The Queen City is known for hosting some of the best events that bring people together to have fun and enjoy all the wonderful things that this area has to offer. The surrounding neighborhoods put on a variety of events as well that are family friendly and for people of all ages. Whether you live here or are just visiting, without a doubt you’ll always find something new to check out and get involved in.
Through the Cincinnati Parks Department you can find endless information on awesome events that are outdoors. The beautiful parks offer events like movie nights, themed festivals, markets, concerts and more! Making it the perfect opportunity to explore new things this summer!
Rockin’ The Roebling Every Thursday on the lawn near the Roebling Bridge at Smale Park is live music with refreshments and food vendors from 6pm – 10pm. The event is free to get in and is great for the entire family to visit the park with the incredible view of the Ohio River. There are activities and designated playgrounds for the kiddos to be entertained while listening to music in the background.
Free Movies On the lawn at Ziegler Park next to the old School of Performing Arts School that’s now apartments are free movie showings every Wednesday night that start at 9pm. This Summer Cinema series was originally at Washington Park but recently relocated. Both parks have lots of events to choose from and are within walking distance from each other. Ziegler Park extends across the street where there is a nice playground and pool to swim in. Make an entire day out of visiting these parks and finish the night with a good movie! https://zieglerpark.org/series/cinema/
Story Walks Spend your mornings in the alluring California Woods taking magical walks with stories of fairies in the forest! Through the the months of June and July from 7am – 8am enjoy hiking and reading while exploring the woods of wonder.
Jazz Music Each night on Mondays you can catch live jazz music by incredible local musicians in Washington Park right by the magnificent Music Hall! The event is free and located on the Park Porch where there is a bar with craft beers and wine. https://washingtonpark.org/series/jazz-at-the-park-2/
These are just a few of the awesome events that are held in the many outstanding parks of Cincinnati, so stay tuned for more to come and don’t miss out on them all!
Whether you live in Cincinnati or are traveling through the area there are plenty of awesome things to experience in the Queen City! We have the top 10 things that you’ll have to put on your to-do list, that you’ll want to keep going back too. So get ready to make more memories that you can share with others!
This historic theme park has been around since 1867 and it’s the perfect place to get a dose of nostalgia! There are games, shows and more at this fantastic little theme park that has a huge pool and water slides. This destination appeals to the entire family and there’s a lot of options for things to do near the park like the casino/race track located next door, and various restaurants, bars, and breweries to eat and drink at.
You can’t miss out on taking a day trip to this incredible market that has everything you could possibly hope for or want out of a market. The food is absolutely amazing and so are the friendly people there. Findlay Market gives you a real sense of what the community is like in Cincinnati and highlights what we’re known for. The scent of fresh food is in the air, with live music on the street, plenty of places to sit and eat, and lots of different shops to check out that have locally made goods by local artisans.
Cincinnati is one of the most beautiful river cities in America and you really get to see that when visiting the RiverFront and The Banks. The park along the water is wonderful, with many activities for the entire family to enjoy. There are sculptures and gardens that are very pleasant to encounter with an excellent view of the city. The Banks is one of the most happening places to be and there’s always a party on the weekends to join in on! When the sun goes down this area is just as beautiful with all of the city lights reflecting off the river, take a walk on one of the bridges to get the full spectrum!
The parks here are beyond amazing and there are several of them that offer something for everyone. Eden Park in Mt. Adams is the perfect place to have a leisure day and the best place to see views of the city. There are overlooks at the park that give you an amazing view of the river leading into downtown Cincinnati and of Kentucky, making it a great area for taking pictures. Washington Park in OTR is a major place to go to for events, live music, and pure enjoyment! It’s dog friendly and has a patio with refreshments to enjoy on a hot day.
Art, nature, and science come together at the Krohn Conservatory. Krohn is located in Eden Park in Mt. Adams and is truly an enchanting experience. The butterfly shows that they have there are magnificent and really give you the opportunity to connect with wildlife and nature in a way that’s approachable and exciting. There is a waterfall inside that has a creek with fish and turtles inhabiting it, making it feel like you’re in the rainforest. The building has sections for different species of plants and walking from one room to the next transforms a new environment to discover.
We have one of the top rated zoo’s in the country! A zoo that is not only beautiful but is also educational and fun. The zoo does a great job to help wildlife and nature through their Saving Species program, animal care, and by going completely green with solar power. There are different events to check out throughout the year and your trip there will feel like you’re on a real exploration of adventure.
7.Live Performances
Cincinnati has always been a hub for music and live performances! There are several venues to check out that offer a variety of different acts that appeal to every type of style and genre. Music Hall, Memorial Hall, and The Taft Theater are historic venues that are absolutely stunning that feature talent all over the world. We also have the Aronoff and Playhouse in the park for well known shows and a few concert venues that feature locals and bring in big name performers.
We have some of the best museums around and there are so many to choose from! Union Terminal is one of the most incredible museums that takes you into a different world of fun and education. The building alone is a sight to see and the inside is breathtaking! There are many art museums to choose from like the Contemporary Arts Center and The Cincinnati Art Museum, which are both free to the public. We also have the American Sign Museum that is a real gem and will have you in awe when visiting!
Go to a game! We are lucky to have major sports teams in the city and no matter what your favorite sport is you’ll be sure to have a great time at any of the games! The Cincinnati Reds baseball team and the Cincinnati Bengals football team play and practice in stadiums right next to each other, with our Cyclones Hockey team in Heritage Bank Center just down the street. And now we officially have a soccer stadium for the FC Cincinnati team!
