The Mom’s Guide to May Family Fun in Cincinnati & NKY {2017}

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Zoo Babies

May 1-31
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
3400 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 45220
10am-5pm daily
General Admission Rates apply; Mom get in FREE on Mother’s Day (May 14)

Help us celebrate our newest arrivals at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden during May. Six-foot-tall pink and blue stork statues displayed throughout the Zoo will lead visitors to all of the cutest little baby faces.

Star Party with Cincinnati Observatory

May 3
Campbell County Public Library – Cold Spring Branch
3920 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring, KY 41076
8pm-9pm
FREE; Registration required

Want to see into space for yourself? Join the Cincinnati Observatory for a Star Party at the Cold Spring Branch Library with your whole family to enjoy a quick talk, and peek through telescopes at the night sky. You can take a close-up look at the Moon, planets, stars and more!

Toddler Trail Time

May 5
Children’s Meeting House Montessori School
927 O’Bannonville Road, Loveland, OH 45140
9-10am
FREE, Registration recommended

School naturalist leads hike especially designed for families with young children.

Pioneer Pastimes

May 5, 12, 19, & 26
Winton Woods – Parky’s Farm
10073 Daly Road, Cincinnati, OH 45231
10am-2pm
Pre-register online by May 3: $6/child, $2.50/adult (day of the event: $7/child, $3/adult), valid motor vehicle permit required to enter park

Spring into farm life of the olden days! Watch the animals get a haircut and become a farm hand through every day pioneer activities. Play old-time games, take a wagon ride to the Pioneer Campsite, help in the garden and have fun in the Playbarn. For children in pre-k through second grade.

Madcap Puppets Present: Monsters of Baseball

May 5
Boone County Public Library – Main Branch
1786 Burlington Pike, Burlington, KY 41005
7pm-8pm
FREE

Giant puppets bring history and tradition of baseball alive through songs, stories and poems.

Bloom: An Event for New and Expecting Moms

May 6
Memorial Hall, OTR
1225 Elm Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
9am-12:30pm
$15-$25

An event designed to support and empower new moms by introducing them to local businesses, resources and the answers to all of those new-mom questions. Giveaways, swag and some good old-fashioned fun round out this morning of relaxing new-mom fun and learning.

Families Create! Collector’s Collages

May 6
Weston Art Gallery
650 Walnut Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
10am-12pm
$5 per child, Reservations required 

Families Create! Is a popular series of workshops designed to introduce art techniques and concepts to children ages 5-12 years and their families. Participants meet the exhibiting artist and explore the world of art through gallery talks, tours, and hands-on activities with take-home art projects.

Peanut Butter & Jam Sessions

May 6
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
7701 Kenwood Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236
10am & 11:30am & 1pm
$5 for individual ticket (child or adult), FREE children under 2

Madcap Music-Making: Little Red Riding Hood – The violin, French horn, and piano join our warm and fuzzy friends from Madcap Puppets to tell the story of Little Red Riding Hood through the music of Brahms! Concerts last approximately 35 minutes. Designed for ages two to six.

Jupiter Night

May 6
Cincinnati Observatory
3489 Observatory Place, Cincinnati, OH 45208
9-11pm
$10 adult, $5 children, $5 Observatory members

The king of the solar system is back!  Giant Jupiter has returned to the evening skies and you can make a date with the largest planet in the solar system. Learn about Jupiter, its blustery hurricanes, its shrinking red spot, and its 67 moons. Then view Jupiter’s cloud tops and largest moons through our historic telescope and marvel at the craters of our Moon (weather permitting). Great for all ages. No reservations required.

Cincy-Cinco Latino Festival

May 6-7
Fountain Square
Fifth & Vine Streets
Friday: 7pm-11pm; Saturday: 12pm-11pm; Sunday: 12pm-7pm
FREE

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo with authentic music, culture, food and more.

Historic Cabin & School Opening Day

May 7
Shawnee Lookout – Historic Log Cabin
2008 Lawrenceburg Road, North Bend, OH 45052
2-5pm
FREE; Valid motor vehicle permit required to enter park

Join us for the season opening of the 1795 log cabin and historic stone school building. These buildings will be open from 2–5 p.m. on Sundays, May through September.

