25 Things to Do in Cincinnati When It's Hot AF Outside

Watch the sunset while sipping a drink at a rooftop bar

During summertime, it doesn’t get dark until late in the evening, which provides a perfect excuse to watch the sun go down and the city lights come up with a cocktail in hand. Follow the link to find the city’s top 10 rooftop bars, as voted by CityBeat readers in the 2022 Best Of Cincinnati issue.

Take a dip in a public pool

The good news is that many public pools will be opening in Greater Cincinnati this summer. The bad news is that because of staffing shortages, not all of them can. The Cincinnati Recreation Commission is opening eight of its 24 pools, with the goal of hiring additional lifeguards to open more. The pools at Dunham, McKie and Oakley are currently operational and Dempsey, Evanston, Hirsch, Lincoln and Pleasant Ridge open June 6. Daily and season passes are available. Covington’s Goebel Park Pool, Randolph Park Pool and the Latonia Water Park/Splash Pad open June 8 and entry is free for residents (with registration). In Newport, the pool at Veteran’s Memorial Park is open with a $3 entry fee (free for seniors, military and those under age 4). Over-the-Rhine hotspot Ziegler Pool is also open for the season and only requires reservations for early-morning lap swimmers. Entry is $4 per day. Check each pool’s website for amenities — slides, climbing walls, concessions, etc. — and full details.

Splash through a sprayground

You don’t have to be a kid to revel in the fun of a sprayground. Similar to running through a giant sprinkler, these centrally located public splash pads feature fountains, jets and other water elements to cool you down on a hot day. Bonus? They’re free to enjoy and open daily. The Cincinnati Recreation Commission operates nine spraygrounds — Caldwell, College Hill, Dyer, McKie, North Fairmount, Oakley, Oyler, Pleasant Ridge and South Fairmount — featuring fun and colorful sculptural elements. In the heart of the city, there are also spraygrounds at Washington Park, Smale Riverfront Park and Ziegler Park; the Otto Armleder Memorial Aquatic Spray Ground at Sawyer Point is closed this summer for maintenance.

Ride the 11 original attractions at Kings Island

This summer marks Kings Island’s 50th anniversary. The amusement park staked its claim in Mason in 1972 as a replacement for the longtime — and frequently flooded — favorite Coney Island. While Coney only closed from 1971-1973 before reopening its attractions along the banks of the Ohio River, many of its classic rides (and employees) made their way to Kings Island. According to King Island’s area manager, digital marketer and roller coaster-enthusiast Don Helbig, there were only 60 attractions when the new theme park opened; today, there are more than 100. While we have loved and lost many favorites to retirement (RIP Phantom Theater), these 11 attractions have been around since the park opened in 1972, though several have been renamed, multiple times: Eiffel Tower, Dodgem, Grand Carousel, The Racer, K.I. & Miami Valley Railroad, Monster, The Scrambler, Peanuts’ Off-Road Rally (fka Pee Wee Raceway), Linus’ Beetle Bugs (fka Funky Phantom), Race for Your Life Charlie Brown (fka the Kings Mills Log Flume) and Woodstock Express (fka The Beastie). visitkingsisland.com.

Stuff yourself at a food festival

Go Greek for the day or gorge on goetta at some Cincinnati favorite food festivals. Follow the link to find 15 Queen City area summer food festivals.

Play some pickleball

Invented in the 1960s by the family of a congressman who used ping-pong paddles and wiffle balls on a badminton court when they couldn’t find their shuttlecock, pickleball seems to be Cincinnati’s new favorite sport. It can be played on tennis courts or regulation pickleball ones. Sawyer Point is in the process of resurfacing its popular pickleball courts through mid-summer, so players will have to find elsewhere to enjoy some friendly competition until then. Locally, the Cincinnati Pickleball Club connects players, has a comprehensive list of places to play, and explains how to sign up to reserve a court. cincinnatipickleballclub.com.

