This winter, embrace the cold by spending time outdoors. Whether you bundle up and take a hike, lace up your skates and hit the ice or suit up for the slopes, we challenge you to make the most of these cold-weather months!
Our Cincinnati Winter Fun Guide features the best ideas for cold-weather fun all season long.
Ice Skating
Cincinnati has a number of indoor and outdoor rinks to take advantage of all winter long!
Sledding
Cincinnati is called the “City of 7 Hills,” and indeed, there are many great sled riding spots in town! Check out our roundup of the best places to go sledding in Cincinnati here. Save this list for a rainy snowy day!
Snow tubing and skiing
Find a mix of diverse terrain at this 200-acre ski and tubing resort. Child, adult and adaptive lessons are offered, with a lesson included for first-timers with every lift ticket purchased. Feel the need for speed? Sign up for racing lessons. Training and practice sessions are available for ages 7 and up. Don’t leave without taking a ride down one of their 26 tubing lanes, including “super lanes” that allow your entire family to slide down together.
Just over an hour away, Valley’s Edge Snowtubing offers affordable family fun close to home. Even when there’s no snow on the ground, there’s still snow at Valley’s Edge as they’ll make the white stuff even when Mother Nature won’t. Go on a Thursday night and pay just $6 for everyone in your family.
Hiking
Bundle up and take a hike this winter! Great Parks of Hamilton County, Cincinnati Parks and the Cincinnati Nature Center all boast picturesque parks and trails perfect for enjoying when the weather turns cold.
Winter sports
Did you know Cincinnati had its own professional hockey team? The Cincinnati Cyclones play all winter long at U.S. Bank Arena, and the games are very family friendly. Be sure to check out themed game nights for extra fun!
Up in Butler County, the Miami Redhawks offer a fun experience for local families. Their season runs through March, with tickets available here.
Outdoor attractions
The Cincinnati Zoo may have fallen off your radar after the Festival of Lights, but we’d like to put it right back up there! Going to the Zoo when it’s cold is magical — you see lots of animals that you wouldn’t normally get to see. Bears! Big cats! And penguins. Lots of penguins. In fact, these little tuxedo-clad creatures are the stars of the show in the winter during the Cincinnati Zoo’s Penguin Days. On winter weekends through March 13, head to the Zoo for the Penguin Parade (which happens as long as temps fall below 50 degrees). You’ll delight as the Zoo’s colony of King Penguins waddles in perfect formation between the Wings of Wonder and Children’s Zoo. It’s truly a sight to behold. Plus, every day until March 13, enjoy half-price Zoo admission in honor of these cold-weather creatures.
What’s your favorite thing to do in the winter in Cincinnati? Share it in the comments below, and be sure to tag @cincyparent while you’re out and about this winter!