Family Performance Series: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

May 10
Oxford Community Arts Center
10 S. College Avenue, Oxford, OH 45056
6:30pm
FREE, Recommended for pre-k to 6th grade

Based upon the story by C.S. Lewis. In Narnia — a land of talking animals, mythical creatures and eternal winter — the White Witch holds power over all. Any who dare dissent are turned instantly into stone. But one day, a little girl named Lucy enters this magical land through an enchanted wardrobe, and her fantastical adventure signals the fulfillment of a prophecy and great change to come. Step through the wardrobe with Lucy, Peter, Susan and Edmund in this tour-de-force, two‐actor adaptation of the beloved and heroic tale of good’s triumph over evil.

Family First Saturdays: Japanamania

May 6
Cincinnati Art Museum
953 Eden Park Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45202
12-4pm
FREE

Designed with the whole family in mind! Performances, artist demonstrations, storytelling, scavenger hunts, tours, and hands-on art making activities are just the start of the fun for the whole family.

Flying Pig Marathon Family Fun Festival

May 6 & 7
Yeatman’s Cove
805 Pete Rose Way, Cincinnati, OH 45202
8am-3pm
FREE

Part of Flying Pig Marathon Weekend

LIVE Summer Safety Chat

May 8
Online Event 
8pm
FREE

Summer is right around the corner and Cincinnati Moms Blog is partnering with Goldfish Swim School – West Chester to help Cincinnati families to stay safe! We’ll talk topics like water safety, car-seat and home safety with Safe Kids Cincinnati, and neighborhood safety with the Monroe Police Department.

Taft Jr.: Draw the Line

May 11
Taft Museum of Art
316 Pike Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
11:15am-12:15pm
FREE with Museum admission; Information and registration: (513)684-4517 or [email protected]

Just for visitors aged 3—5 years, along with their caregivers! Taft Jr. will allow preschoolers to have fun learning about and making art with their favorite adults while absorbing good museum manners. Each program will feature a story time, a close-up encounter with a piece of art, and a craft.
Join the Taft for a day of turning simple lines into art. Hear a story about a boy who uses a line to go on an adventure, practice your looking skills by finding lines in one of our paintings, and create your own line art by drawing with strings.

Cirque du Soleil: OVO

May 11-14
U. S. Bank Arena
100 Broadway, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Various Performances
Tickets start at $43

Rush headlong into a new ecosystem. OVO is teeming with life. Insects work, play, fight and look for love in a non-stop riot of energy in motion. Their home is filled with biodiversity, beauty, action and moments of quiet emotion. The awestruck insects are intensely curious when a mysterious egg appears, representing the enigma and cycles of their lives.

Appalachian Festival

May 12-14
Coney Island
6201 Kellogg Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45228
Friday: 9am-9pm; Saturday: 10am-9pm; Sunday: 10am-6pm
$10, $5 ages 55, $2 ages 2-12, FREE ages under 2

Appalachian crafts, music, dance, storytelling, cooking, cultural treasures, Appalachian living history exhibit, petting zoo. Special pricing for seniors on Friday.

Shrek: The Musical

May 12-20
Aronoff Center, Jarson-Kaplan Theater
650 Walnut Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Various Performances
$24, $20

Based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film, SHREK THE MUSICAL is a Tony Award-winning fairy tale adventure. Shrek brings all the beloved characters you know from the film to life on stage and proves there’s more to the story than meets the ears.

Outdoor Archery

May 13
Winton Woods – Adventure Outpost
10245 Winton Road, Cincinnati, OH 45231
10am & 1pm
$15/person, valid motor vehicle permit required to enter park, Registration required at least 3 days prior to event 

Aiming for a new way to enjoy the great outdoors? Try out your skills with a little target practice! Our archery instructor will guide you through the basics of shooting a compound bow while explaining the archery steps to success. All equipment is provided. For adults and children ages 8 and up. An adult must be present for the duration of the program.

Asian Food Fest

May 13 & 14
Washington Park
1230 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
12-9pm
FREE admission

Features authentic food from mostly all countries from Asian including Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, India, Korea, Japan and many more. Chef Hideki Harada and his wife will be serving up some Japanese delights while Pho Lang Thang will be going back to its roots of the first food fest and will be dishing out some Pho! These are only a small portion of the food in store this year. Along with food, this year’s festival will feature Human Foosball Arena where all will be able to hop into the inflatable life sized foosball arena and have some fun. There will also be Asian beer, cultural dances and vocalists, and Asian inspired arts and crafts. AFF will be family and dog friendly with Washington Park’s interactive water park, playground, and dog park open for all of our guests.

