During the winter season, there are still a lot of fun things to do around Cincinnati, Ohio.
Don’t let the colder weather keep you from having an awesome adventure.
I’m sharing more about the top things to do in Cincinnati in the Winter that you will definitely want to add to your list.
*Make sure you visit each museum/attraction/business’s website before you go. Their operating days and hours vary so you will want to plan accordingly.
Visit a Cincinnati Museum in the Winter
Cincinnati has SO MANY museums! There is truly something for everyone ranging from history, art, sports-themed, unique, and more!
Museums at the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal –
(Save on admission with the POGO Pass)
- The Museum of Natural History & Science
- Duke Energy Children’s Museum
- Cincinnati History Museum
- The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center
Additional Historic Museums in Cincinnati
- National Underground Freedom Center – (On the POGO Pass)
- Cincinnati Fire Museum
- Greater Cincinnati Police Museum
- Harriet Beecher Stowe House
- Skirball Museum in Cincinnati
- The Betts House
- The German Heritage Museum
- Cincinnati Aviation Heritage Society Museum
Sports-themed Museums
Unique Museums in Cincinnati
Art Museums in Cincinnati
Museums in Northern Kentucky
Take a Local Food Tour
A local food tour is a great way to discover local restaurants that you will want to return to. You get both quality and quantity as you sample your way through the city.
During a food tour, you eat great food, learning more about local history, and the stories behind the local restaurants that you visit.
You can take a self-guided tour at Findlay Market.
Or sign up for a group tour with Cincinnati Food Tours or Riverside Food Tours.
Experience Indoor Skydiving at iFLY Cincinnati
7689 Warehouse Row, Liberty Township, Ohio
Enjoy the thrills of skydiving without having to jump out of a plane at iFLY Cincinnati.
Flyers as young as 3 and up can experience what it’s like to float on a column of air from a vertical wind tunnel.
Ice Skate or Try Bumper Cars on the Ice at Fountain Square
520 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH
Make a reservation for an ice skating session or a combo ice session with bumpers + skating. Ice skating sessions also include ice skate rentals.
Ice bumper car riders must be 5+ years old, at least 42 inches tall, and under 300 lbs. All rink sessions at Fountain Square are 60 minutes on split or full ice.
Additional Outdoor Ice Skating Rinks Around Cincinnati
- Fifty West Burger Bar Ice Rink
- Ice Rink at Summit Park
Indoor Ice Skating Rinks Around Cincinnati
Solve the Puzzles in an Escape Room
Put your mind to the test in an escape room with friends or family. Escape rooms have a series of clues, challenges, and puzzles to solve.
If you can solve the puzzles and escape before your time runs out, your team earns bragging rights.
Escape Rooms Around Cincinnati
- Houdini’s Room Escape
- The Escape Game Cincinnati
- Cincinnati Escape Room
- Breakout Games
- OTR Escape
- Sherlock’s Escape Rooms
- Escapology Escape Rooms Cincinnati
- Escape Room Family LLC
- Delhi Who Dunnit
- Great Room Escape
Watch the Penguin Parade at the Cincinnati Zoo
3400 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH
Watch the cuteness of the penguins in action as they waddle from their habitat at Children’s Zoo to the Wings of the World habitat.
You can watch the Penguin Parade from January 13 – February 25 at 11am on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in 2024.
(Special walks on MLK Day, Monday & Presidents’ Day)
The Penguin Parade takes place when the weather temperatures are below 50 degrees for the penguins to walk.
You can also take advantage of special discount offers at the Cincinnati Zoo during the winter months too.
Purchase Discounted Tickets for the Cincinnati Zoo hereThe Cincinnati Zoo is also on the POGO Pass.
Try Something New at Fowling Warehouse Cincinnati
2940 Highland Ave #230, Cincinnati, OH
What is Fowling?
Fowling is a fusion of Cornhole and bowling…with a football.
The goal is to knock off all of the other team’s bowling pins on their board. Each player gets a turn. It’s harder than it looks to knock down those pins but it’s also really fun!
Cincinnati Fowling Warehouse is on the POGO Pass.
