Things to do in Cincinnati

1. Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

This second oldest zoo in the U.S., considered one of the best in the country, is most renowned for its endangered species and birthing programs, particularly for gorillas and white tigers, and has a wonderful collection of felines and a delightful manatees exhibit.

The Zoological Society of Cincinnati was founded in 1873 and officially opened its doors in 1875, making the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden the second oldest Zoo in the United States. The Zoo’s original animal collection was very small, originally consisting of just eight monkeys, two grizzly bears, three deer, six raccoons, two elk, a buffalo, a hyena, a tiger, an alligator, a circus elephant, and over four hundred birds, including a talking crow. The Zoo was founded on 65 acres in the middle of the city, and since then has acquired some of the surrounding blocks and several reserves in Cincinnati’s suburbs.

2. Great American Ball Park

This new home for the Cincinnati Reds, the oldest major league baseball team in the U.S., balances its spiffy new look with nostalgic tributes to the team's history including reminders of Crosley Field, where it all began.

3. Cincinnati Art Museum

Located in scenic Eden Park, the Cincinnati Art Museum features a diverse, encyclopedic art collection of more than 67,000 works spanning 6,000 years. In addition to displaying its own broad collection, the museum also hosts several national and international traveling exhibitions each year.

Visitors can enjoy the exhibitions or participate in the museum’s wide range of art-related programs, activities and special events. General admission is always free for all. Museum members receive additional benefits.

The museum is supported by the generosity of individuals and businesses that give annually to ArtsWave. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund the museum with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. The museum gratefully acknowledges operating support from the City of Cincinnati, as well as our museum members.

4. Krohn Conservatory

Have you ever dreamed of visiting Tuscany? Stop by Cincinnati Parks Krohn Conservatory for our Italian themed summer show. This formal style landscape is designed to embody the traditional Italian garden with all the sights, sounds, and smells of Tuscany. Let the striking cypress trees, fragrant herbs, splashing fountains, and brilliant summer blooms at Krohn take you all the way to Italia this summer!

You would have to travel a long distance to visit a rainforest or a desert – or come to Krohn Conservatory, Cincinnati Parks’ nationally recognized showcase of more than 3,500 plant species from around the world. Our permanent collection includes desert plants, tropical specimens, Bonsai trees, rare orchids, carnivorous plants and exotic fruit trees.

Krohn conservatory was built in 1933 at the height of the Art Deco era.  Boasting five unique floral shows annually, including the ever-popular “Butterfly Show,” which can be viewed mid-March through mid-June.  During that time, thousands of butterflies are free to fly throughout the show room in a specially-themed garden.

2019 Summer Brochure

5. Findlay Market

Findlay Market is Ohio's oldest continuously operated public market and one of Cincinnati's most cherished institutions, welcoming more than a million visitors a year.  Located just blocks from downtown in Over-the-Rhine, a dense historic neighborhood rich in 19th century architecture, Findlay Market remains the bustling center of farm fresh, locally sourced, artisanal and specialty foods. Open Tuesday through Sunday year round, Findlay Market is home to more than 40 indoor merchants selling meat, fish, poultry, produce, flowers, cheese, deli, and ethnic foods. On weekends from April through November the Market also hosts a thriving farmers market, dozens of outdoor vendors, numerous street performers, and lots of special events.

You don't need to go somewhere to have a blast. Bring the fun home!

If you have often found yourself searching for fun things to do with kids in Cincinnati, you are not alone.  Parents have been overwhelmed with information regarding the benefits of outdoor play and exploration for kids.With the increasing demands on parents and children alike, some good old fashioned family time is an absolute necessity.

However, driving 45 minutes to the zoo, or finding a playground that meets all of your family’s needs, is sometimes not realistic.  Furthermore, most families don’t have the financial means to spend an unlimited amount of money on entertainment every time they want to spend quality time together. Looking for things to do in Cincinnati this weekend can often seem like a daunting task that you desperately need a solution for.

Bring Cincinnati Playground Equipment To Your Own Backyard And Avoid The Hassle.

Outdoor fun in Cincinnati doesn’t have to be so logistically and financially challenging. Swings-n-Things has all of the tools to turn your backyard into a place your family wants to spend time together.  Stop shelling out cash every evening and weekend. Quit packing diaper bags and loading up the car to travel all around Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.  Making your home the place your family wants to spend their leisure time together is the true key to family happiness.

A Cincinnati Stay At Home Mom’s Solution to Outdoor Backyard Fun Is Easy to Obtain.

Parents who stay home with the children often struggle with getting everything done in their lives.  Having multiple children of different ages, laundry and dishes that need to be done, and meals that need to be prepared can sometimes seem overwhelming. The quick fix is to turn on the TV, or give the kids a tablet, to buy you some time to keep the household running smoothly.  However, then so many parents feel guilty for doing this time and time again.

