25 Outdoor Activities to Put On Your Cincinnati Summer Bucket List

Visit Sharonville’s The Root Beer Stand

11566 Reading Road, Sharonville
Opened as an A&W Root Beer Stand in 1957, the now family-owned restaurant makes secret-recipe root beer (available by the jug) using water from the property’s 280-foot-deep well. But don’t miss out on the food — the secret-recipe chili for the eatery’s famous foot-long coney dogs is to die for. Open seasonally.
Photo: Danielle Schuster

Get Frosty With a Northern Kentucky Ice Ball

20 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue
As summer approaches, a seasonal favorite is making its way back to Northern Kentucky sweet shops — ice balls. A combination of finely ground ice with rich, flavored syrup generously poured on top, this dessert has become a seasonal staple in Northern Kentucky since its inception in 1919. The more-than-a-century-old legacy continues at places like Schneider’s Sweet Shop in Bellevue and Sweet Tooth Candies in Newport, where you can pair your favorite flavored ice with smooth ice cream to further enhance the experience.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Stroll Through Findlay Market

1801 Race St., Over-the-Rhine
We already knew Findlay Market is great, but one of the best in the world? OK, we kinda knew that, too. In 2019, Newsweek affirmed our love for the 165-year-old outdoor market — the oldest continually operated public market in Ohio — by declaring it one of the top 10 food markets in the world as well as the only market in the United States to make the list. More than 50 full-time merchants at the 19th-century landmark sell everything from meat, cheese and fresh-baked bread to produce, flowers and international eats. Stop by for a pint at the newly opened Jane’s bar (a partnership with Karrikin Spirits taking over the former biergarten), a local farmers market and plenty of arts and crafts vendors.
Photo: facebook.com/findlaymarket

Catch a Reds Game and Chow Down on a Smokehouse Parfait

100 Joe Nuxhall Way, The Banks
With its leisurely pace, foam-fingered cheers and Hammond organ interludes, baseball is the quintessential summer sport. But honestly? Sometimes we just want the food. Ballpark fare can make anyone salivate. The mouth-watering nostalgia of ice cream in miniature batter’s helmets. The tantalizing siren call of tangy relish on a foot-long hot dog. And those are all great. But we really want the good stuff. The weird stuff. The Smokehouse Parfait at the Great American Ball Park scratches that itch. New for 2021, the item is exactly what you’d imagine: barbecue pulled pork, mac and cheese and coleslaw, all loaded up into a squishy bread cone. Find it behind section 137 of the GABP at Mr. Red's Smokehouse presented by Montgomery Inn.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Get Your Float On at Green Acres Kayak Rental

10465 Suspension Bridge Road, Harrison
Harrison’s Green Acres kayak rental has officially opened for the season. If you didn't get a chance to visit the livery last summer, traditional operations have shifted a bit to allow for safer trips for their guests. You must book your date and pay for your trip online in advance. The outfitter is only offering the 8-mile trip, and guests must be age 12+ and weigh more than 75 pounds to participate. No dogs or large coolers are permitted, and only single kayaks are available. Trips start at $26.75 and increase by $8 on weekends or holidays.
Photo: facebook.com/greenacreskayak

See (and Hear) a Concert from the Lawn at Riverbend

6295 Kellogg Ave., California
After a long, live concertless year, Riverbend Music Center is loading its summer and fall schedules with a star-studded lineup. Currently, the venue is anticipating performances by Alicia Keys, Maroon 5, Dave Matthews Band, Alanis Morissette and (parrotheads, rejoice) Jimmy Buffett. In 2019, the venue made it even easier to see live music from the lawn seats by removing support beam towers that have been part of the pavilion structure since 1984.
Photo: facebook.com/riverbendmusiccenter

Get Fit for Free at Washington Park

1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine
Ditch the gym membership and head to Washington Park on Wednesdays and Thursdays this summer for the park’s weekly free Workout on the Green series. Spring sessions include yoga, HIIT and dance fitness; summer session dates and workouts have not yet been announced.
Photo: facebook.com/washingtonparkotr

