Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Miami and Dayton in 3 Days: A Southwest Ohio Drive Trip
A parent-first plan for seeing the University of Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky University, Miami University and the University of Dayton from one hotel in Cincinnati: official tour sign-ups, visitor parking at every campus, meals between tours, things for siblings and weather by season.
McMicken Hall, University of Cincinnati (May 2017). Photo: Antony-22 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped
Last checked Oct 27, 2026. Every fact comes from the pages listed in Sources at the bottom. Some hotel and tour links are affiliate links (disclosure).
Check before you go. Tour times, sign-up rules, parking and seasonal closures change often, sometimes weekly. Every campus section below links to that school's official visit page and shows when we last checked it. Confirm there before you book or drive. College Visit Guides is not affiliated with or endorsed by any college or university. Names are used only to identify them.
The short version
Trip at a glance
Schools
University of Cincinnati · Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Ky. · Miami University, Oxford, Ohio · University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio
Days
3: UC and Northern Kentucky, then Miami in Oxford, then Dayton on the way to the airport. Arrive the day before.
Fly into
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (CVG), about 30 minutes and 16.6 miles from the hotel by car. On day 3 you can fly home from Dayton (DAY) instead.
Best base
The Graduate by Hilton Cincinnati, right on the UC campus, about an 18-minute walk from UC's admissions office in University Pavilion.
Car or transit
Plan on a car: Northern Kentucky is about 16 minutes away, Miami about an hour and Dayton about an hour and 5 minutes, with no traffic. The hotel has no airport shuttle.
Registration
All four schools take visit registration online. Northern Kentucky requires a reservation for every visit.
1. Who this guide is for
This plan is for parents with a high schooler, and maybe younger siblings, who want to see four Division I universities around Cincinnati in one trip: the University of Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky University just across the Ohio River, Miami University in Oxford and the University of Dayton.
Instead of changing hotels, you sleep at the Graduate by Hilton Cincinnati every night. It's set right on the University of Cincinnati campus, about a mile from the Cincinnati Zoo.
Why this order
Day 1: UC's campus tour and college info session is a walk from the hotel, and Northern Kentucky's visit is about 16 minutes away by car for the afternoon.
Day 2: Miami University in Oxford is about 58 minutes from the hotel, so you can build a full day there with Miami's personalized visit portal.
Day 3: Dayton's 90-minute visit is about an hour and 5 minutes north. The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force is about 15 minutes from campus, and Dayton's airport is about 27 minutes from the museum.
Each campus checks you in somewhere different
UC: the Admissions front desk in University Pavilion. Admissions validates parking for tour guests who park in a campus garage.
Northern Kentucky: visits start in the Welcome Center; park in the Welcome Center Guest Lot. Your confirmation email has GPS links to your parking spot.
Miami: the Admission Visit Center is in the Shriver Center, 381 Maple St., Oxford.
Dayton: stop at the visitor information booth for a parking pass, then go to the main entrance of Albert Emanuel Hall. Arrive 15 minutes early.
Tour availability varies by season.
Northern Kentucky's Academic Overview visits, which add lunch in the Student Union with a faculty or staff member, run only on select Wednesdays.
In severe weather, Dayton may cancel outdoor tours and share a video tour instead. Northern Kentucky's tours go rain or shine, and NKU usually hands out free ponchos when it rains.
The Cincinnati Zoo is open 10 a.m.–5 p.m. from Jan. 5 through Nov. 18. It's busiest on weekends, holidays and nice-weather days; arrive before 10:30 a.m. or after 2:30 p.m. to avoid most lines.
The Air Force museum is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
Winter brings some snow: the Cincinnati airport averages about 7.7 inches in January and 6.7 inches in February.
2. The suggested 3-day plan
Drive and walk times are no-traffic estimates from OpenStreetMap routing, using addresses geocoded with OpenStreetMap Nominatim. Weekday rush hours can make the drives to Oxford and Dayton longer.
The hotel has no airport shuttle, so rent a car at the airport.
Arrival day: fly into Cincinnati and check in on the UC campus
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (CVG) → Graduate by Hilton Cincinnati (151 Goodman St.)
