Brrr, it’s cold in Cincinnati. But just because the temperature has dropped and the sun goes down before you even get off work doesn’t mean you can’t make the most of Cincinnati winters.

From getting active outdoors to cozying up with books and cats and handcrafted candles or laughing away some of the seasonal depression, Greater Cincinnati offers plenty in the way of wintertime fun. Keep scrolling to see all the ways you can embrace the hygge — snow and all — of the season.

Go Ice Skating or Do Curling at Fifty West 7605 Wooster Pike, Columbia Township Fifty West Brewing Company transformed its burger bar campus into a winter wonderland for the season, complete with ice skating, curling, bonfires and more. The popular, family-friendly 40’x80’ ice skating rink this year features upgraded ice and skates. Admission is $10 per person — children under the age of 4 can skate for free — and admission includes skate rental and an hour of ice time. The rink has a timed reservation system that allows up to 70 people to skate at a time. Patrons can also rent lanes for curling (a sport where players slide stones on ice toward a target) for $40 an hour. Curling lane rentals are available every weekend from 9-10 p.m. Fountain Square also has its ice rink out through Feb. 17. Photo: Provided by Fifty West Brewing Company
Dine Al Fresco While Staying Warm at These Restaurants and Bars Just because the mercury’s dropping doesn’t mean you have to move the party inside. There are a number of restaurants, bars and breweries in the Queen City offering ways to eat, drink and stay warm on their patios and rooftops this winter, whether you’re looking for an igloo to cozy up in with your friends and family or if you want to gather ’round a firepit with other winter revelers. You can find a list of places where you can eat, drink and be cozy outside this winter in the link above. Photo: Provided by Braxton Brewing Co.
Hit the Slopes at Perfect North 19074 Perfect Lane, Lawrenceburg Embrace the cold and get out in the fresh air for a variety of winter sports and fun at Perfect North Slopes. Perfect North offers plenty of freshly powdered hills for both skiing and snowboarding, as well as lessons for those wanting to learn how to pizza and french fry their way downhill. Visitors can also glide downhill in snow tubes, and when it’s time to warm up, visit the Lodge for a snack and hot beverage. Photo: facebook.com/perfectnorth
Get Sticky at Cincinnati Nature Center’s Maple Fest 4949 Tealtown Road, Milford Winter is maple season at Cincinnati Nature Center. Sweet Maple Syrup Days runs through February with a variety of maple sap-themed activities and events. You can go on a guided sap-collecting hike, get a behind-the-scenes look at the tools used to turn sap into syrup, learn how to collect sap and make syrup in your own backyard and even enjoy a date night featuring food, stories and, as Buddy the Elf would say, SYRUP. And the last two weekends in February, you can celebrate all things sweet and sticky with Maple Fest, where you can sample maple beer, collect sap in the sugarbush and enjoy games and activities. Photo: facebook.com/CincyNature
Krohn Conservatory Photo: Devin Luginbill
Purrfect Day Cafe in Covington Photo: Ashley Moor
Try a Different Kind of Workout Fly Bungee Fitness: 394 Wards Corner Road, Loveland; Swift Movement: 4460 W. Mitchell Ave., Spring Grove Village; Climb Cincy: 1708 Blue Rock St., Northside If being more active is a New Year’s resolution for you but the traditional gym experience isn’t really your thing, Greater Cincinnati offers plenty of fun, alternative ways to move your body. Some different activities include bouncing and dancing in a bungee harness at Fly Bungee Fitness, learning some sweet parkour moves at Swift Movement or pushing yourself to the summit at a climbing gym like Climb Time in Oakley. Photo: Katie Griffith
Make Your Own Candle at The Candle Lab 1325 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine; 7454 Beechmont Ave., Anderson Township Candles are one of the top things people think of when it comes to “hygge,” a Danish and Norwegian word that becomes popular in the winter because of its evocations of being cozy and making the most of cold weather. To hygge up your space a bit, you can visit The Candle Lab, which offers pour-your-own candle-making where you can create a custom candle and scent from over 100 fragrance oil options. You can choose from a variety of sizes, many of which are under $25, or create custom-scented aromatic mists, reed diffusers or wax tarts instead. Photo: facebook.com/thecandlelabcincy
Feel One With Nature at These Greater Cincinnati Hiking Destinations Don’t let the cold keep you inside all winter! Lace up your hiking boots, bundle up and get some fresh air by hitting one of Cincinnati’s many trails. You also don’t need to go it alone; Great Parks of Hamilton County is hosting its annual Winter Hike Series every Saturday Jan. 11 through Feb. 8. Each week features a hike at a different Hamilton County park AND you get soup at the end. For a comprehensive list of some of Greater Cincinnati’s best hiking trails, check out the link above. Photo: greatparks.org
