Whether you’re single and loving it, thriving in a committed relationship or anything in between, you can still “date yourself.” Just like it’s important to cultivate a relationship with a romantic partner, it’s also important to cultivate a relationship with yourself to figure out what you want, get to know yourself better or even just to have fun.

Going on a solo date can seem intimidating at first, but Greater Cincinnati offers a lot in the realm of activities you can do by yourself. Whether it’s browsing museum galleries, trying a new hobby or just settling in for a dinner date, party of one, there’s plenty to do where you can be alone, but never lonely.

Explore All the Flavors of Cincinnati and Findlay Market with a Streetcar Tour If you like being single but miss having someone who could drive you around to all the best food spots in the city, this tour can help. Riverside Food Tours’ Cincinnati Streetcar Food Tour + Findlay Market takes you to six places across four different neighborhoods to taste some of the best flavors Cincinnati has to offer. You’ll then ride the streetcar all the way up to Findlay Market where you can eat cheese, chocolate and more to your heart’s desire. You’ll also get to hear stories and learn more about the history of each neighborhood. 155 E. Second St., Downtown. Photo: Aidan Mahoney
See Some Costumes from Jane Austin Adaptations at the Newly-Restored Taft Museum of Art 316 Pike St., Downtown The Taft Museum of Art is celebrating its 200th anniversary with a full-scale restoration project. They closed for a few months in the spring of 2022 and are reopening in June with an amazing new exhibit. From June 11-Sept. 4, the museum will present Jane Austen: Fashion & Sensibility, a special exhibition that features costumes worn by Hollywood celebrities in film and television adaptations of Austen’s novels. The costumes are journeying across the Atlantic from Cosprop LTD, an award-winning British costume house based in London, to the Taft to be displayed in North America for the first time. Photo: Kevin J. Watkins
An Evening with Greg Sestero and The Room Screening 7:30 p.m. Oct. 22 Oh hi, Mark. Greg Sestero, star of cult-classic movie The Room — the best, worst film ever made — will be at the Esquire this weekend for a double feature. The theater will be screening Sestero’s new horror, Miracle Valley, which he wrote, directed and stars in. It’s described as being about “an obsessive photographer and his girlfriend are invited to a desert getaway in search of an ultra-rare bird.” Sestero will host a Q&A after the film. Then fans can stick around and watch The Room. $20. Esquire Theatre, 320 Ludlow Ave. Clifton. Photo: Emerson Swoger
Foster a Dog from Cincinnati Animal CARE for the Day Just because you’re dating yourself doesn’t mean you have to be completely alone. Cincinnati Animal CARE is always looking for fosters, even if it’s just for a day. You can borrow one of CARE’s pups and take them on an outing. This helps them get out of the shelter, even just for a little bit, and into the real world where they can just be a dog. Take your foster dog for a hike, to a dog-friendly bar or coffee shop or even just to your home for some snuggles and playtime. And if you fall in love with their doe-eyes and tail-wags, you could always make them a permanent part of your life. 3949 Colerain Ave., Northside. Photo: cincinnatianimalcare.org
Miami Whitewater Forest 9001 Mt. Hope Road, Harrison Who says Cincinnati has to revolve around the Ohio River? Canoe, kayak and fish on the Miami Whitewater Forest Park. The harbor overlooks the 85-acre lake where you can rent rowboats, motor boats, hydrobikes, kayaks and canoes, paddleboards and bikes. Photo via Facebook.com/GreatParksHC Photo: facebook.com/GreatParksHC
Learn Some New Recipes at Tablespoon Cooking Company or Afromeals Whether you’re a wiz in the kitchen or just figured out how to boil water, learning how to make a high-quality meal from the pros can build your confidence and is something loving you can replicate for yourself in the future. Tablespoon Cooking Company has a team of professional chefs and educators ready to demystify the kitchen through entertaining cooking classes and events. Classes include elevating a grilled-cheese-and-tomato-soup or whipping up a pan of indulgent homemade cinnamon rolls. And if you want to explore making African or Caribbean dishes, Afromeals offers classes focused on meals from those regions. Tablespoon Cooking Company: 1731 Elm St.; Over-the-Rhine; Afromeals: 1719 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Photos: (L) facebook.com/Tablespoon Cooking Company/(R) facebook.com/Afromeals
Skydive indoors at iFLY or outdoors at Skydive Cincinnati For the adventurous who want the feeling of flying without actually having to jump out of a plane, iFLY offers fun, safe indoor skydiving using their state-of-the-art vertical wind tunnels. First-time flyers have to take a training session where you’ll get pre-flight practice to perfect your flying position. For the brave, however, you can do actual skydiving – planes, plummeting to the earth (safely, of course) and all – at Skydive Cincinnati. If you’re not an experienced skydiver, you’ll tandem jump with a pro who will do all the work. You’ll just hang out and enjoy soaring through the sky and the views of Greater Cincinnati from up high. iFLY: 7689 Warehouse Row, Liberty Township; Skydive Cincinnati: 4925 US 42, Waynesville. Photo: facebook.com/iFLY (Cincinnati)
Have a Spa Day at Grace + Grit Spa Relax and recharge with a soothe-your-soul relaxation massage at Grace + Grit. Treat yourself to a one-to-two-hour-long massage, foot massage or facial. Grace + Grit also offers Body-Soul Craniosacral Therapy – a combination of biodynamic craniosacral therapy and Reiki energy healing meant to relax and invigorate you so you can begin anew. 6712 Montgomery Road, Silverton. Photo: facebook.com/Grace + Grit
