19 Indoor Activities In Cincinnati To Try Next Time It Rains (2024)
- Date: June 3, 2024
- Topic: Events
- Contributors: Written by Peerspace Staff
Source: Peerspace
Cincinnati is Ohio’s third largest city, making it a happening place to live. It has an impressive range of outdoor venues, including summer concert spaces and outdoor cafes. But what happens when the rain comes to town? You don’t have to cancel your plans with friends; not when we’ve collected this list of indoor activities in Cincinnati to try out! From dinner to dancing, The Queen City has something for everyone!
1. Have a blaster battle at Foam Warriorz
Are you looking for a competitive indoor activity in Cincinnati that’s fun for all ages? Check out Foam Warriorz! It’s an action-packed adventure experience where you get foam bullet-firing guns and have at each other. Remember the Nerf guns of your youth? Foam Warriorz’ weapons are like those only fancier looking! They even have multiple themed and strategy-based games to choose from.
2. Host a potluck dinner with friends
Bring your family or friends together to enjoy home-cooked meals with a potluck dinner event. Potlucks take some of the pressure off of the host and let people impress each other with their kitchen talents. You can make a potluck-themed, like an Italian or Indian night. Or let people bring what they wish.
The venue is as important to a good potluck dinner as the meals are. If your dining room is a bit too small for your guest list, think about reserving a dining hall, family home, or other venue with a spacious dinner table. As one of the nation’s leading online marketplaces for event venues, Peerspace has several spaces suitable for a potluck dinner in Cincinnati! Have you seen this event and decor studio in downtown Cincy? The venue includes ample seating for up to 60 people and is designed for dinner parties, bridal showers, and other special events!
3. Visit the Krohn Conservatory
Eden Park is home to the Krohn Conservatory, a botanical garden with over 3,500 plant species on display. You will find seven distinct displays to enjoy, including an Orchid House, Desert House, and the John Carroll Bonsai Gallery. Special events happen year-round as well, like art installations and butterfly gardens. The Conservatory’s classical Art Deco architecture, built in 1933, is another draw and one of the finest examples in the city!
4. See marine life at the Newport Aquarium
Right across the river from Cincinnati is the Newport Aquarium, home to some of the best shark displays in the world. If you’re feeling brave, you can walk across the rope Shark Bridge where sharks pool underneath! Less toothy denizens include sea turtles, sea horses, and other marine life to look at, photograph, and even touch.
5. Explore sign history at the American Sign Museum
Looking for a unique pop culture indoor activity in Cincinnati? Take a date or some friends to the American Sign Museum! This 20,000-square-foot facility is dedicated to a century of signage in the United States. From Main Street storefront signs to street signs and Vegas neon you will see examples of displays designed by corporations, governments, and business owners.
If one of your favorite indoor activities involves taking lots of photos, then check out these gorgeous indoor photoshoot locations in Cincinnati!
6. Tour the Cincinnati Music Hall
Built in 1878, the Cincinnati Music Hall is a National Historic Landmark and an architectural fixture of downtown. The beautiful building sees dozens of plays, dance performances, concerts, and other shows year-round. History and architecture lovers should rejoice because The Friends Of Music Hall runs tours of the building where you can visit the auditorium free of an audience. Or step backstage to see where the magic happens!
7. Play video games at Arcade Legacy
Rainy days are the perfect chance to brush up on your video game skills. But that doesn’t mean you have to stay at home! Check out Arcade Legacy instead, a top Cincy video game arcade bar! Formerly three locations in the region, Arcade Legacy has consolidated all of its games into a single massive 15,000-square-foot facility. A single admission fee gets you access to stand-up arcade games and console games, and you can even bring your own consoles to a station!
8. See the world’s largest train display
Do you like model train sets that run on tracks? Cincinnati is home to the world’s largest train display, run by EnterTRAINment Junction! The setup has 90 large trains running on 2 miles of track. The trains are also a historic exhibit, passing through 3 stages of American history as they glide through the 25,000-square-foot interactive display. It takes you from the Civil War to the modern era. The train display here is fun, educational, and well worth a visit.
9. Climb at an indoor rock gym
Rock climbing is an amazing full-body workout but sometimes the weather does not cooperate. In that case, why not head indoors to an indoor climbing gym? Cincinnati is home to several but Climb Cincy is one of our favorites! As a bouldering gym, you don’t have ropes to learn, which might intimidate beginners, but also makes it easier to get into. Cushioned pads give you a soft place to fall as you learn and grow strong! Climb Cincy also has regular events for members, including competitive bouldering leagues.
