In it's heyday this beautiful old art deco terminal was one of the busiest passenger train stations around. It could handle a maximum of 17,000 passengers and 216 trains per day. The last passenger train pulled out of the terminal in 1972. However, since 1991, Amtrak once again is using the station. Now only six trains a week pass through Cincinnati. It's the "Cardinal," with three weekly trains going west (to Chicago) and three trains going east (to Washington, D.C).
Karen and I love railroading. We have traveled in and out of this terminal on several occasions and we hope for the day when America will once again have a more viable railway system. Union Terminal was begun in August, 1929, and completed in March 1933, as the joint venture of 7 different railways. The rotunda of the building is fabulous - a definite "must see" for those visiting Cincinnati - regardless of their mode of transportation. It spans 188 feet and soars to a peak of 106-feet-high. The walls are decorated with murals which portray the history of Cincinnati and environs.
In addition to the small Amtrak station, the building now is home to the Cincinnati Museum Center, one of the top cultural attractions in tthe Midwest. Inside are:
Museum of Natural History and Science
Cincinnati Historical Museum
Cinergy Children's Museum
Linder Family Omnimax Theater
Cincinnati Historical Society Library
Each of the three museums is a worthy destination within itself, and the Omnimax has a giant wrap-around screen, five stories high, that offers an unending series of spectacular shows. Also, more than 700 special events are held in the Museum Center each year.Tickets to the different museums vary. Multi-passes for the museums as well as annual passes are a good value.
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