Step Back in Time at a Drive-In Theater

Greater Cincinnati has two drive-in theaters — Holiday Auto Theatre in Oxford and Starlite Drive-In in Amelia. And both, like drive-ins across the country, have seen renewed interest since the advent of COVID. Sporting vintage vibes and cheery concession stands, the theaters offer an opportunity to hang in your car while you watch first-run films and classic cinema with sound beamed straight to your radio. Starlite, open since 1947, and Holiday, open for more than 60 years, both offer double features for the price of one (and an option to pay an additional $5ish to bring in your own food).
Photo: Jesse Fox

Eat Blue Creamy Whip

2673 Putz’s Place, Westwood
If you’ve lived in Cincinnati for any length of time, chances are you can distinctly evoke the taste of blue ice cream. A blueberry-based soft serve, the actual name of the flavor is known as just “blue.” Introduced by Kings Island in 1982 to promote a then-new Smurfs ride in the park’s Hanna-Barbera Land, it’s become a quintessential Queen City summer treat. Thankfully the cult following for the dessert is as rich as its flavor, so you can grab a cone at most local creamy whip windows, like Putz’s Creamy Whip in Westwood. Although blue creamy whip varies slightly at each location — with many shops implementing special (and secret) twists — the treats taste nearly identical, staying faithful to the amusement park’s true-blue recipe.
Photo: Sami Stewart

Bump, Set, Spike at Fifty West Brewing Company’s Sand Volleyball Courts

7605 Wooster Pike, Columbia Township
Fifty West has turned a stretch of Wooster Pike into a veritable outdoor recreation corridor with several sand volleyball courts (register online for leagues), plus running groups, the Fifty West Cycling Company and more. All are geared toward building community through shared experiences, which include drinking craft beer and getting outside. The brewery hub also added its popular new Burger Bar to the sprawling campus, with a menu of bread-and-butter diner specialties like classic cheeseburgers, flat-top hot dogs and loaded crinkle cut fries. Don’t miss the 12 specialty burgers named for the 12 states that U.S. Route 50 runs through. Grab a house-made root beer or orange soda to wash it all down, or choose from a wide range of Fifty West canned, bottled or draft beers.
Photo: facebook.com/fiftywestbrewingcompany

Shop Local at the City Flea

1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine
This “curated urban flea market” pops up monthly from May to October — with a special winter holiday market — in Washington Park. Small businesses and independent makers sell everything from vintage duds and air plants to apothecary items and artisan pizza.
Photo: facebook.com/thecityflea

Sip Cocktails on a Rooftop Patio

Sweet, sweet summertime is upon us, which means it's time to figure out which local rooftop bars you should plan to visit for all your breezy sunshine and sipping needs. And this year, we're taking the guesswork out of the equation. CityBeat readers voted for the top 10 rooftop spots to enjoy your brew with a view. Visit the link for the list.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Slide through the Twister at Coney Island

6201 Kellogg Ave., California
Cincinnatians have been splashing around in the world’s largest recirculating pool at Coney Island amusement park since 1925. The 200-foot-by-401-foot Sunlite Pool has plenty of space for small children, teenagers and lap swimmers to cool off during the summer, in addition to water slides like The Twister, a Typhoon Tower and adjacent Cannonball Cove, which has three diving boards (the tallest one is 9 feet high).
Photo: facebook.com/coneyislandpark

Ride the Beast at Kings Island

6300 Kings Island Drive, Mason
Kings Island’s The Beast turned 41 in 2020, and while it may be getting on in years, the world’s longest wooden roller coaster hasn’t slowed down at all: the ride’s 7,300-plus feet of track includes 135-foot vertical drops, a 540-degree helix tunnel and speeds up to 64 miles per hour. It’s given more than 54 million rides in its four decades and Popular Mechanics magazine recently named it the best roller coaster in Ohio. But it may have some competition: 2020 saw the park unveil Orion, Kings Island’s tallest, fastest and longest coaster. One of only seven giga coasters in the world, Orion boasts a 300-foot first drop and soars across 5,321 feet of track at speeds up to 91 miles per hour.
Photo: Paige Deglow