MainStrasse Village Maifest

May 19-21
MainStrasse Village
Main Street, Covington, KY 41011
Friday: 5-11:30pm; Saturday: 12-11:30pm; Sunday: 12-9pm
FREE admission

Maifest fills over SIX city blocks along the tree-lined 6th Street Promenade, Main Street and Philadelphia Street, and extends into Goebel Park. The German park-like atmosphere creates the perfect backdrop for the variety of appealing food, drink and works by over 75 artisans and craftsmen. And be sure to visit the Kinderplatz, full of adventures and rides for the small children and the Amusement Midway filled with fun for the “older” kids. With intimate stage settings complete with local craft beer gardens, you can sit back, relax and enjoy quality entertainment by local musicians. Genres include German, Contemporary, Acoustic, Folk Rock, Americana, Jazz, Alternative Country, Blues, Rockabilly and Gypsy Jazz. Performances by 500 Miles to Memphis, Tickled Pink, Magnoia Sona, Young Heirlooms, as well as Ricy Nye Inc. are sure to spread the festive mood throughout Maifest.

Germania Maifest

May 19-21
Germania Society of Cincinnati
3529 W. Kemper Road, Cincinnati, OH 45251
Friday: 6-11:30pm; Saturday: 2-11:30pm; Sunday: 12-8pm
$3, FREE ages 12 and under; Military personnel FREE with current military ID

Traditional German celebration of spring with authentic German food, desserts, bier, and wein. Local craft bier from Braxton, Taft’s Ale House, and 50West. Games and amusement rides for kids, hot air ballon rides and games of chance for adults. Local crafters, imported German merchandise and gifts.

No Child Wet Behind 5K

May 20
Winton Woods Park
10246 Winton Road, Cincinnati, OH 45248
9am (5K), 10am (1M FamilyFun Run)
Registration and details HERE

Join Doulas of Cincinnati and Q102 for the inaugural “No Child Wet Behind” Diaper Drive, 5k and 1 mile family fun run to help eliminate diaper need in Greater Cincinnati. Diaper Drive runs from Mar 20 – May 20; 5k and 1 mile family fun run hosted at Winton Woods Park on Saturday, May 20, at 9am. This is a day full of having fun and doing good – perfect for kids and adults alike!

The City Flea

May 20
Washington Park
1230 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
10am-4pm
FREE admission

The City Flea is Cincinnati’s original curated, urban flea market that takes place once a month at Washington Park and various other locations throughout the year. Since its conception in 2011 The Flea has seen dozens of vendors grow from hobby to full time business and it is with much pride that we consider ourselves not only a monthly market, but a small business incubator, community organization, and city advocate. The Flea is a place to keep your dollars local, support small business and experience YOUR city in a unique and engaging way. Our vendors range from vintage dealers to artisan pizza makers to plant studios. We have something for everyone.

Castle Days

May 20
Loveland Castle
12025 Shore Road, Loveland, OH 45140
11am-5pm
$8 per person, FREE kids 5 and under

Join the Knights of the Golden Trail for a fun-filled day. Take a jaunt through the beautiful castle gardens, visit the marketplace full of handmade crafts, or sit for a spell and watch comedy acts, Music & historic reenactments. There’s something for everyone! It’s sure to be another wonderful Saturday outing for you and your family!

3rd Sunday Funday: Wild Art Funday

May 21
Taft Museum of Art
316 Pike Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
1-4pm
FREE

Take a walk on the wild side this Funday! Explore the animal life in the Taft collection, create your own geometric animal, and learn more about animals in art at the Art Cart. Get your face painted, and stop by our Meet the Zoo Animals station from 2-3 p.m. for a close encounter with a few visitors from the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. No reservations required.

Star Wars And The Power of Costume

May 25 – October 1
Cincinnati Museum Center
1301 Western Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45203
Mondays-Saturdays: 10am-5pm; Sundays: 11am-6pm
$24 Adult, $17 Member Adult, $21 Senior (60 and over), $16 Child (3-12), $12 Member Child

Iconic costumes from “a galaxy far, far away” are presented in the Smithsonian traveling exhibition.

Oakley After Hours

May 26
Oakley Square
Madison Road, Cincinnati, OH 45209
6-10pm
FREE

Music, entertainment and various games and samples from sponsors.

