1223 N. State Rt. 741, Lebanon, Ohio 45036, (513) 695-3980

Armco is a beautiful park to visit. There's a 110 acre lake where you can rent petal boats and kayaks (fee applies), you can fish (fishing pass required), play golf (fees apply), have a picnic, enjoy the playgrounds, tennis courts, basketball cours, volleyball courts and more. 

8570 E State Route 73 Waynesville, Ohio 45068-9719, (513) 897-3055

Caesar Creek State Park has so much to offer. Enjoy the beach in the summer, go fishing (need valid Ohio fishing license), visit the archery range (bring own equipment), visit Pioneer Village, take a hike, camp, or go fossil hunting in the spillway (be sure to get a FREE permit at the Army Corps of Engineers Visitor Center). 

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• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Visitor Center -  4020 Clarksville Rd., Waynesville, Ohio 45068, (513) 897-1050.  Visit the Visitor's Center since they have great educational displays (FREE), a mini movie theater showcasing the history of Ceasar Creek (FREE) and a great playground for kids on the grounds (FREE). You can also get a great view of the lake just outside of the Visitor Center and take a small hike with great lake views. Click here for their 2016 Calendar of Events. 

953 Eden Park Dr., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

Located in Eden Park, the CAM is FREE for general admissions and is a great place to go to get a bit of culture! They have a cafe onsite if your little ones need some nourishment. Parking is $4 but there aren't many free museums anywhere so I think paying for parking is well worth it. FREE programs: 

• Family First Saturdays - offer a lot of fun activities such as scavenger hunts, crafts, & kid friendly performances.

• "Wee Wednesday" - morning program for parents and their preschoolers.

• Family Artventures - Tour CAM with a docent with touchable objects and ARTSTOPS - FREE!

• Rosenthal Education Center

Downtown, Over-the-Rhine, The Banks (various stops)

Kids love transportation and they will think the Cincinnati Streetcar (known as the Cincinnati Bell Connector) is really cool. It is fun to hop on and off at the various stops in Cincinnati. You can visit Washington Park, Findlay Market, Fountain Square, the Banks and more. It's only $1 for a 2 hour ride pass (you can hop on/off) or $2 for an all day ride pass. Very young kiddos (under 35") are free and under 45" are $0.50 for a 2 hour ride. You can even buy your tickets on your mobile phone or purchase them at the streetcar stops at the ticket vending machines. Hint: Be sure to validate your ticket after it comes out of the machine (hit cancel on machine after you get your ticket from slot then slide ticket into machine to validate). 

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Various Parks

The Cincinnati Park District has many free nature programs for kids. They also have free playgrounds to enjoy.  Some of our favorites include: 

• Burnet Woods

• Eden Park

• Smale Riverfront Park

• Washington Park

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44 E. 6th Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202, (513) 345-8400

The Contemporary Arts Museum is FREE! For kids, take them to visit The UnMuseum®, a great space for kids and adults.  The CAM website states, "the UnMuseum is a gallery of participatory art designed to offer children and parents an enjoyable experience with the most innovative art of our time".  Some programs offered: 

• The Art of Yoga

• Thursday Art Play

• CAC @ 21C

1801 Race St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

A visit to historic Findlay Market is a great family outing. There is no charge to walk around Findlay Market and take in the beautiful and colorful buildings that surround the market. Inside, the market is bustling with bread bakers, meat packagers, vegetable seller and many unique artisans and shops.  Hope on the Cincinnati Streetcar for a tour around Cincinnati from OTR to Fountain Square to the Banks (only $1 for a 2 hour ride time or $2 for an all day pass). 

520 Vine St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

The heart of Cincinnati is found at Fountain Square. See the Tyler Davidson Fountain and take a break on the square and sit in their outdoor seating areas. Fountain Square offers many FREE events througout the year. They have festivals, trivia night, concerts, entertainment, and you can watch games on the giant 5/3rd LED board. In the winter, they have ice skating on the square (charge for this). 