Garden Goals Inspiration at the Krohn Conservatory
1501 Eden Park Dr, Cincinnati, OH
There are over 3500 plant species on display from around the world at the Krohn Conservatory.
Located in Eden Park, the conservatory brings the beauty of the outdoors, indoors for guests to enjoy year-round.
Check the Krohn Conservatory website for hours and special events.
More Greenhouse Vibes
Enjoy the outdoors indoors with these options.
- Class at Fern Shop
- Class with Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati
Try Archery Dodgeball at Archery Arena
What is Archery Dodgeball?
Archery dodgeball is similar to dodgeball and paintball but you are using foam-tipped arrows to tag each other instead.
At Archery Arena you get 15 minutes of training followed by 60 minutes of gameplay creating a 75-minute session.
Take a Wine, Brewery, or Distillery Tour
Winter is a great time to take a tour of your alcohol of choice. For the best value take a guided tour with multiple stops.
Wine, Brewery, and Distillery Tours Around Cincinnati
- Cincinnati Wine Wagon
- Cincinnati Brew Bus
- Brewing Heritage Trail
- Craft Connection – Cincinnati Brewery Tours
- Rhinegeist Brewery
- New Riff Distilling
Take a Guided Bus or Walking Tour of Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky with American Legacy Tours
Gain access to areas not open to the public, like the lager tunnel pictured above on a guided tour with American Legacy.
You can’t go wrong with any of the American Legacy tours ranging from historic, underground, food and drink, and haunted. I’ve taken several of their tours and I learn something new each time.
A few of my favorite American Legacy Tours are:
Play a Round of Top Golf
9568 Water Front Dr, West Chester Township, OH
The best part of golf minus driving the golf cart, Topgolf allows you to experience golf in a casual environment that can be as competitive as you choose.
Players have different games and difficulty levels to choose from as they try to hit the target. Topgolf also has fantastic food options to enjoy served at your heated bay while you are waiting for your turn.
Visit an Indoor Trampoline Park
Show off your old moves or attempt a new one at a trampoline park.
You can bounce, challenge your friends to a game of dodgeball, show off your dunking skills, attempt a ninja skill, or try a new trick in the foam pit.
Trampoline Parks Around Cincinnati
- Sky Zone Trampoline Park
- Rockn’ Jump
- Get Air Trampoline Park
- Urban Air Adventure Park
- DEFY Florence Kentucky
- Silverlake The Family Place (*Non-members can book for birthday parties)
Go Duckpin Bowling
Similar to traditional bowling but with smaller balls that weigh under 4 pounds without finger holds so that you can hold the ball in one hand.
The bowling pins are attached to strings and bowlers get 3 rolls per frame. Duckpin bowling is a great adventure that’s pretty laid back and easier to play for all ages and abilities.
Where you can try Duckpin Bowling Around Cincinnati
Regular Bowling and an Indoor Bocce Court
Go Indoor Go Kart Racing
Fulfill your need for speed by racing your group around the track in a go-kart. With some venues where speeds can go up to 40 mph for adult karts, you get a rush that’s way more fun than rush hour.
Indoor Go Kart Locations Around Cincinnati
- Full Throttle Adrenaline Park
- The WEB Extreme Entertainment (This attraction is on the POGO Pass)
- Scene 75 Entertainment Center
Try Axe Throwing
Ax throwing is safer than you would anticipate and definitely more FUN! This is also a great activity for groups.
Ax Throwing Locations Around Cincinnati
There are several locations around Cincinnati where you can try ax-throwing
Drink or Dine in a Rooftop Igloo
Enjoy scenic city views during a unique adventure inside an igloo.
You can make a reservation for a rooftop igloo in Cincinnati or Covington, Ky.
*Most igloos have a minimum spending amount and a set amount of time.
Rooftop Igloos Around Cincinnati
- Frosthaus Covington
- Upper Deck at the AC Hotel
- The View at Shires’ Garden
- Braxton Brewery (Covington, KY)
- Kon-Tiki’s Fire Lounge Igloo Experience (Newport on the Levee)
Learn to Curl at Cincinnati Curling Club
5150 Duff Drive, West Chester, OH
Learn the basics of the winter Olympic sport of curling during a “Learn to Curl” session with Cincinnati Curling Club.
