ve Never Been)
There’s something special about a baseball weekend in a new city.
You get the energy of the stadium, the walkable excitement around the ballpark, and a built-in reason to explore somewhere new.
For us, the best baseball trips include wandering a little, finding a good place for a drink before the game, and leaving enough time to just enjoy the atmosphere.
And if you’re thinking about planning a trip to see the Cincinnati Reds play at Great American Ball Park, the good news is Cincinnati is one of the easiest baseball cities to plan a relaxed weekend trip.
Stay Close to the Stadium
One of the best things about Cincinnati is how walkable the riverfront area is.
If you stay downtown, you can walk almost everywhere you’ll want to go during a baseball weekend.
Hotels near the stadium that work well include:
• AC Hotel Cincinnati at The Banks
• The Westin Cincinnati
• Hampton Inn & Suites Cincinnati-Downtown
The Banks area between the river and the stadium fills up with fans on game days, and the entire district starts to feel like a pre-game celebration.
Walk the Riverfront Before the Game
Before heading to the stadium, we love walking along the river.
The parks along the Ohio Riverfront Park offer great views of the river and the bridges connecting Ohio and Kentucky.
You’ll see fans in Reds jerseys everywhere, boats moving along the water, and the excitement building as game time approaches.
It’s a relaxed way to start the evening.
What we love most about baseball weekends is how simple they can be.
You don’t need a packed itinerary — just a walkable city, a good hotel, and time to enjoy the atmosphere.
We’ve found the same thing happens on cruises too. Some of our favorite moments happen when we slow down and enjoy the experience, like we talked about in our post on What Sea Days Are Really Like on a Cruise.
Grab a Drink at a Pre-Game Bar
Part of the fun of baseball trips is the atmosphere before the first pitch.
Some great spots near the ballpark include:
• Moerlein Lager House
• Holy Grail Tavern and Grille
• Yard House
Arriving an hour or two early gives you time to soak in the energy of the crowd before heading into the stadium.
Take the Stadium Tour
If you have time earlier in the day, consider taking a tour of Great American Ball Park.
You’ll get access to areas most fans never see, including the dugout and press areas, along with exhibits that highlight the long history of the Reds.
For baseball fans, it’s a great way to start the day.
What to Bring to the Game
Most stadiums now have strict bag policies, so planning ahead helps.
A few things we always bring:
• a clear stadium bag
• a small travel backpack for exploring the city
• a portable phone charger
Having a small bag that works for both sightseeing and stadium entry makes the day much easier.
Why Baseball Trips Are So Fun
What we love most about baseball weekends is how simple they can be.
You don’t need a packed itinerary.
Just a good hotel, a walkable area, and a stadium full of fans who are all there for the same reason.
Some of the best travel memories happen in the moments in between.
Walking to the stadium with a crowd in red jerseys.
Talking baseball with strangers at a bar.
Watching the lights come on over the field as the sun sets over the river.
And if you’re planning a baseball trip, Cincinnati is a great place to start.
What we love most about baseball weekends is how simple they can be. You don’t need a packed itinerary — just a walkable city, a good hotel, and time to enjoy the atmosphere. That relaxed approach is something we’ve learned over time, especially when we started planning trips without overplanning.
Where We Like to Sit
Everyone has their favorite place to sit in a ballpark, but over time we’ve found ourselves coming back to the same area at Great American Ball Park.
We love sitting behind the home dugout.
There’s something special about being close enough to watch the players interact, see the game from their perspective, and feel the energy of the crowd around you.
One of my favorite moments happens late in the game when the starting pitcher is finishing his outing. When the crowd rises for a standing ovation as he walks off the mound, you can really feel the appreciation for the performance.
Those moments are part of what makes seeing the Cincinnati Reds play in person so memorable.
Quick Game Day Tips
If it’s your first time visiting Great American Ball Park, a few simple tips can make the experience even smoother.
Arrive early
Give yourself at least an hour before first pitch to enjoy the riverfront and pre-game atmosphere around the stadium.
Walk if you’re staying downtown
The area around the stadium is very walkable, especially from hotels near The Banks district.
Bring a stadium-approved bag
Most MLB stadiums have clear bag rules, so a small clear stadium bag makes entry faster.
Check the pitching matchup
If you're lucky enough to see a strong starting pitcher finish his outing, the standing ovation from the crowd is one of the best moments in the park.
Our “Go Back and See” List
One thing we’ve learned about travel is not to try to see everything in one trip.
Instead, we travel like we’re going back.
Sometimes that means noticing things we don’t have time for the first visit and putting them on a mental list for the next trip.
Cincinnati is one of those cities we’ve returned to several times, and each trip we’ve explored something new.
Some of the things we’ve already gone back to experience include:
• taking the tour of Great American Ball Park
• exploring the historic streets and restaurants in Over-the-Rhine
• visiting Findlay Market
• spending more time walking along the riverfront
Traveling this way makes every trip feel a little deeper.
Instead of rushing through a checklist, we let each visit add another layer to the experience.
How We’re Choosing Our Next Reds Road Trip (And What We’re Doing Differently This Time)
There’s something about planning a trip that starts long before anything is booked.
It usually begins with a feeling.
For us right now…
it’s simple:
We need something to look forward to.
Not a big, complicated vacation.
Not something that takes weeks to recover from.
Just a trip that feels easy…
fun…
and a little like us again.
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We haven’t planned everything yet.
We haven’t mapped every stop or booked every detail.
But we have decided something more important:
how we want the trip to feel.
Walkable.
Simple.
Walkable. Simple. Room to wander.
Time to sit somewhere with a drink and just take it all in.
A game in the middle of it all…
not the only thing.
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That’s the shift for us.
We used to plan around the game.
Now we’re planning around the experience…
and letting the game be part of it.
