“Outside the Box” Ideas for Spring Break

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If you are one of the lucky ones with a Spring Break vacation booked, you can stop reading now. For the rest of us, Spring Break looms as long days with no school and few ideas. You and your family need a change of scenery after a long winter. Here are some “outside the box” ideas to make the week fun and unique without buying a plane ticket or breaking the bank.

Tour Your Alma Mater
If you attended college nearby, you probably have fond memories of your time spent on campus. Visiting your alma mater is a great way to spend some time with your family, while showing off somewhere that has a special place in your heart. We have taken our kids to see both of our college campuses. My kids loved seeing our dorm rooms, classrooms and fraternity/sorority houses. They also loved hearing the “sanitized” stories of our time in college. To quote my son, “Mom, you were actually fun once, weren’t you?” It can also be eye opening for you to experience your old stomping grounds with a new perspective. College towns are full of interesting, educational experiences you might not have taken advantage of when you were an underclassman.

Tourist Traps
Find a website devoted to local tourist traps. Plot a day trip (or even overnight) to see how many balls of twine, movie locations, cheese barns and other quirky delights our area has to offer.

Explore a New Part of the City
Take time to visit a part of the city you have never been to before. Mariemont-ians, head on over to the west side. Eat at the original Larosa’s or try Price Hill Chili. Ride the Anderson Ferry, weather permitting. Cheviot born and raised? Head on over to Hyde Park and have an ice cream and stroll the square. Visit the Loveland Bike Trail.  Watch the planes take off and land at Lunken from beautiful Ault Park. Head across the river to our neighbor to the south. Visit Mainstrasse, check out the views from DeVou Park and grab a hot chicken sandwich. Don’t let I-75 and the Ohio River keep you from learning to love the Queen City even more.

Trails and Tours
We live in an area with rich history. Chances are there is a trail or tour nearby that may correspond to your school age child’s course of study. The River to Lake Freedom Trail is an example.

Not all trails and tours are historical. There are donut trails, wine trails and Indiana Hooiser pie trails. Pick a food, Google it and I bet you’ll find a trail. In addition, Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland all have food tours.

Or you can make your own. Cincinnati ice cream tour. Chili parlor tour. Northern Kentucky park tour. Columbus Museum Tour. Speaking of museums…

Museums
Visit a museum a day. There are at least 20 museums in the Greater Cincinnati/Dayton area and many more across the state. Think beyond the norm. Ohio boasts art museums, sign museums, sports museums, bicycle museums and even a polka museum.

Any of these options can be tailored to your kids’ ages and interests. A little bit of web surfing and you can have a week of family fun that will make your family say, “What beach?” This list is by no means comprehensive. Let us know your best ideas and share in the comments below! Happy traveling!

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