Driving (no traffic)
~30 min, 16.6 mi (no-traffic estimate)
Walking & driving
Drive
Hotel → Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (3400 Vine St.)
Driving (no traffic)
~2 min, 0.5 mi
Walking & driving
~14 min walk, 0.6 mi
Check-in is at 4 p.m.; self-parking is $20 a day with in-and-out privileges.
If you land early, the Zoo is a short walk from the hotel and is open until 5 p.m. through Nov. 18.
Day 1: University of Cincinnati on foot, then Northern Kentucky
Hotel → University Pavilion (UC Office of Admissions)
Driving (no traffic)
Walk
Walking & driving
~18 min walk, 0.8 mi
University Pavilion → Tangeman University Center food court
Driving (no traffic)
Walk
Walking & driving
~1 min walk, 0.1 mi
Hotel → Northern Kentucky University, Lucas Administrative Center (400 Nunn Dr., Highland Heights, Ky.)
Driving (no traffic)
~16 min, 10.1 mi (no-traffic estimate)
Walking & driving
Drive
Northern Kentucky → Newport Aquarium (Newport on the Levee, Newport, Ky.)
Driving (no traffic)
~13 min, 7.3 mi
Walking & driving
Drive
Newport Aquarium → hotel
Driving (no traffic)
~13 min, 4.7 mi
Walking & driving
Drive
Wear walking shoes for UC's tour; it's led by ROAR student guides.
Lunch at the Tangeman University Center food court, next to University Pavilion: Chick-fil-A, Pei Wei, Halal Shack and Cincy Grill.
Northern Kentucky's Campus Visit is a 20-minute presentation followed by a 75-minute walking tour.
Day 2: Miami University in Oxford
Hotel → Miami University, Shriver Center (381 Maple St., Oxford)
Driving (no traffic)
~58 min, 32.8 mi (no-traffic estimate)
Walking & driving
Drive
Shriver Center → Uptown Oxford (High St.)
Driving (no traffic)
Walk
Walking & driving
~7 min walk, 0.3 mi
Oxford → hotel
Driving (no traffic)
~58 min, 38.1 mi (no-traffic estimate)
Walking & driving
Drive
Miami's visit portal lets you pick a date, register for a first event, then add more activities, such as the admission info session, campus tour and academic sessions, and save your itinerary.
Park at a meter or in the Campus Avenue or North Campus garage (hourly rates) to skip buying a permit.
Day 3: University of Dayton and the Air Force museum, then fly home
Hotel → University of Dayton, Albert Emanuel Hall (300 College Park Ave.)
Driving (no traffic)
~1 hr 5 min, 49.3 mi (no-traffic estimate)
Walking & driving
Drive
Albert Emanuel Hall → Kennedy Union
Driving (no traffic)
Walk
Walking & driving
~5 min walk, 0.2 mi
Dayton → National Museum of the U.S. Air Force (Wright-Patterson AFB)
Driving (no traffic)
~15 min, 7.1 mi
Walking & driving
Drive
Air Force museum → Dayton International (DAY)
Driving (no traffic)
~27 min, 14.9 mi
Walking & driving
Drive
Air Force museum → Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (CVG), if you're flying home from there
Driving (no traffic)
~1 hr 37 min, 72.9 mi (no-traffic estimate)
Walking & driving
Drive
Check out of the hotel by 11 a.m., before you leave for Dayton.
Dayton's admission counselors are available in Albert Emanuel Hall after the tour if you have individual questions.
3. Campus by campus
McMicken Hall, University of Cincinnati (May 2017). Photo: Antony-22 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped
First-year students register for a campus tour and college info session. Most of UC's academic colleges also offer their own information session if you want to learn about a specific major.
UC's Open House is its biggest visit option: two academic college sessions, a residence hall, lunch on campus and a campus tour.
Wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes, check the forecast, and bring an umbrella or sunscreen.
Visitor parking
Admissions validates parking for tour and event guests who park in a campus garage. Walking directions to University Pavilion are posted from the Calhoun, Campus Green, CCM, Corry and Woodside garages.
The Stratford and University Avenue garages aren't open to visitors without a permit, and Clifton Court Garage is currently unavailable.
