Admire vistas or unique neighborhoodOne spankin' new neighborhood on a hill overlooking the Ohio and one drenched in history on the edge of downtown will welcome visitors this weekend.

        The events are Citirama, produced by the Home Builders Association of Northern Kentucky, and Living on the Edge, a Northside House Tour sponsored by the Northside Heritage Days Committee.

        CiTiRAMA (Today through Oct. 20) The showcase features eight new homes priced $550,000-$1 million, furnished, landscaped, decorated and designed to take advantage of spectacular Ohio River and Cincinnati skyline views from Newport's historic Wiedemann Hill.

        High-end homebuilders include Ashley Development, Steller Homes, Cull Homes, Stegman Construction, Cutter Custom Homes(two homes), maile build.remodel.design and Tim Burks Builder. Visitors can keep track of their favorite design features with a free magazine with floor plans and a list of suppliers. And visitors can vote for their favorite home, interior decorating and landscaping on Peoples Choice Award ballots.

        Hours: noon-10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday and 5-10 p.m. Monday-Friday. Tickets: $8, free for children under 12. No on-site parking. There will be free TANK transportation from Newport on the Levee at the Third Street curb near Brio's.

        Information: (859) 331-9500; www.citirama.org.

        The Northside House Tour (Noon-5 p.m. Sunday)

        Home tours, especially those with a historic bent, don't usually include quirky amenities such as tap-dancers, harpists, basket weavers, photographers, songwriters, painters and musicians. But then, Northside is no ordinary neighborhood. Its buildings are as colorful and varied as its residents. McKie Recreation Center will house a quilt show and raffle during the tour, and performing artists will entertain along the way at homes and rest stops.

        History and architecture buffs will appreciate the historic Salmon P. Chase School (1886), designed by Henry Siter, and the Hoffner Lodge (1886), designed by Samuel Hannaford. The school has been restored and converted into 28 condos by the Women's Research and Development Corp. Hoffner Lodge, renamed the Maitri Center, once housed a Masonic lodge and temple and its storefront was the spot where Barney Kroger first sold meat and cheese from the same building.

        The nine tour homes include an 1866 Italianate farmhouse, a 1869 mansion, Tudor homes from the '20s and new construction.

        Tickets: $8 in advance at any Northside banks,Taylor Jameson's Hair Salon at 1568 Chase Ave. or Shake It Records, 4123 Hamilton Ave.; $10 day-of-the-tour tickets at McKie Recreation Center, 1655 Chase Ave. Free shuttle.

        Information: 541-7563.

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