Ohio: Warren County, Family Vacations - Kings Island, Beach Waterpark, and the Little Miami River. 
Just north of Cincinnati rolling hills, quaint towns and family friendly villages provide oodles of way to create a memorable family vacation. Chill out and enjoy the best of Mother Natures’ greenery or experience thrills, excitement and laugh-out-loud fun.
Hike, bike, or rollerblade along miles of well marked trails throughout the scenic countryside. Shop ‘til you drop for timeless and unique treasures in quaint towns and villages. Play award-winning golf courses; try ziplining with your kids; enjoy a waterway rafting trip. Check out our list of fun family vacation activities.
Ride the Beast or Hug Snoopy. The Kings Island experience is pure excitement offering more than 80 rides and attractions it is one of the largest amusement parks in the Midwest. Kings Island features 14 world-class roller coasters including Diamondback, the tallest and fastest coaster in park history. This amazing ride stands a mind-boggling 230 feet tall, reaching gut-wrenching speeds of 80mph while weaving through 10 acres of terrain using nearly one mile of steel track before reaching a dramatic splash-down ending. Coaster fanatics will also love The Beast, the world’s longest wooden roller coaster and Firehawk™, which propels riders 115 feet in the air at speeds of more than 50 mph. You can also ride the newset thrill ride - Windseeker - a 301-foot tall tower thart spins riders 30 stories above the park at speeds of 30 MPH.
Summer bonus points: Don’t forget that you can cool off from the summer heat at Kings Island’s award-winning water park, Boomerang Bay, which offers more than 50 water rides and attractions.
Bonus for tykes: For families with little ones, Kings Island has Planet Snoopy, which has been voted “Best Kids Area in the World” for ten consecutive years. Your children can ride more kids’ coasters than any other park in the world, plus meet their favorite PEANUTS characters such as Snoopy and Charlie Brown. Plus, when you take in one of Kings Island’s famous live-shows, you and your family will be singing and dancing in the aisles.
Autumn bonus points: When fall arrives, Kings Island becomes a cauldron of Halloween fun during Halloween Haunt. With thrilling attractions, haunted trails, spooky mazes, vampires and zombies, this is no average walk in the park. Little ghouls and goblins love Halloween Haunt's own kid-friendly area, Howl-o-Fest, featuring a hay bale maze, pumpkin patches, trick-or-treat candy stops, and a costumed parade.
Dinosaurs Alive! is the name of Kings Island's newest addition: the world's largest animatronic dinosaur park. Watch the 3D movie in Action Theatre, learn about all 60 different kinds of life-sized dinosaurs, and explore different stages of each reptile's life.
Share a spa date or play MagiQuest with your kids. Great Wolf Lodge will give you and your kids something to howl about! With more than 400 woodland-themed suites, one of the largest indoor waterparks in Ohio, two great restaurants and a host of other great amenities, this family-style resort has everything you need for an unforgettable getaway adventure. The 78,000 square-foot indoor water park, one of the nation’s largest, was awarded the Industry Innovation Award in 2007 by the World Waterpark Association! The mammoth indoor water park offers visitors six pools and 11 water slides, two exciting body slides, three tube slides, four kiddie slides and a new water roller coaster ride. Plus, with 10 different suite-style rooms, Great Wolf Lodge has plenty of room for your entire family and even your friends! The Lodge’s Cub Club™ keeps the imagination of kids afloat with a variety of arts & crafts, while the Northern Lights™ Arcade lets them play all the new and classic video games. The Lodge also features MagiQuest, the first live-action fantasy adventure game of its kind. Grab your wand and let your family adventure of slaying dragons and discovering pixies begin. Completing your resort experience is The Elements™ Spa, a place for adults to relax after enjoying all of the water related activities and Scooops™ Kids Spa, an ice cream-themed spa for the younger ones.
Bonus points: Experience the warmth of the holiday season as wintery scenes sweep through Great Wolf Lodge during Snowland, the Lodge's annual winter celebration. The Grand Lobby will be filled with holiday lights, bright stars, glowing icebergs, falling snow, trees, wreaths, and decorations galore!
Splish, splash in tons of water Beach Waterpark. White sand, cool water, wild waves and real palm trees… no this isn't Florida, this is Ohio and it's a blast! Situated on 35 acres with 2,600 tons of white sand, 175 real palm trees and 2.5 million gallons of clear blue water, The Beach Waterpark is truly a summer oasis. Plus, with more than 50 water rides and attractions, The Beach Waterpark has everything you and your family need for a tropical getaway. Aztec Adventure is one of the only water coasters in the Midwest. Drop five stories on The Cliff or cool off with a leisurely trip down the Lazy Miami River ride. When the sun goes down, Dive-In Movies provides the ideal backdrop for winding down after a fun-filled day. Float in an inner tube in the wave pool, or cozy up on a lounge chair and take in a movie in a completely unique setting.