Various Locations

Great Parks of Hamilton County has some of the most wonderful parks around from Sharon Woods to Winton Woods to Woodland Mounds - they all have free nature centers & free outdoor playgrounds. During the summer months, some of the parks also have wet playgrounds (small admission fee applies) for the kids to splash, play and cool off. 

You do have to pay a $10.00 annual car registration fee but I think that's a very very small price to pay for all the wonderful parks you can visit. Visit their website for their calendar of events at each park.

Various Locations

Offered on the first Saturday of the month from 9 a.m. - Noon. Register online.   Kids make a wooden project with help from Mom or Dad.  They provide an apron for first timers and they have pins for each project completed that you can add to your apron.  

9500 IKEA Way, West Chester, Ohio 45069, (513) 779-7100

If you want to make both Mom and kids happy, head over to the large blue & yellow building in West Chester.  Kids can play in Smaland (must be potty trained and 37" tall) while parents shop.  After they play, stop by the cafe for some affordable kids' meals or head to their Bistro when you check out for hot dogs, pizza, yummy cinnamin rolls, and ice cream.  

• FREE story time on Tuesdays - 1 p.m. 

• Special Deals: Breakfast $2, Lunch $3 & dinner $4

1501 Eden Park Dr., Cincinnati, Ohio, (513) 352-4080

Part of the Cincinnati Park Districtt, the Krohn Conservatory  is a wonderful place and has over a 75 year history in Cincinnati.  There is a small admission fee charged and special exhibits may be extra. It has wonderful floral exhibits - you can walk through a rain forest, check out the desert, and go through some of the most outstanding changing exhibits from Bonsai trees to their beautiful holiday displays.  They are open 10-5 Tuesday through Sunday. Great place to bring out of town guests!  After visiting the Krohn, walk over to Eden park and then have lunch in Mt. Adams or at the Cincinnati Art Museum - all very close and easy to do!    

Various Locations

Visit our Library & Story Time tab for more information. Local Libraries with FREE story times include: Cincinnati Public Library West Chester/Middletown Public Library,  Mason Public Library. Also check with local bookstores  such as Half Price Bookstotres,  Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Joseph Beth Booksellers & Blue Manatee Children's Bookstore for FREE story times 

Various Locations

Visit our Library & Story Time tab for more information. Local Libraries with FREE story times include: Cincinnati Public Library West Chester/Middletown Public Library,  Mason Public Library. Also check with local bookstores  such as Half Price Bookstotres,  Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Joseph Beth Booksellers & Blue Manatee Children's Bookstore for FREE story times 

Various Park Locations

MetroParks of Butler County have some great parks to enjoy. One close to us is the Voice of America Metro Park. Walk,run or bike around the lake, enjoy the playground, and during the summer you can see some free concerts. The kids can also fish (get a license first at the office).  Sign up the little ones for their Discovery Kids programs (small fee).  While visiting the park is FREE, a valid parking permit is required to enter the parks - it's transferable.

Various Store Locations

Michael's offers inexpensive craft programs for kids with their Kids Club. Many of the programs are only $2. Visit their website to see the upcoming classes. 

5083 Colerain Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio

Part of the Cincinnati Park District is Mt. Airy Forest. Take a hike through the woods or check out the huge tree house (it's even wheelchair accessible). If you've never been to this side of Cincinnati, enjoy the drive, pack a picnic lunch and get in touch with nature. There's over 1400 acres of natural beauty to see. There's also disc golf and an enclosed dog park. 

1100 Spaatz St., Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433, (937) 255-3286

This is techinically in the Dayton area but I wanted to include it here since it's FREE!  It's an absolutely wonderful museum and it's huge - you probably won't be able take it all in  just one visit but you definitely need a place to start. It is filled with actual airplanes, bombers, and Airforce memorabilia from the start of aviation to present day.  It even has a cool area dedicated to space shuttles with actual shuttles to see.  You can even walk in to some of the planes. Be sure to check out the new wing filled with presedential planes. There's also an IMAX theatre (charge for this) and a Cafe onsite. It's open seven days a week from 9-5 but closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.