Cincinnati Reds StadiumHeritage Bank – Cyclones Arena
10. Take a Walk Downtown
Take in as much of the city scenery as you possibly can while you’re exploring downtown. You can take the streetcar, bike, or simply take a walk around to experience some really wonderful things about the city. You can take a tour or have our own self guided one that focuses on the fascinating architecture, history, and culture of Cincinnati. The food and drinks here are outstanding, so go to as many restaurants and bars as you can. We have tons of events going on and little shops to pop into for all of your shopping needs. OTR and fountain square are places to spend endless amounts of time with everything that the area has to offer.
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The historic restaurant, Arnold’s Bar and Grill in Downtown Cincinnati is known for being the oldest bar in town but that’s not all they’re known for! For over a hundred years this special establishment has been a gathering place for creatives of all kinds! Not only can you see live music by local musicians every night in their beautiful courtyard but you will find yourself meeting poets, writers, musicians, actors, dancers, performers, and artists of all kinds enjoying themselves while sharing stories of their experiences at Arnold’s. One of the many highlights to this space is the collection of art that they have on the inside and outside of the building. From the 1800’s to now you’re sure to discover new things with each and every visit!
Before heading in, take a minute to admire the architecture, stained-glass, and the impressive neon signs that are displayed in the windows! They recently added new ones that were made by, Neonworks of Cincinnati which is located in the fabulous American Sign Museum!
Another cool feature about the outside of the building is that one of the world’s most well-known street artists, Shepard Fairey has a large piece on the wall in the alley to the right! The piece, “Global Warning” is 15 feet tall and was part of his “Supply and Demand” exhibition at the Contemporary Art Center in 2010. Fairy put up several other pieces throughout the city that year but Arnold’s is one of the only places where you can still see his artwork in public in Cincinnati and they take great pride in continuing to preserve his incredible screen-printed wheatpaste mural.
As soon as you step inside you can’t help but to be mesmerized by the ambiance and aesthetic of this place! The bar features historic nostalgia all over the walls that helps your imagination envision what it was like throughout time. Everywhere you turn you will find something interesting and even quirky little details that will make you smile! Behind the bar on the top shelf are five ceramic bottles that you don’t want to pass up taking a look at! These interesting pieces of pottery depict faces of people but it’s a mystery as to who they are. A fun game the bartends like to play with the patrons is guessing who they might be, so next time you’re there make your bets on who you think they are! The artist, Scott Wynn created them, as well as the amazing carved double doors that lead you in and out of the courtyard that the former owner, Jim Tarbell commissioned.
The courtyard itself is a work of art with its unique stage that looks like a front porch and features a variety of vintage signs. On one of the walls you can find a second wheatpaste mural by another popular street artist, JR. This piece is of waitresses that worked at Arnolds in the 1930’s and the original photograph to compare it to is inside the dining room! https://www.jr-art.net
Adjacent to it is another wall piece that was also created by a famous graffiti artist! This piece is of local legend Peanut Jim and was made by Alexandre Manuel Dias Farto, also known as Vhils.
Chris Breeden, the current owner is a huge advocate for art and continues to support creatives from all over by showcasing their work in his business. He has kept the art scene alive through this revitalization of incorporating art into the experience of what Arnold’s has to offer! So keep going back to see what he collaborates on and curates next!
One of Cincinnati’s finest city parks offers free music to the public that you absolutely have to go experience for yourself! This park is very inclusive for all people, of all ages and backgrounds, making it the perfect place to join with the community in sheer outdoor fun! They always have tasty food there by local favorite, Eli’s BBQ and a variety of beverages to choose from. Whether it’s Jazz, Bluegrass, Roots, or Americana you can be sure to find the music either on the mainstage at the open field with a view of Music Hall, the covered porch patio, or in the gorgeous gazebo towards the south side of the park. Roots Revival is the series that is every Thursday from 7-9pm. This series is sponsored by The Johnson Foundation, Dunlap Cafe, George Remus, and the Cincinnati and Kentucky Enquirer.
Two of Cincinnati’s most well-known bluegrass bands were recently featured in the summer music series, The Tillers and Buffalo Wabs and the Price Hill Hustle. Both bands have a great following of friendly fans and they always get you off your feet to dance! The Tillers played on the larger stage in front of the greenspace during a rainstorm but that didn’t scare them away from performing! As the dark clouds rolled in, one of the members of the band addressed the audience saying, “Don’t let the rain run ya off, we’re gonna keep pickin’ till we see lighting!” and with those words the rain came but that didn’t stop anyone from having a good time! It was an amazing site to see, the entire audience got up and danced in the rain without a care in the world!
Buffalo Wabs and the Price Hill Hustle had a hooten and hollern’ of a time with their performance in the gazebo. They started off with an endearing tribute to those that attended the show, “This is for all of you folks that love to see live music, because we love seeing you!”
This band always brings a fun energy that makes you want to dance and sing along to their songs!. You can’t help but smile when this band is on stage; they are hilariously entertaining with their witty lyrics and banter with each other and the audience.
The series is almost over so if you missed the other ones you still have a chance to make it to the last two and they are going to be good ones! We have Honey & Huston on August 26th and Fairfield Four on September 1st! Not to worry even if you missed some of the summer series of Roots Revival you can still find these bands performing all over the Cincinnati area at other incredible venues. Washington Park also has live Jazz music every Monday until September!
