A guide to spending spring break in the Queen City

We had a blast during our Cincinnati spring break staycation. Check everything on our spring break in Cincinnati bucket list!

Go out for breakfast

To kick off spring break in Cincinnati, we headed to one of our favorite breakfast spots – Sugar N Spice Diner. I am a huge fan of their Wispy Thin Pancakes, and all of us love bringing home a rubber ducky at the end of our meal.

Sugar N Spice has 3 locations – Reading Road, OTR, and Blue Ash. The original Reading Road location is currently closed and undergoing a huge renovation, but should be open later this year!

Get ice cream

Ice cream is always on my bucket list. For spring break, we grabbed a scoop at Gold Spoon Creamery after playing at Summit Park. Their delicious flavors and location near the playground makes it the perfect spot to play and get ice cream on your way home. They’re also just a few doors down from Sugar N Spice.

Gold Spoon Creamery is located at 10235 Summit Parkway, Blue Ash, OH 45242

Have a zoo day

Springtime is the best time to enjoy the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. The flowers are blooming, early admission for zoo members begin, and the animals are a lot more active.

The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden is located at 3400 Vine St. Cincinnati, OH 45220

Explore the Creativity Center at CAC

The Creativity Center at the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) is an interactive creative & education space for all ages. We enjoyed making art, music, stories, and playing during our visit. Located on the 6th floor of the CAC, the Creative Center reopened the end of October 2022. This space includes the well-known UnMuseum™.

The Contemporary Arts Center is located at 44 E 6th St, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Roadtrip to COSI in Columbus

We wanted to do a day trip during spring break, so we decided to head up to Columbus to check out COSI: Center of Science and Industry. COSI has a lot of hands-on STEM exhibits, and is great for all ages. Columbus is about an hour and a half drive from Cincinnati, so it’s not bad to do in one day.

But a head’s up – it was very crowded during spring break. Summer seems to be a better time to go. It was also a bit tricky to navigate with a stroller, so bring a baby carrier if possible.

COSI is located at 333 West Broad St., Columbus, OH 43215

Check out a new playground

It’s been a minute since we’ve been to a new playground, so we made sure to include somewhere new on our spring break bucket list. We found out about the new playground at Colerain Park from our friends. It’s design like a fort – with lots to climb, slide, and explore. Part of the playground is accessible by wheelchair. This playground is best for ages 3 and up.

Colerain Park is located at 4725 Springdale Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45251

Try duckpin bowling

To wrap up spring break, we tried our hand at duckpin bowling at Hoppin’ Vines in Kenwood. I think of duckpin bowling as mini bowling – the lanes and bowling balls are smaller. Plus you get 3 changes per frame to knock all the pins down. My son is 5, and that was the perfect age to enjoy this activity.

Hoppin’ Vines also has a huge draft beer selection (and other drinks), plus Delicio Coal Fired Pizza on site.

Hoppin’ Vines is located at 8150 Montgomery Road, Kenwood, OH 45236

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Thanks for tagging along on our spring break in Cincinnati! There’s so much fun to be had in the Queen City during spring time.

For more springtime ideas, check out my 10 Best: Cincinnati Spring Bucket List!

Springtime in Cincinnati is here (and hopefully to stay!). What I love most about spring in the Queen City is all the beautiful blooms and baby animals to enjoy. And with that theme in mind, enjoy my Cincinnati Spring Bucket List for 2022.

Have a Zoo Day: Blooms & Animal Babies

A day at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is always fun, but there’s something about springtime that makes it extra special – Zoo Blooms and Zoo Babies! Zoom Blooms runs all of April and features large displays of tulips and other flowers throughout the zoo grounds. Zoo Babies runs throughout May and showcases the animal babies who take up residence in the zoo. And BONUS – moms get in for free on Mother’s Day.

Both Zoo Blooms and Zoo Babies are included with zoo admission.

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is located at 3400 Vine St. Cincinnati, OH 45220

Enjoy the Krohn Conservatory Butterfly Show 

One of the most popular events at the Krohn Conservatory is the annual butterfly show. This year’s show features Butterflies Along the Nile. And if you haven’t had a chance to catch the butterflies – don’t worry! The show runs through June 19, 2022.

Krohn Conservatory is located in Eden Park at 1501 Eden Park Dr, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Head to Jungle Jim’s International Market

Take a walk on the wild side and head to Jungle Jim’s International Market this spring. Not only does the market have a plethora of exotic foods from around the world to check out, but there are several cool displays and animatronics to enjoy throughout. Plus, you can’t miss their famous bathroom, setup to look like a port-a-potty from the outside.

