Whether you’re taking a break from drinking or you’ve opted for a long-term lifestyle change, the Queen City is full of entertaining activities that don’t involve alcohol. From rock climbing to escape rooms, sipping mocktails or throwing axes, there’s plenty to do when you’re sober in Cincy.

 

Go rock climbing at Loveland’s Mosaic Climbing 9501 Union Cemetery Road, Loveland Loveland’s Mosaic Climbing is a multi-functional gym with modern touches and unique features. According to a press release from Mosaic, this is the largest climbing gym in Cincinnati, with their tallest wall reaching over 50 feet. The gym features geometric Walltopia walls for rope climbing and bouldering, as well as advanced training amenities like a yoga studio, fitness room, co-working spaces and private event rooms — there’s a lot to love. A day pass costs $17. Photo: Holden Mathis
Visit Japp’s for a “Nonnie” cocktail 1134 Main St., Over-the-Rhine Japp’s bar owner and mixologist Molly Wellmann offers a variety of $5 non-alcoholic cocktails called “Nonnies” at her Over-the-Rhine drinking spot. Stop by for a Passion of the Nonnie, with lemon, lemon syrup, passion fruit juice and egg white. Photo: Provided by Molly Wellmann
Get your Zen on at World Peace Yoga 268 Ludlow Ave., Clifton Clifton’s World Peace Yoga studio offers a wide variety of classes for all ages and skill levels. New visitors who live in Greater Cincinnati can enjoy a free month of unlimited yoga classes. The studio offers roughly four classes per day, every day of the week. Photo via Facebook/WorldPeaceYogah
Take a skiing or snowboarding lesson at Perfect North Slopes 19074 Perfect Place Lane, Lawrenceburg Indiana may not be the most conventional place to ski, but Perfect North is pretty rad. Warning: This suggestion is most definitely an all-day endeavor, so maybe don’t go here on a first date in case it goes south. About a 30-minute drive outside of Cincinnati, you can take to the slopes via skiing, snowboarding or snow tubing. Warm up afterward at The Lodge with hot cocoa or coffee. Food options mostly consist of various sandwiches, burgers and other classic fare — from pizza to chicken tenders to soup. It’s $50 for an 8-hour lift ticket; group rates and rental equipment available. Photo via Facebook/PerfectNorth
Race go-carts, chuck axes and smash things at Full Throttle Indoor Karting 11725 Commons Drive, Springdale Full Throttle Indoor Karting is a one-stop-shop for thrills. The entertainment facility doesn’t stop at high-speed go-kart racing — they also offer axe-throwing and a smash room where visitors can choose from three different smash sessions, suit up and take out their frustrations on a bunch of breakables. Racing starts at $24; axe-throwing starts at $15; and the smash room starts at $25. Photo: Provided by Hailey Bollinger
Get your adrenaline pumping at iFLY Indoor Skydiving 7689 Warehouse Row, Liberty Township If you want the thrill of skydiving without the risk of jumping out of an airplane, iFLY Indoor Skydiving opened a facility in Liberty Township. iFLY uses a wind tunnel fly chamber which “moves air in a vertical column at speeds high enough to keep a person safely floating.” Tickets begin at $49.95. Photo via Facebook/iFLYCincinnati
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
Pet a wolf at the Wolf Creek Habitat and Rescue 14099? Wolf Creek Road, Brookville, Indiana When the wild calls, answer it at Wolf Creek Habitat and Rescue. The owners share their Brookville home with a pack of more than two-dozen wolves, all of whom were either surrendered to the sanctuary or rescued from the wild. Guests are able to go inside the animals’ enclosures and interact with them (alongside a center volunteer). Warning: The wolves have been known to give kisses and request belly rubs. Photo: Mackenzie Manley
Game the day away at Main Event in West Chester 9477 Oxford Way, West Chester Township Main Event has it all. Compete in a game of bowling or laser tag. Go old school with arcade games, play billiards, shuffleboard or break the laws of gravity at their obstacle course. On Mondays, they offer all-you-can-play arcade games and activities for $10.95 per guest. Photo via Facebook.com/MyMainEvent
Get strategic on at weekly open game night at Woodburn Games 2803 Woodburn Ave., East Walnut Hills East Walnut Hills’ Woodburn Games is a treasure trove for strategic board and card game lovers. On Thursdays, the shop hosts an open game night where visitors can either bring one of their own games or play one from the library. They also host a variety of different events throughout the week, like Magic the Gathering meet-ups and events to try out Cincinnati game designer’s new games. Photo via Facebook.com/WoodburnGames