Winter bonus points: During "Beach on Ice" this tropical paradise transforms into a winter wonderland. The Cool Running Toboggan slide and Winterset Carriage rides are sure to put you in the holiday spirit. Plus, you can visit the North Pole Petting Corral and see the live Nativity.
Enjoy Broadway-style productions in southwest Ohio. Along with its famous buffet (and sweet potato soufflé), La Comedia Dinner Theatre serves up Broadway-style productions year-round. One of the nation’s largest professional dinner theaters, La Comedia has charmed audiences for more than 30 years. Their unforgettable performances will leave you tapping your feet and humming familiar tunes as you experiencing musical theater in a truly unique setting.
Experience the great outdoors. The breathtaking scenery, peaceful surroundings, and quaint towns all come together for perfect leisurely exercise as bikers pedal through the Warren County countryside on the nationally-recognized Little Miami Scenic Trail. Spanning more than 70 miles, this paved, all-season trail is well-suited for skates, bikes, horses or boots. Shaded by oaks and maples, and framed by wildflowers in the warmest months, it weaves through Warren County alongside the Little Miami Scenic River.
Canoe the Little Miami River. Natural wonders are truly in abundance along the 100-mile Little Miami Scenic River—ranked as on the Top Ten scenic rivers in the U.S. From the high, dolomite cliffs near Clifton Gorge to the vast watershed, teeming with life in the southern region, a trip downstream allows you to not only get back to nature, but see Ohio as it was years ago. In addition to dramatic scenery, Ohio’s rich past may be found along its banks. Legendary figures, Tecumseh and Daniel Boone, both saw the beauty of the Little Miami; and with the liveries and outfitters now present in the area, you can too.
All aboard for a train ride. Aboard the Lebanon Mason Monroe Railroad, conductors are also your tour guides, providing train stories and detailing railroad history as your journey unfolds. Visitors may experience unique family fun with themed rides such as the Pumpkin Patch Express and the North Pole Express, plus rides with favorite children’s characters including Thomas the Tank Engine and Clifford the Big Red Dog.
Learn about an ancient culture. Fort Ancient, North America’s largest prehistoric Native American hilltop enclosure, is home to 18,000 feet of earthen walls, built more than 2,000 years ago by Ohio’s Hopewell culture. With hiking trails, two scenic overlooks and an on-site museum, Fort Ancient is truly a must-see destination.
Bonus points: Fort Ancient was recently named a finalist for a World Heritage Site designation which would put it on par with Stonehenge, the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal.
Location on the planet. It’s a big county—go out and play. With so much to offer, it’s no wonder Warren County is Ohio’s Largest Playground! Warren County is conveniently located between Cincinnati and Dayton. It is known as Ohio's Largest Playground because it is home to Kings Island, Great Wolf Lodge, The Beach Waterpark, and Ozone Zipline Adventures. Visitors can enjoy a greater possibility of
Ohio family vacation activities within a 30-mile radius than anywhere else in Ohio.
Make it happen. Get more details and make your family vacation a reality. Warren County has always been an affordable Ohio family fun vacation destination. Check them out in
FACEBOOK or follow them on Twitter. Better yet, visit
www.ohioslargestplayground.com or call toll-free 1-800-791-4FUN for exclusive hotel package deals or to order your free getaway guide.
Planning Details and Things to Do with Kids Kings Island. 6300 Kings Island Dr., Kings Island, 45034. Toll-free 1-800-288-0808 or
www.ohioslargestplayground.com/kingsisland Great Wolf Lodge. 2501 Great Wolf Drive, Mason 45040. Toll-free 1-800-913-WOLF or
www.ohioslargestplayground.com/great-wolf-lodge The Beach Waterpark. 2590 Waterpark Dr., Mason, 45040. 800-886-SWIM (7946) or
www.ohioslargestplayground.com/the-beach-waterpark La Comedia Dinner Theatre. 765 W. Central Ave., Springboro, OH 45066. Toll-free 1-800-677-9505 or
www.lacomedia.com For information on the
Little Miami Scenic Bike Trail and other Warren County bike trails, visit
www.ohioslargestplayground.com/warren-county-bike-trails The Lebanon Mason Monroe Railway. 127 S. Mechanic, Lebanon, OH 45036. (513)933-8022 or
www.lebanonrr.com Fort Ancient State Memorial. 6123 State Route 350, Oregonia, OH 45054. Toll-free 1-800-283-8904 or
www.fortancient.org
