Five Favorite Winter Activities in Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky
‘Tis the season! We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Now that it has passed, we can finally celebrate Christmas without being judged.
Our rising star agent, Alyssa Suttles, LOVES Christmas festivities! She has put together some of her favorite activities in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area. You may have heard of some of them, others maybe not. Continue reading to find out!
#1: WINTERFEST | KINGS ISLAND
6300 Kings Island Dr. Mason, OH 45040
This is a little further for my Kentucky friends, but so worth the drive! I feel like I am in a winter wonderland every time. The Royal Fountain turns into an ice skating rink, live shows are put on throughout the park, and some of the rides even open back up. My favorite thing to do is grab a cup of hot chocolate as soon as I arrive and walk around the park enjoying the lights. Tickets for entry into the park are $29.99, however ice skating is an additional $17. The festival lasts from now until December 31st - so make sure you schedule a time to check it out if you haven’t already!
Visit their website to learn more.
#2: CHRISTMAS PLAYS, MUSICALS, ETC.
Something that might not come to mind when you think of things to do during the Christmas season would be to see shows at Playhouse in the Park or Cincinnati Music Hall. Playhouse in the Park tends to feature plays like A Christmas Carol, and Music Hall features The Nutcracker, performed by the Cincinnati Ballet. Grab dinner at one of the many restaurants downtown before showtime. This could make for a great date night! Check out cincyplay.com or cballet.org/tickets to find out more.
#3: SCUBA SANTA’S WATER WONDERLAND | NEWPORT AQUARIUM
1 Levee Way, Newport, KY 41071
The kids in your life will LOVE this one! Head out to Newport Aquarium on Newport on the Levee to see Santa swimming around in the shark tanks. You can also meet Santa and his elves at certain times throughout the day. Check out the link here to find out those dates and times. The event goes from now until December 24th.
Tickets are $22.99-$39.99 for adults and $14.99-$31.99 for kids. Price depends on the date.
#4: DECK THE YA’LLS LIGHTFEST | THOMAS MORE STADIUM
7950 Freedom Way, Florence, KY 41042
This festival located in Florence, KY has all the Christmas activities you could imagine. Enjoy the 2 million lights, themed areas, shopping (my favorite pastime), ice skating, carnivals, of course, food and Santa Claus, and so much more. It is only available on specific dates, so check out the link here for more specifics.
Tickets range from $10-$18 for kids, $14-$22 for adults, and $12-$18 for seniors or military members/veterans.
#5: FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS | CINCINNATI ZOO AND BOTANICAL GARDEN
3400 Vine St. Cincinnati, OH 45220
This is my absolute favorite thing to do every Christmas. I love the zoo in general, but add Christmas lights and hot cocoa on top of that. I’m sold. While most of the animals are “hibernating” for the winter, the indoor animals are usually out and about! I love grabbing a hot chocolate and walking around to see all of the pretty lights. Make sure to also grab your photo at the giant tree in the very front of the zoo!
Tickets range from $15.50-$21.50 for adults, and $9.50-$15.50 for children and seniors. Zoo parking is an additional $10. I hope to see you there!
These are just a few of the MANY Holiday activities that take place in Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky. This time of the year always reminds me of how lucky I am to live in such a wonderful city. I hope you find this list to be helpful.
Have a very happy holiday and stay warm out there!