Shop an outdoor pop-up

Warm weather means open-air markets, from maker-friendly pop-ups to outdoor antique fairs. Follow the link to find some upcoming summer shopping dates.

Catch a movie at a public park

While Cincinnati has two great drive-in theaters nearby for some outdoor cinema — Starlite Drive-In and Holiday Auto Theatre — plenty of parks in Greater Cincinnati also offer screenings of family-friendly (and not-so-family-friendly) movies throughout the summer. Follow the link to find eight outdoor summer movies series to attend in Cincinnati this summer.

Go berry picking

Summertime means berry time, and several local farms offer the public u-pick opportunities throughout the season. Crops can ripen at different rates based on weather, so check with each farm before heading out with your basket in tow. Blooms & Berries Farm Market in Loveland offers the chance to pick blueberries by the pound, typically in June and July. Indian Springs Berry Farm in Fairfield Township lets you harvest your own USDA-certified organic blackberries, generally starting in July. Alpine Berry Farm in Batesville, Indiana, opens around Father’s Day for blueberry picking. And Hidden Valley Orchard in Lebanon offers multiple u-pick options throughout the summer, including strawberries, blueberries, peaches, grapes and apples. As of press time, Bright Star Acres blueberry farm in Kenton County, Kentucky has yet to list its 2022 dates.

Take a tour of creamy whips

Is it even summer without a visit to a neighborhood creamy whip? Follow the link to find a list of 23 walk-up ice cream joints sling soft serve, chili dogs and nostalgia with a smile.

Have a hot dog

Just like with creamy whips, Cincinnati is home to seasonally open walk-up hot dog stands that harken back to the nostalgia of summers’ past. Sharonville’s cult-favorite Root Beer Stand originally opened as an A&W Root Beer Stand in 1957 and still makes its root beer using well water from the property. The eatery is famous for its foot-long Timmy Dog, topped with secret-recipe chili, cheese, onion, mustard, hot sauce, ketchup, relish, slaw and sauerkraut. Mr. Gene’s Doghouse in South Cumminsville has been slinging dogs for 60 years. Signature menu items include a classic Chicago Dog, a Rueben Dog and a popular Slaw Dog loaded with chili and coleslaw.

Rent a canoe or kayak

Spend a Sunday floating down one of Greater Cincinnati’s rivers in a canoe or kayak. Loveland Canoe & Kayak offers a 2-4 hour paddling party down the Little Miami River and past Historic Loveland Castle. Morgan’s Outdoor Adventures has spots in Ft. Ancient on the Little Miami River, in Brookville on the Whitewater River and even in Costa Rica, with trips 3-7 miles long. Green Acres Kayak in Harrison is located on the Whitewater River and offers 3-, 5- or 8-mile trips. Check with each business about reservations, boat rental fees and what you can — and can’t — bring with you (We’re looking at you, ca-brewers). Use your new watercraft skills during Ohio River Paddlefest on Aug. 6. Thousands will take to the Ohio River in canoes and kayaks in the nation’s largest paddling party.

Sunbathe on local beaches

We may not have a coastline here in the Midwest, but several nearby state parks are home to lakeside public beaches. About an hour away, Caesar Creek State Park in Waynesville offers a 1,300-foot beach that is open to the public 6 a.m.-11 p.m. daily. After a day of hiking, mountain biking, fishing or boating, hang out on the beach or take a dip in the lake. East Fork State Park in Clermont County is one of Ohio’s largest state parks, offering trails for hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking, as well as access to fishing and boating. The 1,200-foot beach is open dawn to dusk and has amenities like changing booths, showers and restrooms.