There are two locations – the original location in Fairfield and a newer store in Eastgate. Both are great options!

Jungle Jim’s International Market Fairfield is located at 5440 Dixie Hwy, Fairfield, OH 45014

Jungle Jim’s International Market Eastgate is located at 4450 Eastgate South Dr, Cincinnati, OH 45245

Spend time at a cat cafe  

Looking for the purr-fect spot to spend an afternoon? Perhaps with a bunch of cuddly cats and kittens? Well, you’re paw-sitively in luck! There’s not one, but two great cat cafes in the Cincinnati area. Kitty Brew Cafe is located in Mason, while Purrfect Day Cafe is located across the river in Covington, KY.

Cat cafes offer the opportunity to play with cats and kittens up for adoption while also enjoying a coffee beverage. It’s a great way to meet a potentially new furry member of your family if you’re looking to adopt a cat, or to get your cat fix if you’re unable to bring one home. Please note that reservations are strongly recommended, and can be made online.

Kitty Brew Cafe is located at 6011 Tylersville Rd, Suites 6 & &, Mason, OH 45040

Purrfect Day Cafe is located at 25 W 8th St, Covington, KY 41011

Go creeking

The splash pads may not be open yet, but there are still plenty of creeks to splash in and explore around Cincinnati. So if creeking is your jam, make sure to check out my list of the best spots to go creeking around Cincinnati – all places recommended by you!

Take on the Art Climb Steps at CAM 

On the corner of Gilbert Avenue and Eden Park Drive you’ll find Cincinnati Art Museum’s Art Climb Steps. While the steps themselves are cool, you can also enjoy rotating art installations on your way up (or down) the steps. Plus, there’s a great view of downtown Cincinnati once you reach the top.

I think the CAM Art Climb Steps are a great way to spend an hour or two outdoors – especially if your kiddo is in that stage when they looooove to climb steps (we’ve all been there).

The Art Climb Steps are located at the corner of Gilbert Ave &, Eden Park Dr, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Play at West Fork Park

One of my favorite playgrounds around Cincinnati is West Fork Park in Green Township. If you haven’t had a chance to check out this playground, make sure to carve out time this spring.

West Fork Park is great for kids of all ages – from babies up through elementary school age. There is a play area for kids who are still crawling, as well as a large climbing structure for bigger kids. It has cool features like a maze and a zip-line. Plus, this park is completely fenced in and the play surface is solid rubber or artificial turf – so no need to worry about dirt or mulch.

West Fork Park is located in Green Township and can be found at 4764 W Fork Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45247

Have a great sandbox day at Dig ‘N Play

As soon as the weather gets nice outside, my son is clamoring to play in the sandbox. But on days when I’m just not having it (or the weather isn’t cooperating), we head up to Dig ‘N Play. Located in West Chester, Dig ‘N Play offers a large play structure, inflatables, a lego table, a baby play area, and – you guessed it – a giant sand table. I love that despite the giant sand table, this spot is super clean and everything is regularly sanitized.

For more on Dig ‘N Play, head to their website. And make sure to check out my full list of Cincinnati Indoor Play Places below.

Dig ‘N Play is located at 9405 Cincinnati Columbus Rd #8, West Chester, OH 45069

Go nuts for donuts

Donuts are always a good idea, and with so many amazing local donut shops around Cincinnati, how can you not?! One thing on my personal bucket list is the Butler County Donut Trail. The trail consists of 13 local donut shops, and a passport to stamp at each location to earn yourself a sweet t-shirt.

Down in Hamilton County, there are two new donut shops that opened up just this year. Blossim Donuts in Montgomery is delicious, and I can’t wait to check out Starlight Doughnut Lab in Norwood (find them on Instagram at @starlightdoughnutlab).

Head out to a farm – with baby goats!

Love getting up close and personal with baby goats, bunnies, lambs, chicks and other farm animals? A visit to a petting farm may be right up your alley! Good Green Earth Farm in Bethel offers farm visits, a mobile petting farm, goat yoga, and more. They are a local mom & pop farm, caring for all the animals themselves.

Good Green Earth Farm is located at 2803 Kinnett Rd, Bethel, OH 45106

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With activities to help you get outside (or survive another rainy day), there’s something for everyone on this Cincinnati spring bucket list. And if you need a few more ideas, don’t worry! I’ve got a bucket list for every season. Have fun, friends!