Residents have their choice of crossing the Ohio River to reach Brown County Hospital 23 miles away in Georgetown, Ohio or heading 12 miles downriver to Meadowview Regional Medical Center in Maysville, Kentucky.

The quiet little town of Germantown is home of the oldest fair in Kentucky, the Germantown Fair.

Local Farmers' Markets

Local Events in July

May 2023 Local Events

Best Local Soft-Serve Spots

Where to See 4th of July Fireworks

Northern Kentucky

The Brooksville Fire Department provides fire and EMS service. Residents have their choice of crossing the Ohio River to reach Brown County Hospital 24 miles away in Georgetown, Ohio or heading 19 miles downriver to Meadowview Regional Medical Center in Maysville, Kentucky.

If you like wide open spaces with plenty of room and time to pursue your hobbies, this is your area. Just a short drive away the Ohio River offers boating and fishing access. For residents interested in agritourism, The Lavender Hills Farm offers summer tours. The Bracken County Historical Society offers genealogy and historic research. During the summer, The Foots Club is a popular destination for outdoor concerts.

Daily needs like groceries and gas can be found here, but a more involved shopping trip will need a hop in the car to Augusta or Falmouth.

43 miles from Cincinnati, Brooksville sits at the center of Bracken County. As Bracken’s county seat, the village began as the settlement Woodward's Crossroads in the late 1700s. The county seat was moved from nearby Augusta in 1839, and the town was renamed Brookville after legislator David Brooks. A post office opened in 1842, later changing the village’s name to Brooksville. The town itself is less than a mile wide but its packed full of everything county residents need from banks, to hardware and insurance companies. Just over 600 people call this home ensuring that there’s plenty of room to call your own. This is primarily a farming community, and Brooksville is where social, political and entertainment needs are met. Housing ranges from farmhouses to turn of the century construction.

Brooksville

Brooksville sits at the intersection of St. Rt.19 and 10 in the center of rural Bracken County. Greater Cincinnati International Airport is a 45-minute drive, with Brown County Airport 12 miles away. Amtrak passes through the area with a stop nearby in Maysville.

Meadowview Regional Medical Center is located approximately 14 miles to the south in Maysville, Kentucky.

Dover, Kentucky sits along the Ohio River in Mason County. As of 2013, the population was 249 residents. Dover is located 7.5 miles southeast of Augusta, Kentucky and 13 miles northwest of Maysville.

Outdoor recreation like hunting and fishing are popular recreation options. Dover also offers stunning views of the Ohio River valley.

The retailers and restaurants of Augusta and Maysville, Kentucky offer the widest variety of shopping.

Dover was incorporated in 1836 and likely named for Dover, England.

Dover

Dover is on Route 8 along the Ohio River. Bridges in Maysville offer access to Route 52 in Ohio.

Residents have their choice of crossing the Ohio River to reach Brown County Hospital 16 miles away in Georgetown, Ohio or heading 18 miles downriver to Meadowview Regional Medical Center in Maysville, Kentucky. Augusta Fire and EMS provide service to the city.

Augusta is the home of the actor George Clooney, television journalist Nick Clooney and family, former home of singer Rosemary Clooney, and birthplace of Miss America 2000, Heather Renee French Henry. In the last quarter century, Augusta has been best known as the site of three major films: Michner’s Centennial, PBS’ Huckleberry Finn, and Neil Simon’s Lost in Yonkers.

The Augusta Riverpark public boat launching facility offers easy access to the Ohio River and all of its recreational offerings. Artists and thespians will find an active art guild and theater group. The Augusta Heritage Days River Regatta is a highlight of summer and nearly monthly festivals contribute to an active yearlong entertainment calendar. Residents enjoy a White Christmas Parade, fall Ghost Tour, Fireman's Fourth of July, Turning of the Leaves festival, Swing Time on the River, Art in the Garden among other annual events.

Most daily needs can be met in Augusta, but most residents shop in Maysville or drive into Cincinnati for major shopping trips. August has quite a few local boutique-style shops as well as local cafes and restaurants.

42 miles southeast of Cincinnati in Bracken County, Augusta sits at the convergence of the Ohio River and Bracken Creek. The Ohio River forms the northern border of the city; the river flows in a straight westerly direction for nine miles without the obstruction of a floodwall. Riverside Drive offers an incredible long-range view of this picturesque river valley.  Many people believe it is the most beautiful view of the valley in the entire state of Kentucky. Its earliest history in 1781 showed Augusta as a popular shipping port. During the mid 1800’s, European immigrants helped establish a thriving wine industry in Augusta. Today, the surrounding hillsides are still terraced, much the way they are in the famous Rhine Valley in Germany. Augusta and the surrounding area played a crucial role in the Underground Railroad with many sites marked by historical markers. 

The river has always played a major role in Augusta’s development. A devastating flood in 1997 caused the permanent removal of some homes; it has also enabled the town to develop green spaces and parks. The construction of the O’Neill Riverwalk, along with the boat docking facility provides access for large pleasure and entertainment boats to dock in the town’s center. City and County leaders expect the tourism industry to become a major contributor to the economy in the future, but agriculture remains as the primary occupation for most of the 1200 residents.

Augusta

A ferry service crossing the Ohio River at Augusta has been in continuous operation since 1798. Currently the Jenny Ann remains in daily operation under the auspices of the Augusta Ferry Authority and provides a short ride to Ohio’s scenic U.S. 52 along the Ohio River. Kentucky Rt. 8 and 9 (better known as the AA Highway) link Augusta with the rest of Bracken County. Greater Cincinnati International Airport is a 45-minute drive, with Brown County Airport 12 miles away. Amtrak passes through the area with a stop 18 miles away at Maysville.

A short drive gets you to the Ohio River for water sports and fishing. In addition to plenty of water-based entertainment, the nearby Paradise Breeze Waterpark in Maysville offers go-karts and batting cages for area residents just a short drive outside the village. Earlywine Indoor MX Racing offers a sport of a different speed. The town has several baseball fields.

You’ll need a short ride in the car to meet your daily shopping needs. More in-depth shopping trips will take you to Florence, Kentucky or Anderson Township across the river.

Don’t speed too fast along Ky. 10 outside Brooksville or you just might miss the village of Germantown where it straddles the Mason County line in south central Bracken County. With less than 200 residents the village is small, but mighty. In Germantown, time slows down and there’s plenty of opportunities to garden, explore hobbies or just sit and visit with the neighbors. The early settlers around 1788 were German, thus the name of the town founded in 1794. The surrounding area is primarily farmland with a mixture of farmhouses and new construction.

Germantown

Germantown sits at the intersection of St. Rt. 10 and County Road 875. Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport is a 45-minute drive, with Brown County Airport 14 miles away. Amtrak passes through the area with a stop nearby in Maysville.