21-05-2025
Top 10 things to do Memorial Day weekend in Cincinnati
With pools opening this Memorial Day weekend, we know that signals summer is officially on the horizon. And that means there's so much to do in the Queen City. To help narrow it down, we've picked out our top 10 places to be this weekend.
Get on your sunblock, because a lot of our picks take place outside. It's about time we all get some much-needed vitamin D and enjoy the weather. And it wouldn't be Memorial Day weekend without getting a little wet, so break out your swimsuits.
But if you prefer the shade and staying dry, we have some picks for you, too. Pick your flavor below.
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If the Mayor of Flavortown himself, Guy Fieri, declared Cincinnati "one of the really cool food cities" with "next-level chefs," then you know you don't want to miss Taste of Cincinnati. Go in with a plan of attack to seek out all this year's Best of Taste winners, or just head to Fifth Street and let the wind guide your buds.
Details: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday, Fifth Street, Downtown. Free admission with plenty of food and drink available for purchase.
It's that time of the year again. Dust off your bikinis and swim trunks, and take a trip to the much-anticipated summer season opening day. With over 50 water activities, including 40 water slides, there are enough thrills to spend a whole day at the waterpark. Be sure to try the two attractions debuting this season: RiverRacers and Splash River Junction.
Details: daily starting Saturday, Kings Island, 6300 Kings Island Drive, Mason.
Get ready for big amusement rides, helicopter flights, live music, games, gambling and craft vendors. There will be a fireworks show on Saturday night. Admission is free, so bring the whole family.
Details: 6-11 p.m. Thursday-Friday, noon-11 p.m. Saturday, New Richmond. Parade at 6 p.m. Thursday.
Celebrate Caribbean and African culture. This fest features music from C.O.V. ThaHopeDealr, FT Falc, MC Da Don, Cuttboi Wormm, Mook Tenracks, DJ Shawn Kelly and performances by Lady Warriors, House of Traction Dance Team, Cincinnati Double Dutch Rope Twisters, CCPA Lions Marching Pride and more. Enjoy unique vendors and food.
Details: 2-8 p.m. Friday, Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Free.
Illuminate the night by floating on glowing boats as the water glints and gleams. Explore the mysteries of space with the Cincinnati Astronomical Society and enjoy a night hike under the stars. From moths and moons to bats and bugs, there's so much to explore once the sun sets.
Details: 8-11 p.m. Friday, Miami Whitewater Forest, 9001 Mount Hope Road, Harrison. Pre-registration is not required. Free. Glow boat rentals and refreshments available for purchase.
Your favorite shimmering stars of the sea glide and twirl through the water with their tropical fish friends as part of the Mermaids Make Waves special event.
Details: Opens Saturday, continues daily (except Tuesdays) through June 22, Newport Aquarium, 1 Levee Way, Newport. Included with admission.
Come to the opening weekend of Faith & (in)Justice. This new exhibition explores how religion has been both an inspiration for change and a tool to justify oppression. It traces America's struggle for equity and the role of the country's three largest religions – Christianity, Judaism and Islam – in that struggle. This national touring exhibition debuts in Cincinnati.
In This Place, the center's first new permanent exhibition in 15 years, is an immersive gallery exploring the historic significance of its location on the banks of the Ohio River, where many enslaved people self-liberating via the Underground Railroad took their first steps on free soil.
Details: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Sunday, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 50 E. Freedom Way, Downtown. Runs May 23-Dec. 7.
Kim Radochia channels her love of botany into an immersive exploration of nature's mesmerizing patterns and movements in her exhibit, titled "Botanical Fantastical."
Details: noon-5 p.m. Wednesday-Monday, Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum, Gallery Museum, 1763 Hamilton Cleves Road, Hamilton. Runs through July 27. Included with park admission.
Come out and cheer for your favorite Cincinnati baseball team this weekend. And don't forget Fireworks Friday!
Details: 6:40 p.m. Friday, 4:10 p.m. Saturday, 1:40 p.m. Sunday, Great American Ball Park, 100 Joe Nuxhall Way, Downtown.
Raptor's highly skilled educators will be available to welcome guests, lead tours, conduct educational programs with our avian ambassadors, share biological artifacts and answer questions. Guests will have the opportunity to visit various educational stations where they can see and learn about the birds of prey native to the Cincinnati area and the work that Raptor Inc. does to protect these magnificent creatures.
Details: 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Raptor Inc., 961 Barg Salt Run Road, Milford. Free, donations appreciated.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Top 10 things to do Memorial Day weekend: Get a Taste or take a dip
