It’s free, and the rewards are immense. The skyline’s a jewelbox, the view breathtaking, the mood festive; the Cumberland shimmers with pools of reflected color, periodically rippled by a barge or passing steamboat. (Go in the daytime, and it doubles as a chance to check out the fountain park and climbing wall at nearby Cumberland Park.) It makes your heart swell. Stand on one of the overlooks with your wide-eyed kids, and tell them: This is where you live. This is your city.

