Artspace lofts and residence gallery is has an amazing idea. When I found out it was coming to…read moreHamilton, I really wished I had enough artistic ability to move into the building. Hamilton is an industrial town. Or was. Now post-industrial. It's bringing in a lot of interesting and creative ideas to the city. Like Artspace. "The project rehabilitated two internally connected historic buildings, a 1900 French Renaissance masterpiece originally known as the Mehrum Building, and the 1913 Lindley Block. A 1970s remodel covered the original storefronts with a metal screen that was removed in Spring of 2013, thereby restoring these century-old edifices to their original appearance." (Taken directly from http://www.artspace.org/our-places/artspace-hamilton-lofts#tab-node_place_full_group_overview. I don't have that much building knowledge but it's cool to know.) The non-profit does this amazing thing. They started in 1979 in Minneapolis and asked this really obvious question I'm not sure a lot of people think of. When gentrification happens, what happens to the artists? They saw them as low in income but assets in creativity. And Hamilton is The City of Sculpture! We need art! That just blows my mind. The non-profit use real estate development to create affordable places for artists to work, perform and display their work. Anyway, there are 42 units that I'm sure you can tour if you're looking for a place. One, two and three bedroom apartments. I'm not sure how the cost works. I just viewed the gallery. Which is in a really huge space. When I arrived there were residents working on something artsy and the manager was eager to have a chat. There are rotating art shows from residents and, I think, other folks. There's music. Recently there was a drum event I missed out on. Parking is easy to find. There's tons of street parking and a parking garage around the block. Lots, too. I'm unsure of hours. I showed up on a Thursday afternoon and they were open. It's free and there are lot of things to check out in the area. I intend on following their event calendar more closely now that I've checked it out. I'm excited to find out what they do next.

Highfield Discovery Garden is in Glenwood Gardens, and it is designed to encourage everyone to…read moreexplore the natural world in a fun, engaging environment. You don't even have to bring children along if you don't have any. Young and old alike will never forget this wondrous place. There are seven smaller gardens to explore: -Frog & Toads Garden: Look closely among the lily pads and you'll see they are surrounded by frogs. -Wizard's Garden: Pass the purple hat, don't wake the dragon and take the bouncy bridge to the fairy garden.Just the metal sculpture of the dragon itself is worth it. They have purple lights for its eyes, too. -Trolley Garden: Four, small scale trains run on tracks surrounding some of your favorite storybook characters. Of course, there is Thomas the Tank Engine who was always a favorite of my son when he was younger. -Vegetable Garden: Raised beds will put you at eye level with common and not-so-common vegetables. -Grandma's Scent Garden: You'll be surrounded by smelly plants for your pretend tea party here. There's a plant there that smells like popcorn!! -Morph Garden: The caterpillars in this garden are huge! -Butterfly Garden: This garden is shaped like its favorite resident.

This is a very nice garden for not only the little ones, but the kids. It is actually a garden…read morewithin a larger garden. It is in Glenwood Gardens and covers 12 acres. They have a ton of parking and admission is $5.25 in season and $2.75 during winter months. However, since it is in a another garden then you will have to pay that admission too. I think it is $3. No one was at the gate when I came there, so I did not have to pay it. This garden is well maintained and has lots to see. There is a prairie and nicely paved trails. The highlight of the place is the storybook looking area called Discovery Garden. It has Trolley Garden, a spot were small trains run along the tracks. They had a haunted train and a Thomas train among others, running the tracks. The center piece of the area is the tree house called the Discovery Tree. My small one found it a bit creepy. The house is very nice and in the form of a face. You will find creature (not real ones) in there like an owl, bats, and an opossum. If you look closely, you can see gold fish and tadpoles in the water running past the tree house. My littles also liked the Garden Workshop, which is right next to the tree house. They have a few small animals in there like a turtle, a tarantula, a snake, and cockroaches. Outside of the workshop you can make it rain and pump water into buckets where you can then use it to water nearby plants. The staff that works there is very friendly. Off to the corner of the area is a small pastel colored house that kids can go in and have little tea parties. There is a large wizards hat that kids can play in and a small outdoor amphitheater/storybook area. There is also a misting tunnel shaped like a caterpillar that leads to the butterfly garden. The ground is very slippery through the tunnel because of the mist, so if you do use it, please be careful. Of course the garden has a gifts shop. That is where you pay for admission. They have a small play area in there with a toy train set up and an interactive machine as well. If you get hungry, don't worry, they have a small cafe. I can't speak much about it though because I did not check it out. This was a nice spot for me and my littles. They had lots of fun in the tree house and watching the trains. We spent about 2 hours there. This place is very picturesque and as calming as a place that kids run around can be.