Garage rates start at $3.25 for up to an hour and top out at $10 for 3–24 hours; weekends are $5.25. Garages take credit cards only, with no digital wallets, and are busiest 10 a.m.–2 p.m. on weekdays.
Getting there
About an 18-minute walk from the hotel to University Pavilion, so you can leave the car parked.
What to know
The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is about a mile from the hotel.
Contact
University of Cincinnati, 2600 Clifton Ave., Cincinnati; main line 513-556-6000. Admissions front desk: University Pavilion.
Last checked Oct 27, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
A Campus Visit, offered throughout the week, is a roughly 20-minute admissions presentation followed by a roughly 75-minute walking tour. It starts in the Welcome Center.
Academic Overviews add lunch in the Student Union with a faculty or staff member from your student's area of interest; they run on select Wednesdays.
Tours go rain or shine, so wear comfortable shoes and bring an umbrella or rain jacket if rain is forecast.
Visitor parking
For Welcome Center visits, park in the Welcome Center Guest Lot. Your confirmation email includes GPS links to your parking location.
Getting there
About 16 minutes and 10 miles from the hotel by car with no traffic.
What to know
The Newport Aquarium, at Newport on the Levee, is about 13 minutes from campus by car.
Contact
Welcome Center: (859) 572-5220. Office of Admissions: Lucas Administrative Center, 400 Nunn Dr., Highland Heights, Ky.; nkuadmissions@nku.edu, 1-800-637-9948, Monday–Friday 8:15 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Last checked Oct 27, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
Miami's in-person Personalized Campus Visit includes an admission information session, campus tours and academic information sessions.
In the portal, search by date or by interest. After you register for your first event, you can add more activities and save your itinerary.
Visitor parking
Surface lots need a permit at all times, and Spring, Oak and Maple streets need one 7 a.m.–6 p.m. on weekdays. A visitor permit is $5 a day online and is tied to your license plate, so there's nothing to hang on the mirror.
No permit is needed at parking meters or in the Campus Avenue and North Campus garages, where hourly rates apply.
Getting there
About 58 minutes from the hotel by car with no traffic.
What to know
Uptown Oxford, about a 7-minute walk from the Shriver Center, is where Miami's Ultimate Guide to Oxford sends visitors for local food and shops. Miami also points visitors to its Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum and Hefner Museum of Natural History.
Contact
Admission Visit Center: Shriver Center, 381 Maple St., Oxford, Ohio; visitcoor@MiamiOH.edu.
Last checked Oct 27, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
A standard visit lasts about 90 minutes: a 30-minute information session, then a one-hour walking tour led by a student ambassador.
The tour covers the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, Kennedy Union, Roesch Library, RecPlex, the Health and Wellbeing Center and Marycrest, a first-year residence hall.
You can also schedule a meeting with an admission counselor, a faculty member or Career Services. Dayton can often arrange a golf cart tour for guests who need mobility accommodations; email ahead.
Visitor parking
Pick up a parking pass at the visitor information booth; the attendant will direct you to a lot near Albert Emanuel Hall.
A permit or visitor permit is required Monday–Thursday 6 a.m.–7:30 p.m. and Friday 6 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Outside those hours, no permit is needed in visitor spaces or single-letter lots.
Getting there
About an hour and 5 minutes from the hotel by car with no traffic, and about 15 minutes from the Air Force museum.
What to know
The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is free, with free parking, and open 9 a.m.–5 p.m. daily.
Contact
Office of Recruitment and Admission: Albert Emanuel Hall, 300 College Park Ave., Dayton; admission@udayton.edu.
Last checked Oct 27, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
One hotel for every night means no repacking. UC is a walk from your room, Northern Kentucky is a short drive across the river, and Miami and Dayton are each about an hour away by car.
5. Meals between tours
Hours change, so check before you go.
At the hotel
Eat
Fiona's and Poindexter Coffee (Graduate by Hilton Cincinnati)
151 Goodman St., Cincinnati
The hotel's two spots: Fiona's restaurant and Poindexter Coffee. Breakfast is available for a fee.
Tangeman University Center, Level 2, University of Cincinnati
Chick-fil-A, Pei Wei, Halal Shack and Cincy Grill; order ahead in the Grubhub app or at kiosks with a debit or credit card. Pei Wei and Halal Shack are closed on weekends.
