Location: Ripley
Top Things to do in Ripley
Top 7 Things to do in Ripley, United States
Ripley is a village in Brown County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River 50 miles southeast of Cincinnati. The population was 1,750 at the 2010 census.
Restaurants in Ripley
1. John Rankin House
Overall Ratings
5 based on 50 reviews
Reviewed By Judy W
The history of this place is fascinating. The inside of the house has been restored beautifully. If you love history this is a must. Plus you get a gorgeous view of the Ohio River.
2. Kentucky Gateway Museum Center
Overall Ratings
5 based on 52 reviews
Kentucky Gateway Museum Center: Three Historic Collections in One Dynamic Place!Explorers. Movie Stars. Artists. Pioneers. Slaves. Everyone who ever passed through this part of Kentucky or called it home left a story behind. Some are stories of courage and great achievement, others of love and everyday survival. The more we explore those struggles and dreams, the more we understand our own. Now, by showcasing three dynamic collections in one place, the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center brings all the stories of the region into fascinating focus: Our Genealogical and Historical Research Library, sheds light on the people and events of a seven-county area through an extensive collection of books, manuscripts and documents from colonial times. Our Regional History Museum illuminates the past through award-winning dioramas, more than 4,000 regional artifacts and a gallery of fine art related to the area. Our KSB Miniatures Collection looks at the world from a new perspective through mesmerizing, 1/12-scale reproductions of homes, furnishings, clothing, artwork and people. And our Changing Exhibits Gallery that has been host to award-winning traveling exhibits such as the "The World We Create", "Children Just Like Me", "The Cabaret Mechanical Theatre", "Brain Teasers", "Everybody Eats", "Herblock" and many others. Step outside the Center, and you'll discover that Maysville's stately architecture has more than a few great tales to tell, as does the pioneer graveyard located behind the Center. Before tomorrow becomes yesterday, we invite you to get the whole story at the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center!
Reviewed By goseedo - South Dakota
This review is for the genealogical section of the Center.
If you are researching your family tree, with roots in this area (five counties) of Kentucky (plus two nearby counties in Ohio), the Gateway Museum Center's research library is a must on your visit list. While on our first trip, with only had a few hours to scope out the research area, we came away enthralled with the depth of data available and its well-catalogued organization -- family histories, deaths, maps, newspapers, private collections, even the Draper Manuscript Collection -- exactly what any genealogist, whether novice or skilled, is seeking.
The well-lit research section is on the upper floor (elevator available), offering plenty of tables and seating for spreading out notes and books, and providing row after row of shelves filled with indexed and bound compilations. The representative was most cordial and helpful, explaining the contents and layout of the library, obtaining off-the-shelf information, and making copies. Coffee and clean restrooms are on the lower level. There is a fee to come in, so arriving early in the day will help to get the most out of your visit; or consider an annual membership if your have several days available. Pay attention to the website for cost and days and hours it's open, and call ahead to double-check if you're traveling a distance.
We are anxious to return and continue untangling our roots. Highly recommend.
3. Meranda-Nixon Winery
Overall Ratings
5 based on 16 reviews
Reviewed By LiketoeatCincinnati - Cincinnati
The wine tasting cost is quite reasonable and the wines themselves nicely priced. The wine is very good and served in a beautiful and modern setting in the vineyards. This is a family owned business and the owners are very nice and pleasant to speak with.
4. The Old Pogue Distillery
Overall Ratings
5 based on 29 reviews
Reviewed By Christopher F - Rochester
Warning GPS (Tom Tom) will steer you wrong. Look for the small sign on the right as you are coming down the hill. OR turn left instead of right at the bottom of the hill.
Quaint little place. One of the smaller distilleries on the tour. They are currently out of bourbon to buy, but you can get a taste. VERY small operation but the folks there are super friendly. WARNING. Very limited opportunities for tours. Check the website to make reservations.
5. John Parker House
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 16 reviews
This man is an exceptional figure in the history of the Underground Railroad. He was separated from his family and sold into slavery at age 8. He worked to buy his freedom, then risked it all by helping others to escape slavery. The docent at this house had extraordinary knowledge of the man.
Reviewed By savvycade - Cincinnati, Ohio
My kids and I decided to explore Ripley Ohio for the day. The docent here was so knowledgeable and passionate. He could suck you right into the life and times of John Parker lol. It was very interesting and worth the stop.
6. Kinkead Ridge Vineyard and Winery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5 reviews
Reviewed By bassbum - cincinnati, ohio
I've had the great good fortune to have visited many wineries over the last several decades, western and upstate New York, Tennessee, California, northern Ohio, and more than my share in the Ohio River valley but I have never visited one quite like this one!!
We found KR(www.kinkeadridge.com) in a review of a series of wineries clustered around the triangle of Ripley, Georgetown, and Bethel, Ohio and decided to make a day trip of it. Since most of these wineries were very limited in the days and hours they are open(check their websites to keep from finding them closed), we started with KR based upon their being open the earliest. I ran a routing on the computer and we headed for Ripley, Ohio, the tobacco producing capital of Ohio. Turning left on Hanover Street off of U.S. 52, the main route along the Ohio River and the main street of Ripley, we entered a residential area of single lane blacktop streets. Turning right on Hamburg Street, my wife and I began questioning if we had made a wrong turn somewhere because this didn't look like any area where we would ever find a winery - we were in a residential neighborhood. Confusion reigned. Having missed the numbers, we reversed course and headed back the way we came. What we found was a 1960's vintage single family ranch-style house with two ladies sitting in lawn chairs in front with a banner that said "Kinkead Ridge Winery" across what had at one time been a garage door and could not be seen with them sitting where they were.
After being greeted and shown inside, it was obvious the inside of the house had been gutted to create an open area where the fermenting tanks and other necessities of wine production have been installed. The first question out of my mouth was, "... how did you get a permit to put this business in a residential neighborhood?" Her answer, "...Ripley doesn't have any zoning." This means that anybody can put anything wherever they want in the village pretty much without restriction. Situation answered. The next question was the location of the vineyard, which obviously wasn't around here, and which turned out to be how the winery got its name, the vineyards being on Kinkead Ridge Road.
KR is one of the small estate wineries that dot the Ohio River valley, a legacy of the late Nicholas Longworth who first started commercial vinoculture in America, and produces maybe 700 cases a year, some from local grapes, some from juice brought in from other grape-growing areas. Riesling, Traminette, Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, plus Syrah and Petit Verdot form the bulk of their production. After paying an honorarium to the State of Ohio, we were offered generous amounts of their wares to contemplate its quality. We found the '11 Traminette and their '11 Riesling to our taste and although I'm not big on Cabernet Franc, I did find it more appealing than I usually do. Cost per bottle was average for the estate winery trade in Ohio.
After generous hospitality and a recommendation on a place to have lunch(which unfortunately didn't work out), we left a friendly and most interesting winery operation that will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression in my mind and upon my pallet as well.
7. Ripley Museum
Overall Ratings
4 based on 6 reviews
Reviewed By TravelingDiva13 - Madison, Wisconsin
For those interested in history, this museum is a must visit. It contains a replica of an old fashion kitchen, items such as a gift given to a slave on her wedding day, doll collections, presidential letters and much more.