10. Break out of an escape room
Try your luck at an escape room for a more interactive rainy day indoor activity in Cincinnati! Escape rooms are themed venues where you have a set amount of time to solve puzzles, find clues, and win freedom from the space. Some are dungeons while others might be spaceships or haunted forest themed. Escape rooms have skill ratings so you won’t be discouraged as a beginner. Yet you can still find a room more challenging as your talent for puzzle-solving grows!
11. Host movie night inside of a private theater
Rainy days are perfect for a movie night with your boo or some friends. Once you’ve decided on what to watch, the next question is where to go…Public theaters are often crowded and may not be playing anything interesting. A private screening room, on the other hand, is perfect for a custom experience. You can bring anything to eat and drink that you like. You’ll have a handful of larger, more comfortable seats. And you can watch whatever movies you bring along!
Peerspace has multiple screening rooms available in Cincinnati for a fun movie night experience. Check out this Walnut Hills apartment with multiple TVs, a 3-room speaker setup, and a six-person dining area! Best of all, unlike an Airbnb, you don’t have to rent the space for the entire day!
12. Go shopping at Jungle Jim’s
From its humble origins as a roadside produce stand Jungle Jim’s has expanded to become one of Cincinnati’s best food markets. You’ll find animatronic statues, international fare, and the Aisle of Inferno: the largest retail selection of hot sauce varieties (1000+) in the United States! From fine cheese to beer, Jungle Jim’s has something for everyone and keeps you entertained while you shop around.
13. Visit a new restaurant
Cincinnati has one of Ohio’s best food scenes. No matter how picky of an eater you are, there’s a restaurant guaranteed to put a smile on your face in The Queen City. High-end dining experiences offer artistic presentations and flavor combinations you’d never find in a more basic establishment. Try something new the next time it rains at a restaurant like Kiki, known for its ramen and non-traditional Asian bar fare. Or you can have some momos at Bridges Nepali Cuisine!
14. Take a brewery tour
Brewery tours are a chance for beer lovers to get behind the scenes of their favorite brews and learn how everything happens. You’ll get to taste the latest varieties and even learn a little about the history of each brewery and its influence on Cincinnati. Brewery tours can visit anywhere from one to several distilleries in the region, depending on the tour package you book.
Next time you explore the town with your coworkers, use our favorite team-building ideas in Cincinnati as your guide!
15. Battle at a distance at Archery Arena
Archery Arena is one of the most unique indoor activities in Cincinnati to experience on a rainy day! It’s a competitive sport that’s basically “archery dodgeball.” You run to grab foam arrows, return to your firing positions, and try to take out the opposing team while hiding behind barriers. You can join public games as an individual or bring a small group of 4-6 friends for a battle adventure. Archery Arena is a great activity for any special occasion as well, including birthdays, bachelor parties, company team building events, and more!
16. Discover a new coffee shop
There’s no better place to relax on a rainy day than inside a coffee shop with a cup of joe or tea. And like most major US cities, Cincinnati has dozens of fun coffee shops to explore. From traditional cafes to themed places, you can enjoy single brew cups, fair trade beans, chai, lattes, and other favorites. Have you been to Moonflower Coffee Collective yet? This charming Sharonville cafe is designed to look like a quaint childhood home. The sofa, wall art, and cozy surroundings create a nice relaxing vibe for rainy day coffee dates.
17. Visit the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal
Are you looking for multiple museums close at hand? Check out the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal. You’ll find the Museum of Natural History & Science, Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children’s Museum, the Arts Consortium of Cincinnati, and more facilities still! This former train terminal is also a fine example of the city’s Art Deco architecture and a wonderful photo opportunity to explore!
18. Learn at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Rainy days are a great chance to explore a new dimension of history at a local museum. Cincinnati has several worth visiting and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is one of our favorites. It details the history of the Underground Railroad, a system of safe houses that helped escaped slaves find freedom. There are free admission days throughout the year as well, making it a budget-friendly option!
19. Make furry friends at Purrfect Day Cafe
Sip coffee and make furry friends at Purrfect Day Cafe, a Cincinnati cat cafe! You can enjoy pets along with your drink and if one of the kitties catches your fancy, Purrfect also happens to be an adoption center. Purrfect Day Cafe also has events like yoga, painting, and trivia to enjoy!
Indoor activities in Cincinnati: conclusion
Cincinnati has so much to enjoy if you know where to look. From cat cafes to world-class museums, there is always something to do when the rain inevitably visits. Peerspace also invites you to take a look at some of the special party venues in Cincinnati if you’re planning an indoor party in the near future!
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