Our family loves to explore, and whenever we start a new beginning, such as a new year, it is customary for us to create a new list of attractions we want to experience. Below is our list of family adventures we hope to complete by the end of 2022. Most of the activities below are true Cincinnati traditions, and we cannot wait to begin experiencing all the unique events Cincinnati has to offer this coming year!
Here are 22 family activities to complete in Cincinnati during 2022:
- Take a road trip to the Loveland Castle. We will plan to bring a picnic lunch and a deck of Uno cards to occupy the kids while we are outside in the gardens. Families typically spend 1-2 hours here exploring the grounds, touring rooms of the castle, and reading the history of the man who built the castle, Harry Delos Andrews. We have heard it is best to go in the Spring because that is when the gardens are in full bloom.
- Attend Butterfly Fest at Blooms and Berries Farm Market near Loveland, OH. We plan to participate in any u-pick fruits and vegetables during the festival too. This is sure to be a fun day spent outside on the farm.
- Watch the Reds Opening Day Parade in March. The entire Queen City basically shuts down so everyone can watch this iconic parade through downtown Cincinnati. The annual celebration begins promptly at noon, led by an honorary grand marshal, and honors America’s first professional baseball team.
- Swing on the bench-style swings that are overlooking the Ohio River at Smale Riverfront Park. There is a large playground nearby and we plan to make a day of it, exploring the park and then tackling number 5 on our list, below.
- Walk across the Purple People Bridge from Cincy to Newport, Kentucky. This bridge doesn't contain purple people, don't worry! It's named this way because it is intended for people who are walking not driving, and the color of the bridge is a beautiful shade of purple.
- Ride our bikes on the Miami Whitewater Forest trail. The Miami Whitewater Forest is the largest park in the Great Parks of Hamilton County with 4,345 acres, and many paved trails excellent for bike riding, hiking, or walking the family dog.
- Attend an FC Cincinnati home game. We're big soccer fans in our family, and love a live sporting event regardless of the sport. This is a relatively new team (created in 2016), and they just hired a new coach, so this season is sure to be interesting!
- Play a round at Blue Ash Golf Course. Our daughter is only 7, but loves to take on new challenges like learning to hold a golf club for the first time. This might be one of those activities where she spends more time in the golf cart than actually playing the game of golf, but it's the experience of it all we are excited to share with her.
- See Lebanon’s Black Barn Greenhouse and Farm Market. This is a sweet little farm market set inside a 150 year old barn, with sunflower fields that bloom in August, and access for photographs is completely free. This is one of our favorite Fall back-to-school traditions. Check out their Facebook page for all the details.
- Go to a showing of The Cincinnati Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” in December. I was a dancer in my younger years, and this classic production brings back all the memories from my dancing days. I look forward to sharing the experience with my dance-loving daughter this year.
- Attend a pride event June 25th, 2022. The full list of events has not been released yet, but when the time is closer, we will search through cincinnatipride.org and find an activity we can partake in to support the LGBTQ community.
- Participate in the Hike for your Health program at the Cincinnati Nature Center. Pick up a Hike for Your Health passport at the Rowe Visitor Center for $4 and start hiking! After completing each trail, come back to the Visitor's Center to get an official boot stamp on your passport to earn fun incentive prizes along the way. During this excursion, we will try to spot the fairy garden on their herb wall as well! It's super cute!
- Marvel at a crazy over-the-top decorated milkshake (maybe even try their dill pickle pizza?) at Terry’s Grocery. Never hurts to add some tasty treats to the bucket list, and we have heard these shakes are out of this world delicious.
- Go big for the winter holidays of 2022 and take a trip to Winterfest at King’s Island. We went through the Coney Island "Nights of Lights" display and Cincinnati Zoo's lights this year, so we have decided to make the time and branch out for something different next year!
- Spend a hot summer day at the water park of Coney Island.
- Visit Mount Lookout's Ault Park in the Spring, sometime between late March to early April, to experience the most beautiful cherry tree grove in all of Cincinnati. This spot makes for some beautiful spring photos.
- Do the 3-hour river float down the Whitewater River on tubes provided by Green Acres Canoe Rental.
- Visit the Blue Manatee Literacy Project book store where for every book purchased, they donate one to a child in need.
- Eat a coney dog at both Skyline Chili and Gold Star to find out which one is our favorite version of this Cincinnati special. We're not ready for the true Cincinnati chili version which includes spaghetti just yet - maybe next year we will go that route!
- Attend the Oktoberfest Zinzinnati celebration, held each September. Oktoberfest Zinzinnati is one of the largest Oktoberfests in the world! One of the days during this celebration, they host the “largest chicken dance” of the world - and we absolutely cannot wait to participate in that silly tradition!
- Cheer on our favorite boat at the Little Miami Cardboard Boat Regatta. This annual event takes place in August on Oeders Lake near Lebanon, OH. The Facebook page, linked above, contains all the specifications for entering the contest if that's what floats your boat.
- Watch the Mount Adams Reindog Parade in December. It's what Christmas is all about.
We hope you've enjoyed looking through our Bucket List for 2022, and be sure to bookmark this article for referencing throughout the year. Wishing you and your family a happy and healthy 2022!
