Are you looking for activities this summer, especially ones that are free or affordable? Here’s your list!
- We are lucky enough the have one of the most respected Shakespeare theaters in the world with the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. Each summer, they put on free plays for different communities. This summer, it’s Twelfth Night (and for those of you who know…yes, I know!) https://cincyshakes.com/event/park/
- Cincinnati is filled with beautiful parks https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/cincyparks/ Create a map of each park with your kids and tour one a week. Find out what each park has to offer. Teach them about local trees and see how many they can identify by using this website from Arbor Day: https://www.arborday.org/trees/whattree/
- The Wyoming Fine Arts Center offers many classes and camps for all ages: https://musicartdance.org/
- Visit Krohn Conservatory. This summer they have a program called, “The Science of Color with Prismatica” from July 7th through October 16th. https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/cincyparks/visit-a-park/find-a-parkfacility/krohn-conservatory/
- I know it “sounds” creepy, but walking the grounds of Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum is really interesting and educational! It’s the second largest cemetery in the United States and has so many trees and flowers to find: https://www.springgrove.org/arboretum/whats-blooming/ They also have a self-guided walking tour on their mobile app, but if you’d like to have a tour without technology, here’s a pdf: https://assets.takeshape.io/af54a46e-9d1d-4a13-84ea-ea820654ba30/dev/f7f66e44-71cf-4360-a280-9dc2c1399eea/Self%20Guided%20Walking%20Tour%20Brochure.pdf
- The Taft Museum of Art has a Jane Austen fashion exhibit that I plan to tour this summer. https://www.taftmuseum.org/
- General admission is always free at the Cincinnati Art Museum. When my boys were younger we would go once a week for art camp during the summer. https://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/
- Findlay Market is the oldest (continually operating) public market in Ohio. They also offer tours and some of them are at little to no cost: https://www.findlaymarket.org/tours
- Prepare for BLINK CINCINNATI that is returning this year https://blinkcincinnati.com/ and check out some of the inspiring public art and murals that our downtown has to offer: https://www.artworkscincinnati.org/public-art/
- Load up the car with bikes and a picnic and head to the Loveland/Little Miami Bike Trail. Or if you don’t want to deal with bikes, you can rent them or just walk the trail the winds beside the Little Miami River. https://lovelandbiketrail.com/
- Depending on your location, there are many canoe/kayak rental companies along the various rivers in the area.
- Washington Park in OTR is just beautiful, especially in the summer months. https://washingtonpark.org/events/
- Cincinnati’s Music Hall is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. Take in the splendor with a tour: https://friendsofmusichall.org/music-hall-tours/
- Listen to music at some of the free concerts this summer: https://ohparent.com/2022-free-summer-concerts-around-cincinnati/
- Take a walk on one of these self-guided walking tours: https://cincinnatiusa.com/things-to-do/walking-tours
- Create a candle together at The Candle Lab in OTR: https://www.thecandlelabcincy.com/come-pour-with-us/
- Here’s an entire list of free events: https://cincinnatiusa.com/events/all?kw2=&field_event_dates_value2%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=&field_event_dates_value%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=&setdate=4&shs_term_node_tid_depth=All&features%5B%5D=477®ion=All&sort_by=field_event_dates_value
- Do you like to shop or window shop? The Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce has a list of storefronts to tour: https://storefrontstotheforefront.com/
- Ohio has an interesting history. Learn about it by touring some of the local historical sites and museums: https://www.ohiohistory.org/visit/
- Visit your local public library and read together.
- Love donuts? Spend the summer on the Donut Trail: https://www.delish.com/food-news/g20140861/start-planning-your-road-trip-ohio-has-an-80-mile-donut-trail/
- Are you interested in how chocolate is made? Tour Maverick Chocolate: https://maverickchocolate.com/products/chocolate-factory-tour
- I show a lot of homes that have Rookwood Pottery fireplaces. Interested in the history of Rookwood Pottery: https://rookwood.com/pages/events
- About a two-hour drive from Mason, northeast of Columbus in Utica is the Velvet Ice Cream Museum: https://www.velveticecream.com/visit
- Visit a local farm and learn about all kinds of activities! Gorman Heritage Farm is in Evendale: https://www.gormanfarm.org/visitthefarm/; Tikkun Farm is in Mt. Healthy: https://www.tikkunfarm.com/plan-a-visit/; Blooms and Berries is in Loveland: https://www.bloomsandberries.com/play-yard Carriage House Farm in North Bend: https://carriagehousefarmllc.com/; Hidden Valley Orchards in Lebanon: https://www.hiddenvalleyorchards.com/registration; Green Acres in Indian Hill: https://www.green-acres.org/news/; Pick lavender at Sunshine Acres Lavender Farm in Morrow: https://www.sunshineacreslavenderfarm.com/#/