Research shows that children need to be outdoors running, playing and using their imagination. Of course a little screen time here and there is perfectly acceptable, but most parents want to limit that exposure as much as possible. Installing a Rainbow Playset, a Vuly Thunder Trampoline or a basketball hoop in your backyard will eliminate so many of your problems.   Instead of turning on the tv, open the backdoor and let the kids run free in the comfort and safety of your own backyard.  Throw in a load of laundry between swinging with the kids or catching them at the bottom of the slide.  Stop searching for things to do in Cincinnati with kids and instead bring that fun in your own yard. Saving time, money and your personal level of stress has never been so easy!

Being Outdoors Promotes Healthy Brain Development and Enhances Imagination

In a world where everyone wants to have specific activities and plans, more and more studies are showing how important merely being bored is! It doesn’t come naturally to us, or our children, yet it is crucial for young and developing brains. By eliminating the stimulation of our everyday lives, children are able to form connections in their brains that they would not be able to create otherwise. Technology is useful and has its place in your life. However, when kids are constantly exposed to screens, it truly is limiting their development in the long run. Screens change rapidly and by the touch of a button.  That’s not how real life works, though. (Wouldn’t it be nice if you could press a button and your kitchen was clean?) When children and their young brains think that things “just happen” instantaneously by the touch of a button, they really aren’t being set up for reality.

How does being outdoors come into play? Well, there isn’t a plug or a special switch to “turn on” your backyard.  It is just there patiently waiting for young children to come outside and light it up. A Rainbow Swing Set, trampoline or our other amazing outdoor equipment will enhance your child’s imagination and enable them to create a whole new world of play.  It not only teaches them creativity, but patience and conflict resolution skills as well.

6 Benefits to Playing Outdoors

 VIA HARVARD HEALTHY PUBLISHING

1.  Sunshine. Yes, sun exposure — especially sunburns — can increase the risk of skin cancer. But it turns out that our bodies need sun. We need sun exposure to make vitamin D, a vitamin that plays a crucial role in many body processes, from bone development to our immune system. Sun exposure also plays a role our immune system in other ways, as well as in healthy sleep — and in our mood. Our bodies work best when they get some sunshine every day.
2. Exercise. Children should be active for an hour every day, and getting outside to play is one way to be sure that happens. They can certainly exercise indoors, but sending them outdoors — especially with something like a ball or a bike — encourages active play, which is really the best exercise for children.
3. Executive function.These are the skills that help us plan, prioritize, troubleshoot, negotiate, and multitask; they are crucial for our success. Creativity falls in here, too, and using our imagination to problem-solve and entertain ourselves. These are skills that must be learned and practiced — and to do this, children need unstructured time. They need time alone and with other children, and to be allowed (perhaps forced) to make up their own games, figure things out, and amuse themselves. Being outside gives them opportunities to practice these important life skills.
4. Taking risks.Children need to take some risks. As parents, this makes us anxious; we want our children to be safe. But if we keep them in bubbles and never let them take any risks, they won’t know what they can do — and they may not have the confidence and bravery to face life’s inevitable risks. Yes, you can break an arm from climbing a tree — and yes, you can be humiliated when you try to make a friend and get rejected. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try; the lessons we learn from failure are just as important as those we learn from success.
5. Socialization. Children need to learn how to work together. They need to learn to make friends, how to share and cooperate, how to treat other people. If they only interact in very structured settings, such as school or sports teams, they won’t — they can’t — learn everything they need to know.
6. Appreciation of nature. So much of our world is changing, and not for the better. If a child grows up never walking in the woods, digging in soil, seeing animals in their habitat, climbing a mountain, playing in a stream, or staring at the endless horizon of an ocean, they may never really understand what there is to be lost. The future of our planet depends on our children; they need to learn to appreciate it.

Cincinnati Outdoor Equipment Makes For The Perfect Birthday and Holiday Gift.

Most kids are on toy overload. Toys in closets, toys in the basement, toys in the living room, toys in the car, toys everywhere! Yet how many of those toys do they actually play with on a regular basis? Opening a wrapped present is fun for a child, but so many times what’s inside the wrapped box is only played with for a month or so.  Then that piece of plastic disappears and they move on to something else.

People want to give children a present, though! Especially on their birthday or special holidays like Christmas. Encourage grandparents and family members to give a donation to a beautifully crafted Rainbow Swing Set.  These are the best play sets in the greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area and will last a lifetime.  Swings-n-Things also offers Goalrilla and Goalsetter basketball hoops and Vuly Thunder Trampolines as well.  Kids may not be able to unwrap such a quality swingset like a Rainbow play system, but we can promise you they won’t stop playing with one for years to come!