Snack your way through Cincinnati stadiums

The Cincinnati Reds may be having one of their worst seasons in recent memory, but they aren’t the only sports team in town. MLS soccer team FC Cincinnati and Frontier League baseball team the Florence Y’alls are both heating up their respective stadiums. And regardless of whether any of the teams’ performances can entice you, their stadium eats surely can. Great American Ball Park revealed several new menu items this season, from loaded vegetarian hot dogs and a cone stuffed with barbecued meat to the Rookie Cookie Fry Box: french fries smothered in chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, crumbled Oreos, bits of chocolate-chip cookies and miniature marshmallows. TQL Stadium welcomed a new executive chef this season and a bevy of new dining options, including dishes from locals Lucius Q and Fusian. Those with Cincinnatus Club seats can indulge in a Lucho Burger from Blue Ash burger joint Sammy’s. Named for player Lucho Acosta, the sandwich features a special burger grind, cheese, peppers and chimichurri aioli. The Y’alls Thomas More Stadium offers classic ballpark eats and a few fun drinks. The bourbon peach slushie is a popular option.

Ride a waterslide

This summer, Coney Island hopes to make history. Between noon on June 17 and noon on June 18, Coney Island will attempt to set a world record for the most people down a water slide in 24 hours. The attempt will take place on The Twister, a 45-foot-high water slide that features four separate chutes twisting and turning over a quarter mile in length before dropping riders into the pool. If you can’t take part in this feat, you can still hit the park’s waterslides anytime this summer, bounce across a floating obstacle course or lounge in the world’s largest recirculating pool, aka Sunlite Pool. coneyislandpark.com.

Hit a local bike trail

Looking for the best trails to bike this summer? We asked Wade Johnston, director of area bikeway advocacy group Tri-State Trails, for his recommendations, follow the link to find them. Plan your ride with their “Low-Stress Bike Map” feature. tristatetrails.org.

Take a hike

Both Great Parks of Hamilton County and Cincinnati Parks — recently named the fourth best parks system in the nation — have excellent hiking trails. But the Cincinnati Nature Center in Milford offers a fun “Hike for Your Health Challenge” that comes with its own passport. The center’s Rowe Woods spans more than 1,000 acres and features over 14 miles of trails, rated from easy to difficult. Hike all 17 (including those at the associated Long Branch Farm) and get your passport stamped after each one to win a prize. Note: There is a fee to enter the Cincinnati Nature Center and Great Parks locations. cincynature.org.

Go to an outdoor concert

With the addition of the festival stage at downtown’s newish Andrew J Brady Music Center and Newport’s indoor/outdoor PromoWest Pavilion at OVATION to the existing Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati is now a prime spot to catch a concert under the stars. Some big-name acts heading through town this summer include Maren Morris (June 25) and Glass Animals (Aug. 3) at the Brady; Bon Iver (June 21), Death Cab for Cutie (July 7) and Wilco (Aug. 16) at OVATION; and Dead & Company (June 22), Rod Stewart (July 12), Jimmy Buffett (July 21), Backstreet Boys (July 26), Alica Keys (Aug. 18) and Wiz Khalifa (Aug. 27) at Riverbend.

Watch Shakespeare in the park

The Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is bringing its super popular, free Shakespeare in the Park series to public spots across the Tri-State, with productions from Over-the-Rhine to West Chester and beyond. This summer’s show is Twelfth Night, which CSC describes as a “lively rom-com on an island where everyone is in love with someone — and the wrong person loves them back.” The season kicks off July 15 at Seasongood Pavilion in Eden Park. cincyshakes.com.

Cool off in air-conditioned attractions

Need to beat the heat? Take a break in the air conditioning. Local museums are a great option for a cool retreat, and the Taft Museum of Art reopens to the public with Jane Austen: Fashion & Sensibility on June 11, featuring costumes from famous Austen film and TV adaptations. Another big indoor attraction opening this summer is Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, a large-scale digital art and virtual reality experience at the former Gidding-Jenny department store downtown. It opens June 1 and there is an entry fee. Escape under the sea at the Newport Aquarium, which features everything from shark bridges and touch tanks to glowing jellyfish and a new 60,000-gallon coral reef tunnel.