Catch a comedy show at Commonwealth Sanctuary 522 Fifth Ave., Dayton, Ky. Fight off the seasonal depression with a night of laughs at Northern Kentucky’s only dedicated comedy club and listening room. Located in a historic former Methodist church, Commonwealth Sanctuary offers weekends packed with entertainment, including many local comedians. The venue also hosts The Workshop, a comedy open mic night every Monday to help both budding and veteran comedians work on their jokes. Photo: facebook.com/commonwealthsanctuary
No. 8: Ohio Book Store 726 Main St., Downtown If you’re like us, there’s nothing quite as intoxicating as the smell of old books — and there’s no better place to find them than downtown’s five-story Ohio Book Store. It’s easy to get lost among the racks of classic literature, cookbooks and secondhand fiction, but wherever you wander, be sure to take a look at the glass cabinet in the middle of the first floor. It’s full of rare and wonderful tomes. And if you have some vintage books of your own you’d like to learn more about, be sure to ask about their appraisal services. The Ohio Book Store can appraise rare books, documents and other literary ephemera. Photo: Hailey Bollinger Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Catch a Cyclones Game at Heritage Bank Center 100 Broadway St., Downtown Even if you don’t know much about hockey, Cincinnati Cyclones’ hockey games are always a good time. The crowds are full of energy and the action on the ice is mesmerizing. The Cyclones also know how to throw a party with their creative theme nights, like Star Wars and Marvel Superhero nights, and plenty of giveaways and $2 beer nights. The Cyclones’ season ends with Fan Appreciation Night. Photo: Bryan Houston
A Happening with Pablo at the Cincinnati Art Museum 6-11p.m. June 23 Be one of the first to experience the brand new exhibit Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds. Take in this exciting new piece while enjoying an immersive experience that includes music from the Bluewater Kings Band, cocktails and rare menu items, both inside and outside in the Alice Bimel Courtyard. Proceeds will go to youth and family programs and thousands of free public programs both in the museum and the Greater Cincinnati area. 6-11p.m. June 23. 953 Eden Park Drive, Walnut Hills. cincinnatiartmuseum.org. Photo: facebook.com/cincinnatiartmuseum
Jungle Jim’s International Market 5440 Dixie Highway, Fairfield; 4450 Eastgate S Drive, Eastgate Jungle Jim’s is an amusement park for foodies, and not just because of its kitschy statues and animatronics that photograph really well. The huge store (more than 6 acres) contains equal parts weekly shoppers scanning the aisles for super fresh seafood, exotic produce and international eats from more than 70 countries and visitors wandering, mouths agape at the wacky decor, likely with a beer in hand. The singing soup can is a beloved sight to snap a photo of; same goes for the elaborate restroom hidden behind a port-a-potty facade. This Hogwarts of grocery stores offers nearly 1,500 different kinds of hot sauce. The aisle is pretty hard to miss: It’s the one with the giant fire truck on top of it. Photo: junglejims.com
Photo: Casey Roberts
Play It Forward at the Play Library 1306 Main St., Over-the-Rhine As nonprofit Play Library — which loans out and houses toys, board games and more fun — states on its website, Play is, “Just like a regular library. But it’s totally different. It’s pretty much the best place in the world.” The space houses the Cincinnati Toy History Museum, plus games for adults, teens and younger kids alike. The space itself is true to its namesake: toys and board games line shelf after shelf and whimsical doodle-like murals stretched out along the walls, and it has a collection of over 1,000 board games. Memberships to the library are just $15 a month and allow you to rent and take home games and toys, plus your membership fee “plays it forward” and helps out families who can’t afford one. Photo: Brittany Thornton
Catch a Free Show at MOTR Pub 1345 Main St., Over-the-Rhine Get out of the cold and warm up with a drink and some great free music. MOTR has free shows — featuring both local and national artists — DJs or other events almost every night of the week. There is no cover charge for any of these performances. Just simply show up and get ready to rock. Photo: Aidan Mahoney
Valley Thrift Store 9840 Reading Road, Evendale; 4301 Dixie Highway, Fairfield If you’re in the mood for a solo treasure hunt, Valley Thrift in Evendale and Fairfield has seemingly endless rows of amazing finds. Pop in your earbuds, turn on your favorite playlist and drown out the rest of the world while you hunt for that vintage motorcycle jacket or mid-century side table. Photo: facebook.com/valleythriftstorefairfield
Pick Up a New Hobby With UC’s Communiversity Online and various locations Winter is a great time to try something new. 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. Photo: Abby Chung/Pexels

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