Farcia Harvey considers herself to be pretty well traveled. The 27-year-old has crossed off New York City, New Orleans for Mardi Gras, Barcelona and Madrid from her travel bucket list. But one of her favorite trips was her 2024 birthday trip to Cincinnati, of all places.
“I think about that trip to Cincinnati genuinely all of the time,” Harvey tells CNBC Make It, saying she wanted somewhere not too far from her home at the time in Nashville, but not a staycation either. “It’s one of the best memories I have for my birthday, and it’s something that to this day, me and my friends still talk about.”
Some of her highlights were hitting the Somerset outdoor bar, Brown Bear Bakery, the Riverfront’s walking paths and the city’s free streetcar downtown — simpler and slower luxuries that bigger cities may not offer.
Her social media posts hyping Cincinnati and under-the-radar cities last summer went viral with over 1 million views on Instagram and Tiktok, prompting thousands of comments shouting out other secondary cities worth a visit.
Harvey’s love of hidden gem travel is part of a bigger trend where vacationers are seeking slower, more enriching trips away from the busyness of big-city destinations.