Shop Vintage at the Burlington Antique Market

5819 Idlewild Road, Burlington, Kentucky
Midwest’s premier antique market kicked off its 2021 season in April and has monthly dates slated through October. Visitors can expect to hunt through authentic wares — mid-century modern, Art Deco, pre-war, industrial and more — from more than 200 dealers offering the best antiques and vintage collectibles. If you’re a real hunter, aim for early-bird admission ($6; 6-8 a.m.), or just browse until 3 p.m. General admission is $4.
Photo: facebook.com/burlingtonantiqueshow

Soak Up Culture at Shakespeare in the Park

1195 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company kicked off its 2021 Shakespeare in the Park series in early May with performances listed online through May 23 (information for performances for June through August will be announced soon). Locations for the events span across the Greater Cincinnati area in beautiful destinations like Devou, Eden and Washington parks. Admittance is free and open to the public. Visit individual venue websites for COVID protocols.
Photo: Mikki Schaffner Photography

Take a Selfie with a Cincinnati Mural

Since its inception in 2007, the ArtWorks mural program has been a boon to public art along the streets of Cincinnati. The nonprofit organization — dedicated to employing and training local youth and other creative individuals to achieve community impact through art — has created nearly 200 of them. Download or print a map from online and build your own tour, or purchase a ticket for a ArtWorks-guided tour.
Photo: Savana Willhoite

Ride the Loveland Bike Trail

Loveland, Ohio
Spanning more than 70 miles along the Little Miami River, the Loveland Bike Trail is a haven for cyclists, runners and walkers alike. The paved, flat trail was developed in 1983, replacing what was once the Pennsylvania Railroad. Now, visitors pedal through to immerse themselves in the landscape of Little Miami State Park, grab ice cream at Loveland Sweets or Loveland Dairy Whip, and maybe even learn a thing or two at the Loveland History Museum. Loveland is also a DORA (Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area) district, so if you grab a brew from Narrow Path Brewing, you can take it with you while you wander the quaint downtown. And if you don’t own a bike, don’t worry — rentals are a phone call away.
Photo: facebook.com/lovelandbiketrail

Visit Fiona and the ‘Roos at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

3400 Vine St., Avondale
The Cincinnati Zoo’s new Roo Valley habitat is an interactive experience that allows visitors to wander a 15,000-square-foot green space where red and grey kangaroos roam about. In this land down under (it is technically down under — located where the zoo’s Wildlife Canyon used to be and currently below the local-beer-serving Hops Beer Garden), adorable marsupials may even come up and interact with you. Another zoo superstar to check out? Fiona the hippo, the Queen City’s perfectly plump princess. Since being born six weeks early in January 2017, Fiona has become a bona fide celebrity. Initially weighing just 29 pounds, she inspired the hashtag #TeamFiona as well as plenty of international media coverage, children’s books and mountains of themed merchandise. Visit her and her mom Bibi in the zoo’s Africa exhibit, or check out the other animal tots who steal our hearts on the regular, especially during Zoo Babies month in May.
Photo: facebook.com/cincinnatizoo

Do a Cannonball in the Ziegler Park Pool

216 Woodward St., Over-the-Rhine
Located in Ziegler Park, this renovated Over-the-Rhine pool is not only a community hot spot, but also a hip place to see and be seen. It’s popularity largely is due to the location (across from Alumni Lofts in the former School for Creative and Performing Arts), the cost (daily admission is just $4 for adults) and the features, including a zero-depth entry, lap lanes and a rock climbing wall that arcs out over the water. Due to capacity restrictions, the pool is offering three two-hour swimming sessions per day with a maximum of 175 swimmers per session, split between season pass holders and reservations. Guests must reserve their visit at least one day in advance; walk-up ticket sales are currently unavailable.
Photo: facebook.com/zieglerpark