Sports and Recreation

     Cincinnati's city parks, Hamilton County's 15 parks and several state parks are easily accessible to Cincinnati visitors. Among these choices, the sports-minded can find facilities for almost any activity. Many of the parks have tennis courts, camping sites and lakes for boating, fishing and swimming.
     Hiking trails are plentiful, especially at Mount Airy Forest. Eden Park, 186 acres off Gilbert Avenue between Elsinore and Morris, offers picnic facilities, lakes for ice skating and an exercise course. An enjoyable activity is a stroll along the riverfront at Bicentennial Commons at Sawyer Point or Yeatman's Cove Park. For information about city park facilities phone (513) 352-4080.
     There are many golf courses in the area, including seven city-owned and seven county-owned courses. The most well-known course is The Golf Center at Kings Island, (513) 398-7700, with two Jack Nicklaus-designed courses.
     For those more interested in spectator sports, the city has much to offer. When in the Queen City, if your favorite baseball team is not the Cincinnati Reds, it is best to keep that fact under your hat. World Series winners in 1975, 1976 and 1990, the Big Red Machine has a large following. The Reds play at Great American Ballpark; for ticket and schedule information phone (513) 765-7000.
     When all eyes turn from the diamond to the gridiron, football's Cincinnati Bengals become the city's stars. The team plays at the Paul Brown Stadium which opened in 2000. They gained a lofty status when they captured the 1981 and 1988 American Football Conference championships. For ticket and schedule information phone (513) 621-3550.
     Sports fans can head indoors October through March to root for the American Hockey League's Cincinnati Mighty Ducks. The team plays at Cincinnati Gardens; phone (513) 351-3999 for ticket information. Tennis fans won't want to miss the Western Southern Financial Group Masters Tournament in August in nearby Mason; phone (513) 651-0303.
     Perhaps because of Cincinnati's proximity to Kentucky, horse racing events are popular. River Downs Racetrack, (513) 232-8000, at 6301 Kellogg Ave., offers Thoroughbred racing late April through Labor Day. Turfway Park, about 10 miles south off I-75 exit 182 at 7500 Turfway Rd. in Florence, Ky., is the scene of Thoroughbred racing September to mid-October and Thanksgiving through early April; phone (859) 371-0200 or (800) 733-0200 for dates. The Kentucky Speedway, in nearby Sparta, Ky., hosts automobile racing mid-May to mid-August; phone (859) 578-2300 for ticket information.