Fuel Up With a Cup of Coffee, Then Unwind With Some Wine and Jazz at Caffè Vivace You can both start and end your solo date at Caffè Vivace. During the day, it serves coffee, lattes, espresso, tea and steamed milk along with hot breakfast sandwiches, a vegan African peanut stew, flatbreads and pastries. But at night, the coffee house transforms into a jazz lounge complete with live music, café drinks, specialty cocktails, beer and wine. 975 E. McMillan St., Walnut Hills. Photo: facebook.com/Caffè Vivace
Embrace the Neon Glow at the American Sign Museum This one-of-a-kind museum dedicated to the art and history of commercial signs and sign making is not only educational, it’s also literally lit. Let the neon glow wash over you as you wander through the American Sign Museum’s collection and learn more about a not-often-told story of the United States’ history. 1330 Monmouth Ave., Camp Washington. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Explore What Lies Beneath Cincinnati with American Legacy Tours Miley Cyrus said it best: “I can hold my own hand.” And you don’t need someone to hold your hand as you descend under the streets of Cincinnati and back in time via hidden crypts and brewery tunnels. American Legacy Tours offers two tours that will take you underground. Hidden Caverns, their newest tour, allows you to explore the Linck brewery tunnels, as well as the spot where Johnny Cash filmed a movie, one of Cincinnati’s most important inclines and the remaining structures of the original Christian Moerlein brewery before topping off the experience with a beer tasting at Northern Row. You can also opt for the Ultimate Queen City Underground Tour, which will take you down into a crypt where some of Cincinnati’s first residents are buried before leading you through the underground beer tunnels. 1332 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine. Photo: facebook.com/American Legacy Tours
Primavista 810 Matson Place, East Price Hill Along with a beautiful view of the city, this restaurant offers an upscale dining experience with menu options like sausage and mushroom ravioli, roasted lamb loin and tiramisu. Without leaving your seat, you can look out on views of Carew Tower, Great American Tower and the Cincinnati sign with a glass of wine in hand. Photo via Facebook.com/Primivista Photo: facebook.com/Primavista
Cozy up at Roebling Point Books & Coffee 306 Greenup St., Covington Quick, name a better duo than a good book and a cup of coffee. Local, independent bookstore and coffee shop Roebling Point Books & Coffee can’t. Their coffee is organic and fair-trade, as well as locally sourced. If you don’t see the book you’re looking for, you can call and they’ll order it for you. Photo via facebook.com/roeblingpointbooksandcoffee Photo: facebook.com/Roebling Point Books & Coffee
Wander Through Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum Being alone with nature or art offers some excellent time to reflect and focus on yourself, and Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum offers both those things. The park spans over 300 acres of meadows, lakes and hiking trails and features more than 80 permanent sculptures to view. Also on the grounds is an 1820s pioneer house and an indoor ancient artifacts museum with objects dating back to 1550 B.C. 1763 Hamilton Cleves Road, Hamilton. Photo: facebook.com/Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park
See a Show at the Aronoff Center or Music Hall Cincinnati is a hub for great art in every medium, and that’s never more apparent than when you attend a show at the Aronoff Center or Music Hall. For a fun night out filled with culture and entertainment, the Aronoff offers Broadway in Cincinnati musicals, plays, touring acts of dancers and singers and much more. Want to catch a live symphony of a Star Wars soundtrack or see the Cincinnati Ballet in action? Head to the historic Music Hall. Aronoff Center: 650 Walnut St., Downtown; 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Photo: Cincinnati Arts Association
Sip Wine at Revel OTR Urban Winery’s Tuesday Tastings Give yourself the gift of wine. Revel OTR makes all their brand’s wines on site and the menu features an extensive list of reds, whites, rosés and sparkling vinos. On Tasting Tuesdays, you can get five pours for just $15 and half off on bottles. 111 E. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Paint or Create a Ceramic Piece at The Pottery Place Ghost definitely made pottery sexy, but you don’t need a Patrick Swayze or Demi Moore type guiding your hands to make it fun. At The Pottery Place, you can choose from a variety of ceramic pieces – from mugs and dishes to planters and statues – to paint to your preference. The shop also offers both wheel and hand-building clay classes if your date night is doubling as a chance to learn a new hobby. 3616 Jessup Road, White Oak. Photo: facebook.com/The Pottery Place
Craft a Piece of Wood or Canvas Decor You’ll Love at AR Workshop Dating yourself and do-it-yourself go hand in hand at AR Workshop (ideally with one hand holding a paintbrush and the other holding a drink). This shop’s DIY Wood & Canvas Workshops offer you the chance to design and create and piece of customized home decor you can treasure. Just register online and enter the details of your vision and AR Workshop will set you up for success. You can bring your own beer or wine and snacks so you can wet your whistle while you work. 3434 Edwards Road, Hyde Park; 113 Reading Road, Mason. Photo: facebook.com/AR Workshop Cincinnati
Learn a New Hobby or Skill With a UC Communiversity Class Dating – even dating yourself – is all about trying new things. The University of Cincinnati’s Communiversity courses offer classes on a variety of different skills. Some you may want to take into your career, but others, like drawing, learning an instrument and jewelry-making are perfect if you want to pick up a new hobby. Many of the courses are just one, two-hour classes, meaning you can dip your toe in the water to see if it’s right for you. Online; various locations. Photo: Abby Chung/Pexels

Katherine Barrier is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s journalism program and has nearly 10 years of experience reporting local and national news as a digital journalist. At CityBeat, she...