Cincinnati is a great place to raise a family. We have a world-renowned zoo, a standout children’s museum, two major sports teams, lots of children’s art and theatre programs and tons of beautiful green spaces. When you’re looking for something off the beaten path though, where can you go? We’ve uncovered 14 destinations in the Cincinnati area to check out for a day of unexpected fun.
Behringer-Crawford Museum
1600 Montague Road, Devou Park, Covington, KY
The Behringer-Crawford Museum is a center for the collection, presentation, study and enjoyment of our natural, cultural, visual and performing arts heritage. A variety of interactive exhibits make this museum very kid-friendly.
Big Bone Lick State Park
3380 Beaver Road, Union, KY
Get a glimpse into the events that unfolded during the most recent Ice Age at this historic site. Highlights include a Discovery Trail, two playgrounds, a bison herd and an indoor museum with Ordovician fossils, Ice Age mammal bones, Native American artifacts and more.
Creativities
7010 Miami Avenue, Cincinnati, OH
Pop into this Madeira art studio and unleash your creativity! Polymer clay, wood, paper maché, fairy garden supplies, fabrics, canvases, beads, papers and more are waiting to be transformed into anything from magnets and bookends to one-of-a-kind pieces of art. Classes, camps and workshops are also offered.
Happen, Inc.
4201 Hamilton Ave., Cincinnati, OH
This unique, Cincinnati-based non-profit brings parents and their children together through free art activities. Check out their family-friendly events and seasonal activities, or drop in for an open studio session.
Happen’s Toy Lab
4201 Hamilton Ave., Cincinnati, OH
At Happen’s Toy Lab, an outreach program of Happen, Inc., children ages 6 and up can create their own toys from a massive selection of recycled toy parts. Open most Saturdays and Sundays, 11 am – 5 pm. Call to confirm before heading out.
Highfield Discovery Garden
10397 Springfield Pike, Cincinnati, OH
This enchanting 12-acre space at Glenwood Gardens features seven distinctive gardens, including the Wizard’s Garden, Frog & Toad Garden (actually a pond), Grandma’s Secret Garden and more. Don’t miss the three-level, 25-foot tree house!
Main Library Children’s Learning Center
800 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH
The Children’s Learning Center offers a wide variety of services, resources and programs for young library users. The collection features everything from board books to juvenile fiction, audio books, music, non–English language books, titles for parents and reference resources for educators. Staff is on hand to assist kids, parents, caregivers, and teachers in finding material of interest to them.
Marge & Charles Schott Nature PlayScape
Cincinnati Nature Center, 4949 Tealtown Road, Milford, OH
The area’s first all-natural PlayScape is constructed of plants, soil and water that can be touched and manipulated to stimulate the senses and promote curiosity. While there, be sure to check out the rest of the Cincinnati Nature Center.
Mt. Airy Forest
5083 Colerain Avenue, Cincinnati, OH
This Cincinnati Park spans more than 1,450 acres and is home to Ohio’s only wheelchair-accessible treehouse, an enclosed dog park, a Frisbee golf course and more!
Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum
1763 Hamilton-Cleves Road, Hamilton
Explore more than 60 outdoor sculptures woven throughout meadows, forests and gorgeous grounds at this outdoor museum. Also on the grounds, the Ancient Sculpture Museum features more than 60 Roman, Greek, Etruscan and Egyptian pieces dating back more than a thousand years.
The Fire Museum of Greater Cincinnati
315 West Court Street, Cincinnati, OH
The Fire Museum of Greater Cincinnati highlights the significant contributions that Cincinnati has made to the firefighting profession. Their mission is to share and celebrate the history of firefighting in Cincinnati, while providing a unique fire-safety education experience.
Totter’s Otterville
4314 Boron Drive, Covington, KY
Totter’s Otterville is an educational entertainment center geared towards younger children through age 10. This indoor play place offers fascinating play-to-learn activities that provide hours of fun for the whole family.
Tower A
Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, 1301 Western Avenue, Cincinnati, OH
Visit Tower A, restored and maintained by the Cincinnati Railroad Club, to see where rail operations were controlled when Union Terminal served as a train station. Look out over the Queensgate Freight Yard to watch trains come and go through one of the busiest yards in the country.
Trammel Fossil Park
Tramway Drive, Sharonville, OH
Trammel Fossil Park is one of the few places to dig for fossils in the Cincinnati area that is safe and accessible. Because the plot of land has never been disturbed, there is an abundance of fossils in very good condition.
Grab your kids and your sense of adventure and head off the beaten path for a day of fun! Do you have a favorite hidden spot that didn’t make the list? Share it with us on Facebook at (www.facebook.com/CincinnatiParent) or Twitter (@cincyparent). Happy exploring!
