The group of local school teachers who founded the popular Newport Gangster Tour have their hands full this year. Their brainchild has exploded into a set of three urban walking tours and has been rebranded as American Legacy Tours. If true crime is your thing, check out the Gangsters’ two-hour excursion into Northern Kentucky’s seedy wise guy past. Participants learn the how and why Newport was once the Las Vegas of the Midwest. Civil War buffs will get a charge out of the Cincinnati Civil War tour that exhibits the Queen City’s role in the nation’s bloodiest conflict. And, finally, the Queen City Underground Tour takes intrepid explorers beneath Cincinnati streets to witness the beer caves and rum running tunnels that were part and parcel of the city’s checkered past. Besides the history, all the tours share a common, immersive experience that makes participants feel like they really are transported to another era. $10 for children; $15 for adults. Saturdays and other days as scheduled. Details available at www.americanlegacytours.com.
This article appears in Jun 15-21, 2011.