An introduction to the non-native's incomprehensive guide to Cincinnati

I try to get out of the house a couple times a month with the offspring. It helps keep me sane and I think it's good for them. I moved around a lot growing up (a result of being an air-force brat) but after my dad retired from the military I spent my high school years in a town with a population of roughly 20,000.

We had a rock museum.

As you can imagine, we were a pretty popular tourist attraction.

There was a town close by that is known nationally for its music festival.

But we never attended (being the eldest of five kids probably had something to do with it).

The closest zoo was 5+ hours away (not counting the Wildlife Safari outside Roseburg or the West Coast Game Park Safari outside Bandon). OMSI was also, unfortunately, on the other side of the state.

So I lived a pretty cultured childhood, obviously.

What we lacked in more sophisticated activities we made up for in the more rugged nature. We had the Red Woods an hour and a half away, Crater Lake, mountains, hills, and endless hiking trails. It was great.

When we moved to Cincinnati, we would mention to people that we enjoyed hiking and that I was a trail runner. Our new friends responded that Cincinnati was a great place for hiking and that there were miles of trails. We soon found that there was a cultural disconnect - our version of "miles of trails" does not include paved bike paths or one mile loops. But I have found other was to keep us occupied that don't involve driving 3+ hours to get to Red River Gorge or Hocking Hills every month.

The website 365 Cincinnati is one of my favorite resources. They have event calendars and a lot of family friendly ideas (hello small kids!).

The Cincinnati library is also a great place to go for ideas. There's the summer reading program, weekly story times, seasonal activities, and opportunities to expose kids to STEM and science. There's also a lego building night that Hulk enjoys. The township we live in does not have a library so I have absolutely no guilt hitting up several different library branches depending on the activity.

I also use Cincinnati Events but only if I have family coming to visit or Hulk is on break from school and I want to see if there are any special events going on around town.

The website, Only in Your State, also has great ideas but if you're also looking at Cincinnati Events the information becomes repetitious.

Since some friends recently asked about the places we've gone (and there are a few!) I am going to spend some time writing up some of our thoughts - what we liked, didn't like, where we'd go again, and what I would do differently.

You're welcome :)

A list of the places I have reviewed on this blog:

Art on Fire
Blooms and Berries Farm Market
Carew Tower
Carol Ann's Carousel
Cincinnati Aviation Heritage Museum
Cincinnati Cyclones
Cincinnati Fire Museum
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
The Cone
EnterTrainment Junction
FC Cincinnati
Glendower Mansion
Hocking Hills
John Bryan State Park
Krohn Conservatory
Loveland Castle (Château Laroche)
National Air Force Museum
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Newport Aquarium
Northside
Skystar Wheel
Smale Park