Light Up Middletown is LIT!!!!…read more This is an annual tradition for me and I honestly cannot recall the last time I didn't make the trip. It's always fun whether you're with friends or family, Light Up Middletown is one of the best drive-thru outdoor Holiday Light Displays in the greater Cincinnati area, in my opinion. I've been going so long that I recall the lights being standard lights before they switched to all LED lighting. Wow, the LED lighting really made a difference. The displays were great before, but the LED's add a Pop Factor that really shines. Every year you can expect to see the same displays as you did the year before. With each year, Middletown adds new displays and sometimes changes the locations of others. But it is always truly a great holiday treat. The traffic can be a bit much so I should probably point that out. You'll probably be spending 2 to 5 times the amount of time waiting to get into the park as compared to the amount of time you spend in the park. It really depends on the day and time that you go and also when you go in relation to how close to Christmas it is. I typically try to go earlier in the holiday season and almost always earlier on a Sunday night, just after it gets dark. Which, in Cincinnati, is pretty dark by 6:00pm this time of year. This extraordinary exhibit is free however they do take donations at the check point as you enter the park. Consider giving a few dollars, maybe $5, per person when you go. Even though the event is sponsored by local businesses, it's probably the least expensive, yet most fun, holiday experiences that you'll have. Watch for the sign as you come in so you can tune your FM radio to the station that the park sends a signal out for. There are a few places within the loop that the music and lights are synced together. Plus, it's Christmas music. Why wouldn't you want to listen?!?!? At the end of the loop you'll get to the 12 Days of Christmas final stretch. As you're driving through at a parade's pace, try to do the whole song, repeating and all, as you drive through. The fun with this is trying to sing as fast as you can to get through it all and also trying to remember all of them. After 5 Golden Rings, things sometimes can get a bit fuzzy. Once you've gone through, you can either exit to the right or drive forward and go through again. I've done this a few times where it felt like one pass wasn't quite enough. Turn Off Your Lights!!!! Once you turn in from the road, kill your headlights. At the very least, kill them once you hit the checkpoint shack. Don't worry, you'll be guided by the brake lights in front of you. Would I go back? Every year possible, absolutely. This is a fun event for all and you may find yourself making it an annual tradition as well.

Drive thru Christmas lights in Smith park. several businesses donate.. its free they appreciate…read moredonations. There is a box to toss in donations as you enter but they dont ask for donations hence no pressure or shaming you. They have a nice display. Love the reflections in the lake. My favorite part is the tunnels of lights. The end is 12 days of Christmas..we always have fun figuring out what its supposed to be. Highly recommend coming on weekday night as soon as its dark. The line can be ridiculous.

This is the kind of history that should be taught in schools. Fort Ancient is an amazing part of…read morearchaeological history in Ohio. Anyone who is interested in the Native American mound builders and the ancient history of this area should visit the museum and the grounds. As the largest known hilltop enclosure of its type, the importance of this location in relation to the rest of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks is significant.

As an 8th generation Ohioan, I'm embarrassed that this place isn't better known. There is little to…read moreno presence on social media. No signage from I-71 coming north. And coming the other way after lunch, it's worse. See the sign I posted. Google driving directions takes you to a private driveway and you can't see the entrance sign so you almost give up. Drive further and you'll see the public entrance. However the museum is well worth a detour. Lots of text maybe a problem for young kids but the exhibits are informative. Be sure to join the OHC and you get free admission!

This museum is beautifully decorated for the holidays. The volunteers are friendly and…read moreknowledgeable. The gift shop has a nice variety of items, including vintage items that have been donated to the museum, local authors, handmade items created by their design group. Definitely worth a visit.

I had wondered if there was anything like this in Cincinnati so I went online and found Cincinnati…read moreTreasure Hunts.com. They had several mobile treasure hunts to chose from. My son and I did the Eden Park hunt. What a fantastic experience!! Easy to set up. Easy to follow. Took us through a part of Eden Park I had never really explored before. Unique activity that was totally family appropriate but any couple or small group would really enjoy it the clues, quizes, and historical info along the way. Really looking forward to trying one of the other hunts. And hoping to help spread the word so they will be compelled to add even more hunts!!

My husband and I completed the treasure hunt at Spring Grove Cemetery. It was wonderful! We…read morereally enjoyed the bits of history that were incorporated in the hunt!! We hated to see it end, as there are so many other famous Cincinnatians buried there. Hopefully, the hunt can be extended at some point or alternative hunts developed for that location. These treasure hunts are a great idea for exploring the Queen City!! Additionally, my husband, son, and I recently completed the treasure hunt of Downtown Cincinnati. We were a little disappointed in this one; not as much historical detail and the entire riverfront was overlooked. We did stop at the observation deck of the Carew Tower to take in the view, which I would highly recommend. Although this one was just okay, we're looking forward to trying another one!

So much history! Constructed in 1810, the museum building originally was the home of Welsh…read moreimmigrant Griffy Griffis and his family who squatted on the land before the formal founding of Springboro. We felt so lucky to find the museum open during the Juneteenth celebration on Springboro. Outside the museum's front door, 18 safe houses from the Underground Railroad are still standing in Springboro's historic district, an area that historian Wilbur H. Siebert described as one of Ohio's busiest locations on the Underground Railroad.

It was a decent little experience. The pumpkins were ginormous, lots of pumpkins and little shops…read moreto buy all kinds of things my favorite being the coffee truck. It was much needed. Whoever thought of the coffee truck was a great idea. There was only one which I was very thankful for. More expensive and not as good as Starbucks, but it did the job.

Pretty cool experience!!!... the pumpkins were ginormous!! .... The coffee truck was much needed !!read more