Au Bon Pain on the first floor (Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–3:30 p.m.), plus 'Que barbecue, Spice bowls and sushi, and Toss pizza and salads on the ground floor.
About a 14-minute walk from the hotel. Open 10 a.m.–5 p.m. from Jan. 5 through Nov. 18. Parking is $12, cashless, in lots across Vine St., Erkenbrecher Ave. and Dury Ave.
Two minutes from downtown Cincinnati, with sharks, penguins, stingrays and Shark Bridge. Entry is timed, so pick an entry time and buy tickets online ahead.
At UC, walk from the hotel; if you drive, use a campus garage (cards only) and have admissions validate your parking.
At Northern Kentucky, park in the Welcome Center Guest Lot; your confirmation email has GPS links.
At Miami, use a meter or the Campus Avenue or North Campus garage, or buy a $5 day permit online with your plate number.
At Dayton, get a parking pass at the visitor information booth on the way in.
Tour day comfort
UC, Northern Kentucky and Dayton all say to wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the weather.
Arrive 15 minutes early at Dayton to allow time for check-in.
Weather by season (1991–2020 NOAA normals: Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport)
Spring: April averages about 66°F highs and 44°F lows, with about 4.5 inches of precipitation.
Summer: July averages about 86°F highs and 66°F lows, and August about 85°F highs.
Fall: October averages about 67°F highs and 46°F lows; November highs drop to about 54°F.
Winter: January averages about 40°F highs and 23°F lows, with about 7.7 inches of snow.
Parent checklist
Register for all four visits online: UC, Northern Kentucky (reservations required), Miami and Dayton.
Book the Graduate by Hilton Cincinnati for every night and rent a car; there's no airport shuttle.
Bring a credit card for UC's garages, and your license plate number if you buy Miami's online visitor permit.
Check Northern Kentucky's confirmation email for your parking GPS link.
After each visit, take five minutes to jot down what stood out to your student.
8. Student-athlete recruiting visits
For families whose student hopes to play a college sport. Rules below are the NCAA's; each school's links were checked Oct 26, 2026.
Coaches arrange the recruiting part of a visit, not the admissions office. The tour sign-ups in this guide are for the regular family visit. An official (school-paid) visit is offered by the school, and contact with coaches follows NCAA rules that vary by division, sport and grade level.
Start with your sport's questionnaire, then email the coaches. The NCAA suggests emailing coaches with your achievements, highlight videos and interest in their program, including your name, position, NCAA ID and graduation year.
Unofficial visit: any campus visit you or your family pay for. You can take as many as you like; in Divisions I and II each one has to come after the first permissible date for your sport.
Official visit: a visit paid for by the school. Each school can offer your student only one. Before a Division I official visit, your student must be registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center, be on the school's institutional request list, and the school must have their high school transcripts.
Division I (University of Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky University, Miami University and University of Dayton): on an official visit the school can pay for travel for the student and up to two family members, lodging, up to three meals a day for the student and up to four family members, and up to $60 a person in entertainment, including five home-game tickets. On an unofficial visit there are no free meals, but the school can give up to three home-game tickets. Division I uses recruiting calendars with contact, evaluation, quiet and dead periods; in a dead period, no in-person contact and no visits.
Rules change. Confirm with the coach, or check the NCAA's recruiting page and recruiting calendars, before you plan dates.
Planning around the season
Check each school's athletics schedule (linked above) before you pick dates, so a coach meeting doesn't land on a road trip or game day for your sport.
Our recommendation, not a school rule: ask the coach whether they can line up an admissions session or tour around your meeting. If not, book the regular family tour yourself through the official sign-up links in this guide, and leave time between the two.
Add your dates and how you're getting there, and we'll pull this guide into one plan: tour sign-up links, the hotel base, parking or airport notes, the route and meals.
Coming soon
Planning more college trips?
Visit-season reminders and new trip guides from College Visit Guides. Newsletter coming soon.
Sources
All checked Oct 27, 2026. Tour schedules change constantly, so always confirm on each school's official sign-up page. Photo credits are under each photo and on our About page.