Practice your swing at TopGolf 9568 Water Front Drive, West Chester Township Hit a microchipped golf ball into colorful targets to score points at TopGolf. This chain of driving ranges brings golf out of the country club and into the public as a space to practice your swing, grab a bite to eat or even watch the sun go down over West Chester on a rooftop patio. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Take a cooking class at Findlay Kitchen (and then go shopping for supplies at Findlay Market) 1719 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine Findlay Kitchen, located across from Findlay Market — Ohio’s oldest continually operated public market and ranked one of the best in the world by Newsweek — offers plenty of cooking classes for aspiring chefs and hobbyists. Classes are offered at different times and prices vary. Embrace your newfound culinary knowledge by shopping the myriad Findlay Market vendors to find all the produce, spices and other ingredients you need to recreate your masterpiece at home. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Satisfy your sweet tooth on the Butler County Donut Trail Multiple locations Not to sound like Homer Simpson, but coffee and donuts — especially when paired together — truly are an excellent reason for an adventure. Just a 45-minute drive north of Cincinnati, Butler County’s donut trail consists of 12 mom-and-pop shops. If you’re interested in sampling some of the sweet stuff, grab a passport from the Butler County Visitors Bureau and get a stamp at each stop. Those who get a stamp from each can claim a much-deserved prize: an official Butler County Donut Trail T-shirt. Photo: Jesse Fox
Break out of an escape room at The Escape Game at The Banks 28 West Freedom Way, Suite 300, The Banks The Escape Game at The Banks is just one of the many escape room challenges in which one can lock themselves in Cincinnati. But it may also be one of the best. With high-quality Rube Goldberg-like sets, gamers can choose from four room themes: Prison Break, Gold Rush, Special Ops: Mysterious Market and The Heist (an art museum-themed adventure). Each room has a difficulty ranking (out of 10) and you have 60 minutes to solve your way out with two to eight players. Room hosts can provide up to three clues via a screen if you get stuck. Photo via Facebook.com/TheEscapeRoomCincinnati
Watch the sun set over the city at Devou Park 790 Park Lane, Covington Devou Park is the largest park in Covington, covering 700 acres of land. Bike, hike, golf or catch a beautiful view of the city at the park’s overlook. Here, there are benches, a gazebo and picnic tables — and it’s ADA accessible. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Spice up your palate at Jungle Jim’s International Market 5440 Dixie Highway, Fairfield Jungle Jim’s is an amusement park for foodies, and not just because of its kitschy statues and animatronics. It sells nearly 1,000 different kinds of hot sauce, which makes the Aisle of Inferno (as it’s so dubbed) “the largest retail selection in the United States.” It’s pretty hard to miss — it’s the one with the giant fire truck on top of it. The market also sells unique and favorite foods, candy, hard-to-find ingredients, ephemera and even beauty products from more than 70 international countries. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Take a hike at the Cincinnati Nature Center 4949 Tealtown Road, Milford The Cincinnati Nature Center offers 15 hiking/walking trails with assorted degrees of length and difficulty at its Rowe Woods facility, all winding through more than 1,000 acres of “Eastern deciduous forest, fields, streams and ponds,” says the center. This park also has a Hike for Your Health program. Grab a Hike for Your Health passport and get a stamp at the front desk after every hike. Complete all 15 trails and win a special prize. Photo via Facebook.com/CincinnatiNatureCenter