This is an adventure that is fun for a variety of ages and abilities.
Try Skiing, Snowboarding, or Snow Tubing at Perfect North Slopes
19074 Perfect Pl Ln, Lawrenceburg, IN
You can enjoy winter fun and play in the snow in Southeast Indiana. If there isn’t snow in Cincinnati it’s not a problem. Perfect North Slopes has snow thanks to their fantastic snowmaking machines.
Guests can ski, snowboard, or go snow tubing. If you are new to winter sports I highly recommend taking a ski or snowboard lesson.
Ski or Snowboard Lessons are great confidence builders for first-timers. Lessons are also a nice refresher if it’s been a while since you’ve been on the slopes.
Snow tubing is a great multi-gen adventure that your group can experience together.
Get Your Passport Stamped on the B-Line
Experience the perfect complement to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, in Northern Kentucky, located a short B- Line away.
The B-Line has an assortment of bourbon-themed restaurants, bars, and distilleries that each have specific criteria to be on the official B-Line passport and trail.
You can try to make as many stops as possible in one day or you can stretch it out over time. Giving you something to look forward to over a longer time.
Tour With Us KY offers great customized bourbon tours too.
Explore Newport Aquarium
1 Levee Way, Newport, KY
Walk across the Shark Bridge, touch sharks, watch penguins play, and walk through tunnels where you can view incredible sea life from around the world at the Newport Aquarium.
Purchase Discounted Tickets for Newport Aquarium here
Attend a Cyclones Hockey Game
Heritage Bank Center
100 Broadway St, Cincinnati, OH
*Cincinnati Cyclones 2023-2024 ECHL Season
Enjoy watching a professional hockey game. For a great value, check out one of their ticket package specials.
Cincinnati Cyclones games are very family-friendly. Kids and adults love the entertaining intermissions between the periods of the game.
Attend a Family Circus Performance and Class at Bircus Brewing Co.
322 Elm St, Ludlow, KY
You can watch a family-friendly Circus Performance and then learn a few circus skills during a workshop.
Take a Cooking Class
This is pretty much the only way that I enjoy cooking. I like that it’s social and I’m less likely to screw things up with a professional nearby.
Cooking classes are fun for both novices and foodies. If you are really inspired you can attempt to recreate your meal at another time at home.
Cooking Classes Around Cincinnati
- Tablespoon Cooking Co.
- Sur La Table
- The Learning Kitchen
- Out of Thyme Kitchen Studio
- Findlay Kitchen
- Afromeals
Explore Jungle Jim’s International Market
Foodies can take a tour, sign up for a cooking class, or wander the supermarket with food from around the world. This grocery store is unlike any other grocery store in the country!
- Jungle Jim’s International Market – Original Location – 5440 Dixie Hwy, Fairfield, OH
- Jungle Jim’s International Market Eastgate – 4450 Eastgate S Dr, Cincinnati, OH
Make a Custom Candle
The process of making a hand-poured candle is very simple. The hardest part is narrowing down all of your scent choices. A custom candle is a perfect gift for yourself or for someone special.
Where You Can Make A Custom Candle Around Cincinnati
Rent a LEGO Set to Build
Newport on the Levee- Newport, KY
Tap into your creative side at the LEGO-themed cafe for all ages.
Take a Winter Hike
Enjoy fresh air during a winter hike at one of the parks around Cincinnati.
- Cincinnati Nature Center
- Devou Park
- Bender Mountain Nature Preserve
- Winter hike events at one of the Great Parks of Hamilton County (Winton Woods, Sharon Woods, Woodland Mound, Shawnee Lookout, and Miami Whitewater Forest)
Visit a Cat Cafe
Enjoy a beverage on the cafe side and play with adorable cats on the other side.
Which Winter Adventure Do You Want to Cross Off Your List First?
These winter adventures are also great experience gift ideas for the holidays, birthdays, or just because.
You can save the checklist to your phone or download the free printable.
