Day Trips around Cincy (Columbus, Cincinnati: loft, home, buying)

[dmykelly]

I have three girls, 10, 14, and 16 and need a few ideas for filling my week of vacation with them. I cannot afford a big trip so figured that a few day trips, and maybe a few overnights as well, would be a good idea but I have no idea where to start. Given their ages, they are all interested in different things...

[Scott SW Ohio]

dmykelly, welcome to the forum. We are glad you are here.

I am guessing based on your question that you are new to the area, which allows us to offer some ideas that might seem obvious to long-time residents. Since we don't have any information about your daughters' interests, forgive us if we miss the mark on some suggestions. Also we don't know when your vacation happens, so scheduled events like festivals or concerts are out. As you are asking about day trips, maybe you are not interested in things right in town. [You may want to correct any of my assumptions for other posters.]

My daughter is 21, and here are a few places she enjoyed growing up, within a reasonable driving distance to Cincinnati:

The Air Force Museum - it's open nearly every day, and no admission is charged. Lots of cool stuff if your girls are aviation nerds:

National Museum of the USAF - Home

Camping? Kayaking? Rock climbing? You can do it all in the Hocking Hills:

Hocking Hills Ohio | Official Visitors Web Site - hockinghills.com

Are your girls horse crazy? The Kentucky Horse Park is just down in Lexington (and if you can contrive to get there via Route 68 from Maysville you'll see some of the prettiest horse country in these, or any, parts):

Kentucky Horse Park

Good luck and I hope you have a great vacation.

[SWOH]

Let me put it this way, OP; there are easily over 100 very decent day-trip opportunities from Cincinnati! I am not kidding, as my family routinely chooses to stay in the local area as opposed to going far away for vacation.


A good place to start would be Easton Towne Center for teenage and pre-teen girls, if they have never been. That's easily a whole day right there: Easton Home Page

Another two-three days in Columbus would be doing downtown/German Village/Short North/OSU. Lots of shopping, good food, recreational opportunities, and the Book Loft is really nice too! Check out the statehouse (sounds weird, but it is a lot of fun), do a segway tour downtown, catch a play. Check out the Ohio State Fair when it starts up in a couple of weeks, and don't miss the natural resource park inside the fair for a nice, cool break. Throw in COSI, Franklin Park Conservatory, and a couple college visits for the oldest and you've got a lot of opportunity there for days of fun! And that's not even all of one city...


Recently, I did a post on a day in downtown Dayton, which might be nice too. Must-sees on that trip would be the Art Institute (it's among the top in the nation for kids), the Boonshoft museum, Riverscape, the Oregon District, and 2nd Street Market. Here's the link to my full post: "I absolutely need to see or do this" in Dwtn Dayton

Again, I could type for hours and probably write a 10000+ word post on all the possible day trips you could do, but I'd rather go to sleep. So, if there is any particular area of interest you have, I am sure there is a place to do it within a couple hours' drive of Cincinnati.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by OHKID

Let me put it this way, OP; there are easily over 100 very decent day-trip opportunities from Cincinnati! I am not kidding, as my family routinely chooses to stay in the local area as opposed to going far away for vacation.


A good place to start would be Easton Towne Center for teenage and pre-teen girls, if they have never been. That's easily a whole day right there: Easton Home Page

Another two-three days in Columbus would be doing downtown/German Village/Short North/OSU. Lots of shopping, good food, recreational opportunities, and the Book Loft is really nice too! Check out the statehouse (sounds weird, but it is a lot of fun), do a segway tour downtown, catch a play. Check out the Ohio State Fair when it starts up in a couple of weeks, and don't miss the natural resource park inside the fair for a nice, cool break. Throw in COSI, Franklin Park Conservatory, and a couple college visits for the oldest and you've got a lot of opportunity there for days of fun! And that's not even all of one city...


Recently, I did a post on a day in downtown Dayton, which might be nice too. Must-sees on that trip would be the Art Institute (it's among the top in the nation for kids), the Boonshoft museum, Riverscape, the Oregon District, and 2nd Street Market. Here's the link to my full post: "I absolutely need to see or do this" in Dwtn Dayton

Again, I could type for hours and probably write a 10000+ word post on all the possible day trips you could do, but I'd rather go to sleep. So, if there is any particular area of interest you have, I am sure there is a place to do it within a couple hours' drive of Cincinnati.

Extremely good and accurate response. There are so many day-trip destinations surrounding Cincinnati they are almost too much to address.

Within one days round trip drive, you have the majpr cities of Indianapolis, Louisville, Lexington, Columbus, and Dayton. When you factor in all of the state parks in those regions you add on dozens of other destinations. Hocking Valley in eastern Ohio may be a stretch for a day trip, but certainly not for an overnight.

Get on the websites. Start with the Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky searches with the state parks in the area. We have one of the richest state park operations in the country.

If you are just looking for a days venture, look no further than Greater Cincinnati. Just the state parks are numerous. Within easy driving distance of Cincinnati are:
1) East Fork Reservoir
2) Rocky Fork Lake State Park
3) Lake White State Park
4) Stonelick Lake State Park
5) Cowan Lake State Park
6) Ceasar Creek State Park
7) Heuston Woods State Park (Oxford)

And these are all within easy driving distance of Cincinnati. You may be a bigger problem deciding where to go depending on your interest.

[joyeaux]

[quote=OHKID;30601678
A good place to start would be Easton Towne Center for teenage and pre-teen girls, if they have never been. That's easily a whole day right there: [url=http://www.easton.com/]Easton Home Page[/url]

Easton is a fun place BUT you will be shelling out $$$$$! Besides us buying lunch/dinner, we've given our kids x amount of cash going in. They had the power then to choose how to spread it around.

[mike1003]

Children's Museum of Indianapolis A Family and Tourist Attraction | The Children's Museum of Indianapolis

And, if you go to Hocking Hills, make sure you stop at Serpent Mound | ohiohistory.org