Get away from stress and have fun with friends and family at places that are fun for any age
As life becomes harder with kids going back to school and fall sports starting back up, it can feel overwhelming. Take some time to de-stress and connect with friends and family. Here are some places to get away from stress and have fun with friends or family.
The Cincinnati Museum Center, housed with the iconic Union Terminal building, is a museum complex with multiple museums for anyone with different interests. Within the museum’s art deco walls, there is the Cincinnati History Museum, the Children’s Museum, the Museum of Natural History & Science, the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center and the Lindner Family OMNIMAX Theater. The museum center regularly hosts touring exhibitions, with the current one being “LEGO Jurassic World: The Exhibition,” open now until January 4, 2027. The museum is open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Kings Island is the biggest amusement park and water park in the Midwest. With a number of roller coasters—such as the Diamondback, which is 5,282-feet-long, reaches an elevation of 230 feet and goes 80 mph; the Beast, which goes across a 35-acre site at 65 mph; and the Windseeker, which brings you up 301 feet above the park for an unparalleled swing ride—and a section of the park that is just for kids called Planet Snoopy, there’s a ride for everyone in the family. For anyone who loves Halloween, Kings Island has the Halloween Haunt on select night through Oct. 31 with haunted mazes, live entertainment, scare zones and rides after dark. The Halloween Haunt is not recommended for kids under 13.
The Alexandria Brewing Company in Alexandria, Kentucky, keeps all regular beers on draft and has seasonal selections of beer that rotate around and some one-off experimental beers on draft as well. Almost every day of the week, there is a themed event such as Trivia Tuesday and Whiskey Wednesday. With Halloween coming up, there is a Bat Door Hanger workshop on Oct. 7. Its hours are Tu-Th 2-10 p.m., F-Sa noon-10 p.m. Su noon-8 p.m.
Firehouse Grill offers a more than 30 beers, seltzers and ciders. There is a patio with live music and event space. The Buffalo Chicken Rolls has been its signature dish since opening in 2011, but the menu features many other options including wraps, burgers, pizzas and salads. Each dish is handcrafted, from house-smoked corned beef to hand-cut salmon. It is open M-Th 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m., F 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. and Sa noon-10 p.m.
