TALL STACKS GUIDE

Planning your visit General information:  • Getting there  • Rules  • Tickets  • Weather forecast Schedules:  • Daily events  • Concerts & theater  • Sawyertown (Kids)  • On the Kentucky side Cincinnati.Com's Tall Stacks section

Off the riverfront, live music goes on

Tall Stacks music ends by 11 p.m.. If you don't want the music to stop, lots of nightclubs offer live blues, jazz, bluegrass and other Tall Stacks-style music tonight.

Blues

• Nashville-based Stacy Mitchhart & Blues U Can Use rock the Blue Note (4520 W. Eighth St., Price Hill; 921-8898; 9 p.m.; $5), a casual working-class rock bar west of downtown.

• In Covington, the local king of blues and boogie piano, Ricky Nye, plays Chez Nora's (520 Main, Covington; 859-491-8027), a casual-to-dressy restaurant/bar with a full menu that far exceeds usual bar-food expectations (9 p.m.; no cover).

Americana

• Singer/guitarist Marcos Sastre hosts a night of jamming at La Normandie (118 E. Sixth St., downtown; 721-2761). It's a CD-release party for the Saturday Night Guitar Pull - Cincinnati, featuring such local lights as the Goshorn Brothers, Brian Lovely and Steve Schmidt (7:30-11:30 p.m.; free). La Normandie is an upscale steakhouse, so while you can go in jeans, the food is far fancier than the usual bar fare.

• The Sidecars play authentic western swing at Arnold's (210 E. Eighth St., downtown; 421-6234). Music 6:30-11:30 p.m.; no cover; full menu, casual.

Jazz

• Wednesday is the traditional night for the weekly Blue Wisp Big Band gigs at its namesake, the Blue Wisp Jazz Club (318 E. Eighth St., downtown; 241-9477). For jazz and big band fans, this is the place to be, the area's finest musicians playing world-class, original charts (9:30 p.m.; $8). It's a casual place, but no food.

World Beat

• South of the border, in Covington, the salsa band Tropicoso plays for dancers in the Emerald Ballroom of Jack Quinn's (112 E. Fourth St.; 859-491-6699). Music at 9 p.m.; $6. It's a casual Irish pub with a full menu.

Larry Nager

The fun doesn't end with boats

Recommended non-Tall Stacks activities:

Baseball as America: Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal hosts an exhibit telling the story of baseball in America, with artifacts and photographs from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. today-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. 1301 Western Ave., West End. $6.75, $5.75 seniors, $4.75 ages 3-12. 287-7000.

Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art: six floors of stimulating video art, engaging sound installations, thought-provoking sculpture and more. Open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. (until 9 p.m. Thursday), noon-6 p.m. Saturday, Sixth and Walnut streets, downtown. $6.50, $5.50 seniors, $4.50 students, $3.50 ages 3-13. 345-8400.

Bats Incredible: This public art project to celebrate the opening of Great American Ball Park includes close to 200 whimsical sculptures created from baseball bats on view throughout the area. For more information, call ArtWorks at 333-0388 or see www.batsincredible.com

Great American Ball Park: Tours will begin at the top of every hour between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tickets: $5, seniors and children are $4, at the advanced ticket window at the ballpark's main entrance at Second and Main streets.

Jason Nebel

Graeter's on board

Graeter's ice cream doesn't usually make an appearance at festivals and street events. You don't see it at Taste of Cincinnati, for instance. But it's at Tall Stacks. Not only are there several ice cream social cruises (sold out), but Graeter's will have a booth at the Best of Cincinnati area at the Serpentine Wall.

Graeter's is unveiling its newest product at Tall Stacks: The Big Scoop. It's a pre-packed container filled with 7 ounces of ice cream - about the size of a double-dip cone. It comes in four flavors, including vanilla and some chip varieties.

The booth also will sell Chip Wheelies - plus Tall Stacks Graeter's shirts and pins.

Polly Campbell

Tickets remain for dinner cruise, Halloween bash

Are you one of those last-minute, party-hopper people? Most of the dozens of Tall Stacks cruises are sold out, but a few still have openings. Among them . . .

• The Mariemont Preservation Foundation has a few tickets left for a 6:15 p.m. Thursday dinner cruise aboard the Creole Queen, an authentic stern-wheeler based in New Orleans that has three levels and carries 800 passengers. $110 per ticket; 272-1166.

• A few openings are left on the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden's HallZooWeen cruise on the Celebration Belle stern-wheeler at 12:30 p.m. Thursday (kids are invited to come in costume). The Celebration Belle, based in Moline, Ill., has three levels and carries 800 passengers. $31.50, online at www.tallstacks.com/riverboats/cruise_descriptions.html.

• Tickets are still available for the crown jewel of Tall Stacks parties, the Tall Stacks Gala aboard the General Jackson Showboat, boarding at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The $200-a-ticket party (cocktail attire) includes a massive buffet and dancing on a 21/2-hour cruise. The 274-foot General Jackson stern-wheeler is based at the Grand Old Opry in Nashville. Tickets at www.tallstacks.com/galatickets.html.

• St. Elizabeth Medical Center Foundation sails on the Harriet Bishop stern-wheeler at 5 p.m. Saturday. The $100-a-ticket dinner cruise includes a beef-and-chicken dinner and 21/2-hour cruise on the 98-foot, three-level riverboat. (859) 344-3920.

• The Boys Hope, Girls Hope party on Deck 1 of the Majestic side-wheeler sails at 9:15 p.m. Saturday. The 21/2-hour cruise includes a chicken-and-beef dinner and dancing to Twice as Nice. The Majestic, based in Pittsburgh, has three levels and carries 900 passengers. $125 a ticket. Call 721-3380.