According to ABC News, more than 170 million people are expected to fly in the months of March and April this year, with much of those being due to Spring Break travel. However, not everyone can travel to have a great Spring Break. Luckily, the City of Cincinnati offers many great experiences to enjoy for a staycation.
One of the best features in Cincinnati is the parks. Cincinnati offers a wide range of public parks and trails for recreation. Some of these include Ault park, Alms park, Smale park, and Washington park. Ault Park, located in the Mt. Lookout neighborhood, features a rustic stone, castle-like building, with large gardens. It also has many hiking trails totaling roughly 224 acres of property. The Frederick H. Alms Memorial Park, located in Mt. Lookout and Mt. Tusculum, also features a large stone building. It also has a playground, picnic area, and overlooks the Miami River and Ohio River. Smale Riverfront Park is located along the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati and features an “adventure playground,” art installations, historical statues, extensive gardens, and even an artificial cascading waterfall, according to the Cincinnati Parks website.
Near Smale Park is the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, which is a museum showcasing the history of the underground railroad, and its impact on the country during the time of enslavement. It currently has a special exhibit on Emmet Till and Mamie Till-Mobley (Jan 10 – Apr 6, 2025). Washington Park, in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, has a large playground, a water play area, pavilion and picnic area, and is situated right in front of Music Hall, one of Cincinnati’s historical landmarks. Additionally, it hosts many public events throughout the year. While in OTR, you can pay a visit to Findlay Market, an indoor/outdoor public market featuring over 50 full time vendors selling a variety of goods such as fish, meat, produce, flowers, and more.
Another idea for Spring Break could be going to the Eden Park complex located between East Walnut Hills and Mt. Adams. The park features lakes, trails, picnic areas, pavilions, and a 172 ft tall historical water tower. It is home to the Krohn Conservatory, the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and the Cincinnati Art Museum. The Krohn Conservatory is an indoor botanical garden featuring simulations of multiple biomes and areas of the Earth. The main areas include a fern house, a palm house that simulates a tropical rainforest, a desert house, an orchid house, a bonsai gallery, and a floral show room. It also hosts special events throughout the year. Admission is $10 for adults (18+), $7 for children (5-17), and children under 4 are free. The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, which performs many shows throughout the year, is currently showing English (Mar 1 – 30, 2025) and will be showing The Book Club Play (Mar 22 – Apr 20, 2025). Other theatres in Cincinnati include The Aronoff Center and the Taft Theatre. The Cincinnati Art Museum features work by Vincent Van Gogh, Frank Duveneck, Grant Wood, and many others. It features a collection of more than 73,000 works spanning 6,000 years. General admission is free, but exhibition prices vary. The current exhibit is “Shahzia Sikander: Collective Behavior” featuring various works of the New York based artist’s career. Other art museums in the city include the Taft Museum and the Contemporary Art Center.
Finally, a “visit” to Cincinnati wouldn’t be complete without hopping over the river to Newport, Kentucky. There, visitors can find many small businesses and shops, including restaurants. Newport on the Levee is a large commercial district in Newport that sits right on the Ohio River and has pavilions that host live music. It has arcades, Mini-Golf, ice cream parlors, the Newport Aquarium, and a movie theater, just to name a few attractions. It also features many shopping and dining options. For anyone feeling seaworthy, BB Riverboats offers various river cruises at a wide range of prices. These include dinner cruises, lunch cruises, sightseeing cruises, live music cruises, and more. Regardless of interest, there are plenty of experiences to make an unforgettable staycation in Cincinnati for Spring Break.
The McNicholas Milestone 