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We’re starting with the basics.
Looking at schedules.
Picking a city that makes sense.
Finding a place we can stay where we don’t have to drive everywhere.
Because we’ve learned…
how a trip flows matters more than how much you fit into it.
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There’s something else we’re doing differently too.
We’re not trying to get it perfect before we go.
We’re letting some of it stay open.
Because some of our favorite moments on past trips…
weren’t planned at all.
They were the in-between moments.
The walk to nowhere in particular.
The random conversation.
The place we almost didn’t stop.
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So this trip?
It’s still coming together.
We’ll choose the game.
We’ll lock in the stay.
We’ll sketch out a loose plan.
But we’re leaving space.
For fun.
For connection.
For whatever the trip turns into once we’re actually there.
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And honestly… that’s part of what I love most about this.
The planning isn’t just logistics.
It’s a reminder that we get to choose how we spend our time.
That we can build something to look forward to…
even in the middle of regular life.
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If you’re thinking about taking a trip this year…
especially something simple like a weekend away…
you don’t have to have it all figured out.
Start with how you want it to feel.
Then build from there.
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What We’re Prioritizing This Time
Walkable location
One anchor event (the game)
Open time built in
Simple plans over packed schedules
Why Midweek Baseball Trips Matter More Than They Should
Some trips look small on paper.
A random Tuesday game.
A couple of hotel nights.
A few hours in a stadium you’ve visited before.
But sometimes those trips end up meaning more than the big ones.
Our midweek baseball trips to Cincinnati have slowly become one of those traditions. Not because they’re elaborate or impressive. In fact, they’re the opposite.
They’re simple.
And somehow that simplicity creates something important.
The Unexpected Power of Shared Interests
Shared interests do something subtle in relationships.
They create a natural place to meet.
Not a heavy conversation.
Not a forced bonding moment.
Just something you both enjoy.
A baseball game.
A walk through a city.
A good meal somewhere new.
Those shared experiences give people room to exist together without pressure.
And sometimes that’s exactly where connection grows.
Why Midweek Trips Work
Weekend trips tend to turn into events.
Crowds.
Packed schedules.
Trying to fit everything in.
Midweek trips feel different.
The pace slows down.
The stadium is calmer.
The city breathes a little.
You notice things you would normally rush past.
A conversation during the drive.
Laughing about a terrible inning.
Talking about things that somehow only come up when you're away from normal routines.
Those small moments are the ones that stay with you.
Shared Experiences Build Independence
Something I’ve noticed over time is that shared experiences don’t just build connection.
They build confidence.
When adults share experiences together, something shifts.
Plans get made.
Decisions get shared.
Everyone learns how to move through the world a little more independently.
It’s not about forcing independence.
It’s about creating space where it can grow naturally.
A trip.
A game.
A few days away from routine.
Sometimes that’s all it takes.
Why Baseball Happens to Be Our Thing
For us, baseball became that shared interest.
The Cincinnati Reds games started as something simple we enjoyed doing together.
Now they’re part of our rhythm.
A reason to get out of town.
A reason to spend time together.
A reason to build memories that don’t require a huge plan.
Just a ticket, a hotel room, and a little space to enjoy the experience.
Travel Doesn’t Have to Be Big to Matter
There’s a lot of pressure in travel culture to make everything bigger.
More destinations.
More activities.
More planning.
But some of the most meaningful trips are the simple ones.
The midweek games.
The easy drives.
The shared interests that quietly become traditions.
Sometimes the trips that matter most are the ones that weren’t trying to be anything special.
They just gave us space to be together.
If you think about the people you love, there’s usually one shared interest that brings you together.
Maybe it’s sports.
Maybe it’s music.
Maybe it’s travel.
The activity itself isn’t the important part.
The connection is.
Sometimes all it takes is choosing to keep showing up for those moments.
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Reds Road Trip: From New York to DC
Baseball has always been more than a game for us.
It’s a reason to travel, a way to mark time, and a thread that keeps pulling us back together, no matter where the Reds happen to be playing.
This summer, that thread took us on a simple road trip: New York City to Washington, DC. Two cities we already knew. Two ballparks. A few days carved out just to follow our team and enjoy being together along the way.
No big agenda. No pressure to see everything.
Just baseball and the road between.
Cheering on the Reds at Citi Field — the first stop on a simple road trip from New York to DC. Baseball, familiar cities, and time together.
🗽 New York City | Citi Field
Our first stop was New York, where the Reds were playing the Mets at Citi Field.
Walking into the stadium, the energy hit immediately. Mets fans everywhere, the buzz of game night in the air, and us in our Reds gear, proudly outnumbered but completely unbothered.
Citi Field feels big and modern, but what stood out most was the sense of history woven throughout the park. The Jackie Robinson Rotunda sets the tone before you even see the field.
View from the stands at Citi Field during Reds vs. Mets — a packed stadium, summer sky, and the energy of game night in New York City.
After the game, we wandered, grabbed food, and let the city carry us for a bit.
Washington, DC | Nationals Park
From New York, we headed south to Washington, DC.
Nationals Park sits along the Anacostia River and carries a calmer, more reflective energy.
Walking toward Nationals Park on game day — fans filling the streets and the energy building before first pitch.
Inside the park, we took our time noticing the murals, history, and the Presidents Race.
Outside the stadium, we slowed down even more, walking monuments and enjoying familiar streets.
🚗 Why This Road Trip Stuck With Us
It wasn’t about chasing highlights or packing the days full. It was about choosing one shared interest and letting it shape the trip.
Two cities. Two ballparks. A few nights away.
That was enough.
Reflection:
If you planned a one- or two-night getaway around something you love, where would it take you?
💛 If you enjoy thoughtful travel and connection-first trips, join the newsletter here.