Take a Trip to Cincinnati

Family vacations are all about families spending time together and having fun. Here's a family-tested vacation that you can book today. Plus, read more about this trip in our magazine.

Destination: Cincinnati, Ohio (99 Miles)

Travel: by car

Travel Time: Approx. 2-1/2 hours

# Days: 3

Group: 2 adults, 2 kids (ages at trip time 6 and 1)

Accommodations: Holiday Inn Express in West Chester, Ohio

Overall feel: Nice balance of relaxation & fun family activities

Highlights of the trip: Cincinnati, Ohio offers attractions that appealed to our whole family, and its close proximity to Louisville meant I never heard “are we there yet?”

On our long weekend trip we visited nearby attractions: Ride the Ducks, Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, and IKEA.

Something that we stumbled upon:

At the Union Terminal, we stumbled upon two complimentary train-related activities. Tower A offered a view of trains coming and going and members of the Cincinnati Railroad Club welcomed visitors and answered questions. Secondly, docents provided a 45-minute tour to explain the architecture and mosaics of the building.

A part of the trip that needed advanced planning:

The Internet offers a variety of discounted hotel sites. We gave ourselves time to research pricing, amenities and best location. To get the most value for our stay, we booked a hotel with a pool (indoor for the colder months) and complimentary breakfast.

A mishap:

We had heard about IKEA’s Smaland, a free supervised play area for children. My husband and I were looking forward to shopping without our fussy, bored boys. We even told Noah and Lucas to get them excited, too. When we arrived at IKEA we learned our youngest could not participate. All children must be at least 37” and potty trained.

Would you go back and why?

Cincinnati gave my family a refreshing, much-needed break from the daily routines. It was impossible to enjoy every venue so we planned two additional trips. We kept boredom at bay by creating a unique itinerary for each visit using the official tourism site for Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky – www.cincinnatiusa.com.

Lorie Gant Leitner lives in Louisville with her husband Jeremy and their sons Noah (8) and Lucas (3).