In the middle of our bustling but sleepy little city lies a busy but easy-going little piece of verdant heaven. Construction and reconstruction clamor alongside a brand new streetcar that circles the green space, giving its passengers a peek of the park’s goings-on. Amidst what may seem like noise and commotion, Washington Park peacefully hosts families and festivals throughout the season. A quick check of the Washington Park events calendar could easily fill up your summer weekends and evenings without having the same experience twice. There’s fun all summer long at Washington Park!
However, if you have little ones and need a little (or a lot) of unplanned play, Washington Park is just the place to enjoy the city and the shade of the enormous trees at the same time. 18,000 square feet surrounded by a fence not only holds a historic-Cincinnati themed playground, but also a play castle, slides, a climbing wall and plenty of other fun playground features.
Don’t forget to pack a swim suit or a dry set of clothes for the kiddies. Once they work up a sweat at the playground, they can cool off in Washington Park’s water park. 130 pop up jets, waterfalls and other water features create a fun and interactive experience that is perfect for a sweltering Cincinnati-summer day. The water park is open April – October from 10 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Washington Park also has scheduled events that are perfect for the whole family throughout the year. Their Pop-Up Play events feature puppet performances, craft making, and story telling to keep your kids busy all day. The City Flea is an Etsy-meets-flea-market that’s uniquely Cincinnati. Pack some snacks or visit Washington Park’s concession stand and let the fun continue into the evening and stay for a movie screening of family-friendly favorites like Men in Black, Legally Blonde, Space Jam and UP, just to name a few. The concession stand serves snacks for the little ones and a full service bar for the grown ups, including Coke products and local brews from MadTree, Taft’s Ale House and Rhinegeist.
This summer, venture to OTR for a day of fun at Washington Park! Event schedules can be found on Washington Park’s website at washingtonpark.org
About Emily:
Emily grew up just north of Cincinnati in Hamilton, OH and now lives in Western Hills with her husband Jim, their son James and their lunatic yellow lab, Rosey. Emily graduated from Xavier University (Go Muskies!), and is now a stay at home mom after working in marketing and promotions for local radio and TV stations.
Emily spends most of her free time visiting the manatees (James’ favorite) at the Cincinnati Zoo, shopping at local antique shops, or singing Beatles songs with James who typically just stares at her like she’s crazy. Emily hopes one day he’ll join in but for now she enjoys his giggles. She also enjoys photography and has quickly turned into a Pure Barre addict while trying to melt away the daily milkshakes she consumed while pregnant. So far it’s going well, but Skyline frequently gets in the way.
Emily loves to write and is looking forward to connecting with other Moms in Cincinnati while writing for Cincinnati Parent.