Mount Lookout

Mt. Lookout is a beautiful neighborhood with well maintained homes and apartment buildings. The heart of the neighborhood is Mt. Lookout Square where Linwood and Delta converge in a quirky, parallel configuration before going their separate ways. Restaurants, shops and cafes line both sides of the square.

The area can be a bit confusing at times with vehicles curving to the left and right, cars parking in the center and pedestrians crossing back and forth, but that's part of the fun. Other than traffic confusion around the square, Mt Lookout is one of the safest areas in the city.

Shopping
An assortment of small boutiques and shops line both sides of Mt. Lookout Square. The Dust Jacket Bookstore has used, vintage and consignment books. Boardwalk Hobby shop sells models, games and supplies for your favorite hobby. You'll even find a few hair salons and a UDF ice cream store.

Mt Lookout Farmer's Market is held weekly from June through October. This year it will take place in Mt Lookout Square, Saturdays from 10:00 to 1:00. If you need more than fruits and veggies, Kroger and Remke/Biggs in Hyde Park Plaza are just a few minutes away.

Restaurants and entertainment
If you want dinner out in Mount Lookout, you'll find a lot of variety in that always-busy area. Nectar (dineatnectar.com) focuses on Mediterranean style dishes created with local and organically grown ingredients. Ichiban (ichibancinci.com) serves sushi and Japanese cuisine. Zip's Cafe (zipscafe.com) says they serve the city's best cheeseburger. There are several other eateries in the area.

The Redmoor, (theredmoor.com) formerly the Mt. Lookout Theater, is now an entertainment venue. They host live musical performances. The space can also be rented for weddings, parties and special events.

Parks and Recreation
Ault Park 3600 Observatory – This beautiful park is tucked away among some of the neighborhood's beautiful homes. It has picnic facilities, nature trails and a terraced pavilion that's perfect for weddings and parties; and in 2008 it was the site of a major Obama rally.

Cincinnati Observatory, 3489 Observatory Pl., was established in 1842. It's the home of the world's oldest telescope still in use. The Observatory offers educational programs and public events for all ages

Mt. Lookout Swim Club (membership only) Ellison at Totten Aves. (mtlookoutswimclub.com)

Cincinnati Public Schools
Kilgour Elementary K-6, 1339 Herschel Ave. (kilgour.cps-k12.org)

Private Schools
Cardinal Pacelli School- Pre-K – 8, 927 Ellison, (cardinalpacelli.org)
St Ursala Villa -1-8 also Aftercare and Homework Club programs, 3660 Vineyard Place, (stursulavilla.org)

There are no hospitals in the neighborhood, but if your doggie gets sick, the Animal Hospital on Mt. Lookout Square (www.ahomls.com) is open six days a week. People hospitals are about 15 minutes away.

Mt. Lookout is a vibrant community with well-manicured lawns and lovely homes just like it's neighbor, Hyde Park. It's hard to tell where Hyde Park ends and Mt. Lookout begins, because the communities roll into each other and are so similar. There are properties in Mt. Lookout every bit as expensive as properties in Hyde Park, but there are also some much more affordable one, especially as you head down Delta Avenue or Linwood Avenue. You can also find some more reasonable rents in Mt. Lookout, although they still tend to be on the higher end of the scale.

Mt. Lookout has much to offer in the categories of dining and nightlife. The restaurants in Mt. Lookout offer a variety of cuisines from some of the best Thai food in the city at Ruthai's Thai Kitchen on Linwood to one of the top rated burgers in the city at Zip's Cafe on Delta. There is excellent Mediterranean fare at Pera on Mt. Lookout Square to new American cuisine featuring locally source supplies at Nectar. Some of the most popular hangouts in Cincinnati are located in Mt. Lookout. Millions Cafe and Mt. Lookout Tavern, or MLT's, are right across the street from each other and are usually packed to overflowing on weekends. Grab a drink and listen to some live music, but watch out for overage frat boys, especially at MLT's. Another good local hangout is The Stand. For more live music, check put the Redmoor, which features local and national acts. The Redmoor is also an event venue and a great place to hold a wedding or reception.

If you want to go shopping, Mt. Lookout has a unique assortment of stores. If you are into gaming or hobbies, Boardwalk Hobby Shop is one of the best stores of its kind anywhere. The owners are friendly and helpful and have been running the place for decades. The Dust Jacket is a small bookstore with vintage and used books. There are a number of other small, local shops and boutiques offering a variety of interesting items.

Beautiful Ault Park is one of the nicest parks in Cincinnati, with mature trees and pretty flowers, walking paths and views of the river. A variety of events are hosted throughout the year at Ault Park and the Grand Pavilion is a popular place for weddings. Another interesting location in Mt. Lookout is the Cincinnati Observatory, which is a fully functional 19th century observatory and home to the world's oldest telescope still in use by the public. The Cincinnati Observatory is on Observatory Place, conveniently located off of Observatory Avenue.

There are some apartments in Mt. Lookout, but most of the residences are elegant homes situated on quiet streets. One of the benefits of Mt. Lookout is its convenient location close to Downtown Cincinnati, yet with easy access to the interstate. While Mt. Lookout is not a housing bargain, it is definitely a great place to live if you can afford it.

I have house sat in Mount Lookout multiple times and I really enjoyed the time I spent there. Its a quiet area with beautiful homes and clean streets. Its a very hilly neighborhood and lots of curvy roads. This kind of makes the area hard to navigate if you are new to it. (I've gotten lost in it and have made others lost by trying to give directions on more than one occasion) but I bet once you know the routes you will like living there as there won't be much thru traffic.

The other great thing about Mount lookout is its close proximity to Downtown and Hyde Park, two hotspots in Cincinnati; and the Universities Xavier ad UC are not far as well. Its about 15 minutes max to each.

A not so good thing about this area is the cost of housing and its resale value. The place that I house sit is actually up for sale and it has been for about a year I think. The owners are having a tough time getting interest to buyers with the housing market being the way it is and because their particular house is too grand and its not very practical for them to want to continue living there.

Ault Park is also a great place to have a picnic or take a nice walk. I did both on the Forth of July and I watched the fireworks from the different areas trying to find a friend. It was a nice little adventure and I could see the Fireworks the whole time.

Overall I would tell people looking for a place to settle for a long time Mount Lookout is one of the best in Cincinnati.