Mason is also home to Kings Island and Soak City, the largest amusement and water park in the Midwest. Enjoy big thrills at Kings Island such as The Beast, the world’s longest wooden coaster, and Diamondback, a steel coaster with speeds of up to 80 mph. Inside Kings Island, Soak City is free to guests of the amusement park. Cool off in the park’s 650,000-gallon wave pool, one of the 30 water slides on hand, or the lazy river equipped with water cannons, geysers and whitewater rapids. Book a room at Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, home to a 79,000-square-foot indoor water park. No matter the outside weather, the water park maintains a temperature of 84 degrees year-round. Frolic in the park’s four-story tree house with swinging cargo nets, bridges and jet sprays, or take a plunge down the roller coaster, funnel or twin three-story water slides. The park is available to hotel guests only.
Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon is more than just a 26.2-mile race that travels through the streets of downtown Cincinnati, across the Ohio River and into portions of Northern Kentucky. Held annually in early May, and named after the popular winged swine statues in Bicentennial Commons, the event promotes healthy living with the inclusion of a 5K, 10K, four-person relay, wheelchair race and half-marathon over the span of three days. Younger guests can sign up for the Flying Piglet Kids’ Fun Run, reserved for ages 5 and younger, or the 1-mile race for older kids. After a rigorous workout, you can load up on carbs at the “Pig Out Pasta Party” in Cincinnati Riverfront Park.
Drink up at the Cincinnati International Wine Festival, a three-day affair in early March that celebrates local and global wineries. Events take place throughout the city, including dinners hosted by wineries at different restaurants, a charity auction and luncheon at a regional hotel and wine tastings at Duke Energy Convention Center. Proceeds go to local charities.
Surround yourself with nature year-round at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Watch speed on display at the cheetah encounter, hand feed giraffes, pet barnyard animals at the children’s zoo, immerse yourself with tuxedoed birds at the penguin walkabout and trek through jungle trails to view primates. You can also attend special zoo events such as 5K runs, wine tasting parties, the wintertime festival of lights and Halloween trick or treating sessions.
Explore a host of diverse landscapes under one roof at Krohn Conservatory in Cincinnati’s Eden Park. Built in 1933, the art deco-inspired glass and aluminum conservatory is home to more than 3,500 global plant species. Take a stroll through rain forest and desert settings, marvel at the indoor waterfall and towering palm trees, visit the orchid house and watch as fluttering butterflies dart about the gardens.
Examine the country’s dark past with a trip to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, a Smithsonian-affiliated museum that highlights the secret network of abolitionists who helped slaves escape their shackled lives. Open year-round, the downtown Cincinnati museum is just steps from the Ohio River, a waterway crossed by numerous slaves from the slave state of Kentucky to the free state of Ohio. Five permanent exhibits delve into the lives of abolitionists and slaves via artwork, films and various artifacts, including an early 1800s slave pen.
Step back in time with a visit to the Cincinnati Art Museum in Eden Park. Home to 60,000 pieces of work covering 6,000 years, the 1886 museum houses the largest art collection in Ohio, including ancient pieces from Rome, Egypt and Greece, and paintings by European and American luminaries such as Pablo Picasso and Edward Hopper. Open six days a week, the museum is free to the public.
