You’re reading part of our 2026 Best of Cincinnati edition. Explore the full guide, including winners for Food & Drink, Things to Do, Shopping, Services and People & Places.
Although I am entering my golden years very soon (I am approaching 30), I still like to get out of the house and have a bit of fun between my doctor’s appointments and gardening adventures. Despite my old age, I am still a gigging musician and editor of an alt weekly here in Cincinnati. And although I don’t have a lot of free time, I know where to go to unwind. So, if you need any recommendations for where to catch a great local band, hit me up. If you want to get a new tattoo, I’ll hook you up. And if you wanna blow all your money, my Venmo is @Christian-LeDuc (Jk Jk… I know a good casino or two).
Keep reading for some of my favorite places around the Queen City.
Best place to be horrified: USS Nightmare
Halloween is hands-down the best holiday humans have ever created. Yeah, I will die on that hill. As an anxious person, there is nothing I love more than choosing to be afraid. If you aren’t anxious you won’t understand, and honestly, good for you because this is so damn annoying. Anyway, ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been fascinated with dark and wired stuff. I’ve been to hundreds of Halloween haunt attractions over the years and while nothing can compare to the haunted corn maze in my hometown in Tennessee, Newport’s USS Nightmare is by far the best haunted house in all the Tri-State region. It is floating on the Ohio River, which is already horrifying. It has animatronics that are so terrifying I’m honestly excited to see actors because at least I know they can’t hurt me.
101 Riverboat Row, Newport, Kentucky; ussnightmare.com
The best local band is obviously the one I play drums in: White Lighter
This city is full of amazing musicians and killer local bands, but the best of all is White Lighter. I am allowed to be biased for this one section, so I will shamelessly plug my own band. At my last job, someone complained, so my boss wouldn’t let me write about it anymore, which made me sad. Well, now I’m the boss, so take that. Anyway, White Lighter has been around since 2018. The current lineup includes yours truly on drums, Ethan Qureshi on lead guitar, Ben Jervis on vocals and rhythm guitar and Hallie Menkhaus on bass. We’ve put out two albums, including “Natural Law” in 2021 and “Human Law” in 2025. Our originals have a lot of punk, alt and hard rock influences. Our biggest song, “You Don’t Have to Go,” has nearly 80,000 streams on Spotify, which is cool. Catch us locally at places like Molly Malone’s in Covington, Bishop’s Quarter in Loveland, at various Reds and FC Cincinnati games along with a plethora of local festivals. We also play across the country in places like Lexington, St. Louis, Los Angeles, New York City, Louisville and more.
whitelighterband.com
The best place to lose your money: Hard Rock Casino
I have a lot of vices, but gambling isn’t one of them. I’ve lost out on enough money in life choosing journalism as a career path, so my tolerance for financial risk is low. But never zero. When I do want to lose money for fun and it doesn’t involve splurging on luxuries in life like gas and groceries, I will occasionally go to the Hard Rock Casino. She’s been good to me. One time for my birthday, my buddy gave me $50 to put in the slots, and we turned it into $200. I know that doesn’t sound exciting, but at that moment we thought we ruled the world. I also just love people watching, and there are always some characters in that place. At my last job, we had a few work events there early in the morning, and I was always impressed by the dedication of those glued to their favorite slot machines at 7 a.m.
1000 Broadway, Pendleton; casino.hardrock.com/cincinnati
The best place to get some permanent art: Lee Brewster
When people think about local artists, they often don’t include tattoo artists, which is frustrating because this region has some insane talent. My man Lee Brewster is hands down the best of the best. He used to own Born to Lose in Clifton but now he works out of Neighborhood Classic in Erlanger. I got the balls to get my first tattoo back in 2019 and it was so stupid. It was my childhood dead cat as a ghost holding a skull on my arm. Like, WTF was I thinking? Even with that horrendous idea, Lee brought it to life. He captured that dumb little cat in a way that I didn’t even know was possible. Fast forward nearly a decade later and now I have too much ink, according to my mom. Most of my work is by Lee. Every time I’ve come to him with an idea, either deeply meaningful or dumb as hell, he creates something I could never even think of. He’s consistent and professional, and his work is worth the money. If you want a cheap tattoo, you’ll get one.
@leebrewstertattoos on Instagram
Best place to see a killer local band: Revel Urban Winery
Revel Urban Winery is a fantastic spot to discover amazing local musicians. It is located at 111 E. 12th St. in the heart of Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. It is not technically a music venue, but the business hosts a range of artists who usually play in the upstairs room. I discovered one of my favorite local musicians, Mic. Carr was walking home one night with a friend from a different bar a few summers ago. We stood outside and listened to a few songs before heading upstairs for a drink. Carr’s vibes were immaculate but something about good acoustics in such a small space with a little wine has a certain magic to it that the grungier dive bar venues and the larger room spots like Bogarts or the Madison Live just can’t compete with. Sometimes music needs to be intimate and Revel does a fantastic job of creating an inviting space for both musicians, their fans and random people walking on the street.
111 E. 12th St. in OTR; revelotr.com
This article appears in Best of Cincinnati 2026.