10073 Daly Rd., Cincinnati, Ohio 45231, (513) 521-3276

When my girls were younger, we loved visiting Parky's Farm. The grounds are FREE to walk around and enjoy. They have a great playground and a fully functional farm with lots of farm animals to see. The farm and barns are free to visit too. Parky's Farm will have special events or programs throughout the year and they may charge admission fees during those times (Halloween Nights, Pumpkin Patch, Pioneer Pastimes, Barnyard Bonanza, etc). 

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Parky's Playbarn is onsite. It's an indoor play area for ages 2-12 years ($2.50/child) and they have pony rides (under 48" tall/$3) and wagon rides ($2.50/person). 

Various Locations

There are so many wonderful playgrounds and parks in the area.  Visit our Playgrounds & Parks page and you will find plenty of FREE places to play.

• Cincinnati Park District

• Great Parks of Hamilton County

• MetroParks of Butler County

• Local township parks  

Various Locations

There are some local fast food restaurants that offer play areas that are FREE to their customers.  Here's a listing of some play areas close by.
   

• Burger King -  Loveland, Ohio.

• Chick-fil-A - West Chester & Mason, Ohio.

• McDonald's - various locations - close to us is the one on Tylersville Rd. in West Chester (visit findronald.com to see where you might me Ronald McDonald).

West Mehring Way, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

Visiting Cincinnati's riverfront is a treat. The City of Cincinnati started planning for Smale Riverfront Park in 1997. The park has so much to offer. There are spraygrounds, beautiful paved paths adorned with flora and fauna, Carol Ann's Carousel (minimal charge to ride), playground with some unique playscape features (a flying pig, water pumps, giant foot piano), Rosenberg Swings where you can swing under a pergola and enjoy views of the Ohio River and the KY skyline. If you have visitors, please take them to this park. The Banks is very close and you can enjoy lunch or dinner at one of the restaurants close by or even take a walk across the bridge for even more spectacular views. 

4521 Spring Grove Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio 45232

Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum has a 733-acre garden. They have events throughout the year. Public tram tours are offered during select times (RSVP) and kids 12 and under are FREE and adults are a minimal charge. 

316 Pike St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 - (513) 241-0343

The Taft Museum of Art is FREE on Sundays. Click here to reserve your free tickets. 

Tramway Dr., Sharonville, Ohio 45241, (513) 563-1144

If your kids like digging and looking for fossils, then a visit to Trammel Fossil Park in Sharonville is a must do.  When you pull up, you might think you are just looking at a dry rocky area and wonder what they are going to do. Well...they will love it and it will keep them entertained for quite some time. There are also some nice displays where they can read about the type of fossils they may find at the park. They can climb and find the perfect place to dig. Bring a bucket and shovel and some wet wipes for after the dig.  Water and sunscreen are a must too especially on hot days

Enjoy a fun and educational bus tour that takes you through the Rumpke Sanitary Landfill and you'll actually get to drive into the main landfill as well as ride the bus to the top of "Mt. Rumpke".  Learn about how a "cell" is made, what they do with the methane gas produced by buried trash and ways you can help by recycling at home.  Tours are offered on Wednesdays and are best for ages 4 and up.  A minimum of 10 participants are needed to book a tour.  It is well worth it and it's FREE! You can also book a tour of their recylcing facilty .

1230 Elm St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

We love Washington Park. Located in OTR (Over the Rhine) near Cincinnati Music Hall, Washington Park is an urban oasis. They have many FREE events throughout the year. Free concerts, free movies, free kids activities, free festivals, free exercise programs and more. There is also a great dog park for your furry friends and a wonderful playground for the kids. A big highlight is the sprayground water fountains that can illuminate in colors and the spraying of the water can also be set to music.