Trip 6 · Northern Kentucky
Bison, the Dog Mayor & the Ice Ball
CrittersScoopsOdditiesLittle kids OKGrade-school sweet spot
Live bison grazing where their Ice Age cousins sank into science, a town whose duly elected mayor is a dog, an 1817 car ferry, and a snow cone with a vanilla ice-cream heart.
The route
US 25 north → KY 338 to Big Bone Lick → river lanes to Rabbit Hash → KY 18 → KY 8 → Anderson Ferry → Devou Park → Bellevue → Roebling Bridge → home
Stops
Big Bone Lick
Mammoths and giant sloths died in these salt bogs; Jefferson sent collectors; textbooks call it the cradle of American paleontology. A live bison herd grazes the valley.
Rabbit Hash
An 1831 general store (burned 2016, rebuilt board by board), a riverbank of banjo loafers, and a mayor who is — verifiably, electorally — a dog. Pay your respects.
Anderson Ferry
Crossing the Ohio continuously since 1817. A few bucks cash buys your car a boat ride.
Devou Park overlook
The Cincinnati skyline arranged for your windshield.
Schneider's Sweet Shop
Since 1939: opera creams and the famous ice ball with ice cream — shaved-ice armor over a vanilla core. Then walk the 1866 Roebling Bridge, Brooklyn's older sibling, and hum along with the deck.
File a field report
Found a new dairy bar? Bridge out? Dog mayor re-elected? Email a field report and the best dispatches get published (first names only) on the Field Notes page.