Bathe in neon at the American Sign Museum 1330 Monmouth Ave., Camp Washington The largest public sign museum in America “promotes sign preservation and restoration by displaying nearly 100 years of signage.” Get lost in the ads and landmarks of yesteryear. Winding pathways of colorful signage give way to a mocked-up Main Street, with faux storefronts, cobblestone and giant logos from Howard Johnson, McDonald’s and Marshall Fields. From roadside nostalgia and a looming Big Boy to pharmacy signs and gas station markers, the flashing lights, buzzing electricity and rotating wonders are almost a sensory overload. Almost. Guided tours are available. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Laugh your worries away at Go Bananas Comedy Club 8410 Market Place Lane, Montgomery Head to Montgomery’s Go Bananas Comedy Club for an evening of laughs. The venue features both local and national live acts. It also has pizza and a variety of other bites. Note: Along with various ticket prices for shows, there is a $3 minimum purchase per person. Photo via Facebook.com/GoBananasComedyClub
Talk a walk through the jungle at the Krohn Conservatory 1501 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams Located in historic Eden Park, the Krohn Conservatory is an aluminum-and-glass Art Deco destination (in the shape of an upside-down heart) filled with more than 3,500 plant species from around the world. Permanent displays include a rare orchid house, steamy tropical room, succulent-filled desert space and a fun walk-through rainforest rock waterfall. Photo: Kellie Coleman
Catch a flick at the Esquire/Mariemont/Kenwood Theatres 320 Ludlow Ave., Clifton; 6906 Wooster Pike, Mariemont, 7815 Kenwood Road, Kenwood The Esquire, Mariemont and Kenwood theaters cater to moviegoers with refined tastes for film… and snacks. Offering a vast selection of foreign films and Oscar-shortlisted titles, the Esquire family of cinemas pairs artistry with the best bag of popcorn you’ll find in Cincinnati and a stocked bar. Keep your eye out for special thematic screenings and events at each cinema throughout the year. Photo: Emerson Swoger
Play old-school arcade games at Arcade Legacy Cincinnati Mall, 662 Cincinnati Mills Drive, Forest Fair; Newport, 1765 Monmouth St., Newport.; Bar Edition, 3929 Spring Grove Ave., Northside The origins of Arcade Legacy’s flagship location feels like imagery derived from a post-apocalyptic video game: To enter, customers must first walk through the nearly-abandoned Forest Fair Mall (now known as Cincinnati Mills). The halls are dimly lit and the footfalls of die-hard mall-walkers can be heard above. Outside the empty food court, humanity is found in Arcade Legacy’s 7,600-square-foot shop.The classic arcade has over 70 arcade games and 20 classic and current gaming consoles (with giant screens to play on). They have an additional location in Newport. Arcade Legacy: Bar Edition gives gamers the opportunity to sip on a Jones soda (cocktails and beer are available) and nosh on a hot dog or other snacks. Photo via Arcade Legacy/Facebook
Get a history or science lesson at the Cincinnati Museum Center 1301 Western Ave., Queensgate The Cincinnati Museum Center is housed in Union Terminal, Cincinnati’s grand Art Deco masterpiece. A former train terminal, the space is an architectural wonder and houses the Museum of Natural History & Science, which features a recreated limestone cave; the Duke Energy Children’s Museum, consistently ranked in the top 10 children’s museums in the U.S.; the Cincinnati History Museum, which allows you to go back in time and climb aboard historical replicas of steamboats, buses and more; the Cincinnati History Library; with its impressive regional history collection; the Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX Theater, which features a five-story domed screen; and the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
See the Latest Exhibit at the Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati Art Museum or Taft Museum of Art 44 E. Sixth St., Downtown; 953 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams; 316 Pike St., Downtown Get a dose of culture and visit one of the Queen City’s many art museums and centers. The Cincinnati Art Museum has a collection of over 67,000 works spanning 6,000 years, changing exhibits, a cafe and a children’s education center, so there’s much to explore and absorb. The Contemporary Arts Center, the city’s major downtown art facility — designed by architect Zaha Hadid — features changing displays and exhibitions, a children’s UnMuseum and special events. It’s home to an avant-garde performance calendar, eclectic gift shop, bookstore and hip cafe, with plenty of artisan coffee. Or stop by the Taft Museum of Art, a fine art museum located in the former historic home of relatives of President William Howard Taft. It offers changing exhibits in opulent surroundings. Photo: Hailey Bollinger