Family Festival: Superhero Art!

May 27
Contemporary Arts Center
44 E. 6th Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
12-3pm
FREE

Andrea Bowers’ exhibition showcases some superhero-like women who make brave decisions and support powerful causes. Stop by the CAC to create the perfect costume pieces to showcase your superhuman powers! We’ll be designing capes, masks and cuffs all inspired by the causes you believe in!

Taste of Cincinnati

May 27-29
Downtown Cincinnati
Fifth Street between Vine & Sentinel Streets, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Saturday & Sunday: 11am-11pm; Monday: 11am-9pm
FREE admission

What began as a small, one-day festival in 1979 has grown to become a 3-day celebration of Cincinnati USA’s best culinary delights spread along 5+ blocks in Downtown Cincinnati. Featuring 100+ delectable dishes from more than 40 local restaurants plus continuous live entertainment from local and national recording stars performing on multiple stages, and traditional carnival rides and games, Taste of Cincinnati is sure to satisfy the whole family!

Wee Wednesdays: Cincinnati Wing

May 31
Cincinnati Art Museum
953 Eden Park Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45202
10am-12pm
FREE

Your preschooler will learn about their local community through sensory play this Wee Wednesday. You and your toddler will wander through the galleries to find interactive art stops, as well as an art making activity. This “Open house” program is recommended for preschoolers (ages 5 and under) accompanied by an adult.

Wednesdays on the Green

May 31
Clifton Cultural Arts Center
3711 Clifton Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45220
7pm
FREE

Join us for the opening concert of this year’s Wednesdays on the Green – free evening concerts every Wednesday at 7pm – featuring the musical stylings of The Comet Bluegrass All-Stars! We’ve lined up musical performances from May 31 – August 9, and we can’t wait for a summer filled with music, dancing, hands-on art making for kids, picnics, summer treats and shared memories. Kick back in the grass, enjoy the show and meet some new friends on the beautiful lawn at CCAC.

Anne Frank: A History for Today Exhibit

Through June 9
Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education
8401 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236
Mondays-Fridays 1-4pm, Sundays 11am-3pm
$10, $5 students

The life history of Anne Frank and her family is the leading thread running through this exhibition. The family’s story is juxtaposed against world events before, during and after the rise to power of the Nazi party. Throughout the exhibit, Anne’s own wonderfully candid writing provides a central voice to the exhibit narrative, bringing a poignant and truly beautiful perspective to the story.

International Butterfly Show: Majestic Monarch

Through June 18
Krohn Conservatory
1501 Eden Park Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45202
10am-5pm daily
$7, $4 ages 5-17, FREE ages 4 and under

Welcome to the Cincinnati Parks Krohn Conservatory 2017 Butterfly Show, The Majestic Monarch!. Grab your Butterfly Show Field Journal and flutter along with us and our imaginary character “Mona” through the Krohn showroom resembling fields and forests that “Mona” and her Monarch friends would likely visit on their long journey across North Americas. Experience what it’s like to be a butterfly surrounded by towering fir trees, giant flowers, and islands of color as you fly by beautiful hydrangeas, marvelous marigolds, and gorgeous celosia.

A Day in the Life: As the Betts Family Lived in the Mid 19th Century

Through June 30
Betts House
416 Clark Street, Cincinnati, OH 45203
Wednesdays, Fridays & Saturdays 12-5pm
$5, $2 children

Exhibit features materials and programs showing how adults and children entertained themselves in the mid nineteenth century.

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Lisa Springer
I am a native Cincinnatian, born and raised on the West Side and currently settled across the river in Northern Kentucky. I’m a former Highlander, Bearcat, Falcon, and Fulbright Scholar. My greatest challenge hitherto is the one I love the most: being a Mom to an energetic eight-year-old boy. When not working full-time at one of the city’s great hospitals, I’m trying to fit in all there is to do in this wonderful city – and there is certainly A LOT to do! As one who loves to read, I am an advocate for the public library and go multiple times a week. You can often find me at Music Hall enjoying the ballet, opera, and orchestra. I am an introvert, a bit of a foodie, an NPR listener, a pessimist who likes to think she’s a realist, a middle child, an ex-wife and amicable co-parent, a fiancée, and much, much more. I feel lucky to have grown up in Cincinnati and to be raising my own child in this wonderful city.

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