Beech Acres Park
6910 Salem Rd, Cincinnati OH 45230
Key amenities:
- large and diverse playground structures
- restroom facilities
- open fields to fly kites, practice sports such as soccer or football, or picnic
- Splash pad in the summer
Beech Acres is only a few miles from where we live. There is a Big Apple Bagel on the corner of Salem Road and Beechmont Avenue and it's a great breakfast spot if you want to have a quick breakfast ahead of your park adventure. The ample parking available at this park is convenient for families with larger vans or trucks. There are also restrooms open year-round at the building closest to the athletic fields.
This park is unique because of the large play structures which offer a large variety of equipment for children of all ages and developmental abilities to play together in the same space. There are three rock walls of varying heights and difficulty, a giant gliding boat where kids can either sit in the boat or help push the boat back and forth, and a small town store front the kids usually end up using as a pretend store to sell acorns and leaves to other kids. Of course there are also slides, swings for all abilities, and monkey bars too! We seem to never leave there without another connection to the community, as my child is always making a new friend (or three) with each visit to Beech Acres! They offer a huge splash pad which provides hours of fun in the hot summer months. It is hard to believe the park access is free with all the amenities offered here.
Johnson Hills Park
7950 Bridle Rd, Cincinnati OH 45244
Key amenities:
- outdoor classroom, covered pavilion with tables
- 18 hole disc golf course
- 2.5 mile paved hiking trail through the wooded areas of the park
This is a little-known park in the Anderson district, and a great place to take your dog to join the family on a nature walk to avoid getting muddy. The trails are well maintained and a little hilly which adds nice variety to your nature walk work-out. The trail would be good for running as well. The 18 hole disc golf course is fun for older kids. You do need to bring your own discs to play the course. Locally, the discs you need can be purchased here. The covered pavilion provides shade in the summer, and a comfortable spot for lunch year-round.
Clear Creek Park
6200 Batavia Rd, Cincinnati OH 45244
Key amenities:
- restroom facilities
- soccer, lacrosse, and rugby fields
- paved trails great for running, walking, and rollerblading
- playground area
This park is a wide-open space for all kinds of sporting events and outdoor exercise. There are 6 soccer fields in addition to lacrosse and rugby fields, pickle ball courts, and the paved bike trail. The huge parking lot allows for you to leave your vehicle for longer stretches of time if you’re out on a long family bike ride without concern that it’s getting overly crowded if there is also a soccer game going on at the field. The Little Miami Bike Trail runs through the park, connecting Cincinnati to Springfield which is 75 miles northeast of Cincy. Whether you’re out for a long or short excursion, there are plenty of restaurants close by in Newtown 3 miles up the trail, where you could stop for lunch. For more information on the Little Miami Bike Trail, click here. The playground area isn’t huge at this park, but a great little spot to let the younger kids play while older siblings are out on the soccer field.
Juilfs Park
8249 Clough Pike, Cincinnati OH 45244
Key amenities:
- Farm themed extra large playground
- splash pad in the summer
- sand volleyball, tennis courts, baseball diamond, and basketball court
- restroom facilities
- two covered pavilions with picnic tables
This is a great park and playground for the younger kids! Different playground features include jungle gyms, sand pit, multiple slides, and even a rocking boat allow for imaginative play of all sorts. The barnyard themed splash pad is tons of fun in the hot summer months. The splash pad area has ample shade to keep kids protected from the summer sun. When the leaves are changing colors in the Fall, a walk around the 1 mile paved trail is a beautiful sight. Dogs are permitted on this trail as long as they are kept on 6 foot long leashes. The shelters have many picnic tables, and may be rented for family gatherings by booking through the andersonparks.org website.
