Amusement & Water Parks
With more than 100 rides, shows and attractions plus Soak City Waterpark, Kings Island offers the perfect combination of world-class thrills and family attractions. Climb aboard Mystic Timbers, a wooden coaster offering 16 airtime moments and a tantalizing mystery. Or try out the new giga coaster, Orion, a steel coaster that reaches speeds of 91 miles per hour.
Enjoy plenty of amusement park rides, the world's largest recirculating swimming pool and exciting water slides at Coney Island featuring Sunlite Water Adventure and the new Challenge Zone, the largest Aquaglide pool obstacle in the country!
Up north, enjoy food and drinks in Sandy Cove and Aqua Lounge at Land of Illusion's Aqua Adventures park, which also offers the Witbit Adventure Zone and paddleboarding.
Sports
Feel the breeze from the river, hear the crack of the bat and crunch on some peanuts or Cracker Jack and celebrate the return of fans at Cincinnati Reds games!
Get even closer to the action at a Florence Y'alls baseball game. A member of the independent Frontier League, the games offer post-game bands, fireworks, giveaways, discounted tickets, food and drink specials and more.
Experience Major League Soccer with FC Cincinnati. A lively crowd of all ages flocks to the team’s matches held at the brand-new TQL Stadium in the West End.
Another fun thing to do in the summer is get a first-hand view of the fanfare at the Western and Southern Open at Lindner Family Tennis Center August 14-22, 2021. This professional tennis tournament features many of the best players from around the world plus an amazing fan experience that includes a variety of food, wine, beer, shopping and entertainment.
Family-Friendly Attractions
The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s 75 acres house more than 580 animal species and 3,000 plant varieties making it one of the largest zoo collections in the U.S. Be sure to visit Africa, an exhibit designed to bring guests closer to animals including Cheetah Encounter, Hippo Cove, the Meerkat Exhibit, and Painted Dog Valley. You can even walk among kangaroos in the new Roo Valley.
Newport Aquarium – located in the Newport on the Levee entertainment district – offers a million gallons of fun. Touch stingrays in Stingray Hideaway's 17,000-gallon touch pool, walk the Shark Bridge, and enjoy the new Shipwreck: Realm of the Eels. While you're at the Levee, try your hand at some spares and strikes at Rotolo Bowling or hit up the arcade games at GameWorks.
The Duke Energy Children’s Museum at Cincinnati Museum Center encourages kids to climb, crawl, explore and learn about themselves and the world around them. Get more hands on fun in the new Science Interactives Gallery inside the Museum of Natural History & Science. Then swing by Dinosaur Hall to view this new exhibit that includes six gigantic prehistoric creatures.
Enjoy a scenic cruise along the Ohio River aboard BB Riverboats. All summer long, BB offers themed cruises for the kids like Pirates of the Ohio, Princess, and Ice Cream Social cruises.
Ark Encounter is a full-sized reconstruction of Noah's Ark and the attraction includes a restaurant, gift shop and the Ararat Ridge Zoo home to Tibetan yaks, kangaroos, and ostriches. Plus, take a ride atop a donkey or camel.
Free Things to Do
Summer Festivals & Events
If handmade and local goods are your thing, check out popular outdoor shopping events like City Flea, Art on Vine or the O.F.F. Market.
Find more popular summer festivals and events by clicking here.
