50+ Fun Things To Do In Ohio In The Winter

Embrace the winter season and get out to explore, there’s plenty of winter activities in Ohio to keep you and your family busy throughout the cold and gray months. From outdoor winter activities and indoor attractions to exploring vibrant cities and charming small towns, you’ll find lots of Ohio attractions in winter to keep those seasonal blues at bay! Start planning your weekend getaway or day trip with these fun things to do in Ohio in the winter!

Things To Do In Ohio In The Winter

Help stave off cabin fever with these fun Ohio winter activities! From snowy outdoor adventures to winter festivals, eating your way through the best food scenes in the state or finding a new favorite Ohio winery, you’ll find more winter activities in Ohio than you thought possible. Start planning your winter retreat with this list of awesome things to do in Ohio in the winter.

Winter Activities In Ohio

• Enjoy a winter romantic getaway in Ohio with your sweetheart
• Make some family memories with a winter family getaway in Ohio
• Train Rides- take a fun train ride on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad or Hocking Valley Scenic Railroad
• Take a scenic drive and explore Ohio’s covered bridges- Ashtabula County, Union County and Fairfield County are a few of my favorite spots for covered bridges. There are more than 100 covered bridges throughout state!
• Complete the whimsical Fairy Door Trail in Dublin
• Take a self-guided tour of the Dayton Aviation Trail

Ohio Outdoor Winter Activities

• Explore the many winter activities in Hocking Hills
• Take a winter hike- Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Wayne National Forest, Hocking Hills State Park, Mohican State Park and numerous other state and local metro parks in Ohio are perfect for a winter hike
• Bird watch- Edge of Appalachia Preserve, Big Darby Headwaters Preserve, Morgan Swamp Preserve, Great Egret Marsh Preserve, Sheldon Marsh Nature Preserve are a few great places to watch migrating birds
• Stargaze- bundle up and watch the stars twinkle by visiting a designated dark sky area with little light pollution. John Glenn Astronomy Park in Hocking Hills, Wayne National Forest, Observatory Park in Geuga County and Burr Oak State Park offer dark skies perfect for stargazing
• Snow Tube- Polar Blast Snow Tubing (Peninsula), Snow Trails (Mansfield), Mad River Mountain (Zanesfield) and Valley’s Edge (New Paris) offer fun snow tubing parks. These locations for snow tubing in Ohio are fun for the entire family!
• Ski and Snowboard- Mad River Mountain (Zanesfield), Snow Trails (Mansfield), Boston Mills Brandywine Ski (Peninsula) and Alpine Valley (Chesterland) offer dozens of ski and snowboard trails. You’ll find more great ski locations on our skiing in Ohio list.
• Tobogganing- Take a thrilling toboggan ride down a 700-foot ice chute at The Chalet in Strongsville
• Sled- Cain Park Sledding Hill (Cleveland Heights), Alum Creek Park Sledding Hill (Westerville), Engle Road Sledding Hill (Middleburg Heights) and Germantown Metroparks Sledding Hill (Germantown) are fun for kids of any age
• Ice fishing- numerous frozen lakes in Ohio are great for ice fishing, but Lake Erie is the ultimate place to ice fish

• Snowshoe- Chapin Forest Reservation, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Cleveland Metroparks and numerous state and local parks are fun for a snowshoe adventure
• Cross-Country Skiing- Cleveland Metroparks, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Headlands Beach State Park, Chapin Forest Reservation and Lorain Country Metro Parks are a few places for great cross-country skiing
• Ice Skating- UC Health Ice Rink (Cincinnati), OhioHealth Chiller (multiple Columbus locations), Center Ice Sports Complex (Canton), Downtown Cuyahoga Falls Ice Skating Rink (Cuyahoga Falls) and Cleveland Foundation Ice Rink (Cleveland) are the perfect spots to lace up your skates
• Chase frozen waterfalls- Brandywine Falls, Buttermilk Falls & Blue Hen Falls (Cuyahoga Valley National Park), Cedar Falls & Upper Falls (Hocking Hills), Hayden Falls (Dublin), Greenville Falls (Covington) and Charleston Falls (Tipp City) are a few of the most popular waterfalls in Ohio
• Geocache- Hocking Hills Adventure GeoTrail, Athens County GeoTrail, Cleveland Metroparks, Columbus (more than 2,000 caches throughout the city) and the Five Rivers Metroparks offer thousands of geocaches
• Attend a winter festival- Mohican Winter Fest (Loudonville), Medina Ice Festival (Medina), Geneva Winterfest (Geneva), Farmpark Ice Festival (Kirtland), Ice Wine Festival (Madison)

Indoor Ohio Winter Attractions

• Explore Ohio’s numerous museums- a few of my favorite are the Cleveland Museum of Art, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Columbus Museum of Art, COSI, Cincinnati Art Museum, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinnati Museum Center, American Sign Museum, Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio History Connection, National Museum of the United States Air Force, Boonshoft Museum of Discovery and Armstrong Air & Space Museum
• Visit a Zoo- Columbus Zoo & Aquarium, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Toledo Zoo & Aquarium and The Wilds
• Make a splash at an indoor waterpark- Kalahari Resorts and Great Wolf Lodge (Mason and Sandusky)
• Pamper yourself with a spa day

Ohio Winter Food & Drinks

• Love coffee? Sip your way through the Columbus Coffee Trail
• Take a food tour- Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland have wonderful food tours
• Explore a fresh food market- North Market (Columbus), Findlay Market (Cincinnati) and West Side Market (Cleveland) have dozens of unique vendors offering yummy local and world food products
• Dine in an igloo- igloos have popped up all over the state in recent years and make for a great way to stay warm while dining outdoors. A few places to check out are VASO Rooftop Lounge (Dublin), Wishmaker House Winery (Bellville), Mudlick Tap House (Dayton) and The View at Shires’ Garden (Cincinnati)
• Sip on craft cocktails, hand crafted brews and Ohio made wines
• Taste Italy in Ohio throughout the Italian Food Trail in Trumbull County
• Discover global foods and fun at Jungle Jim’s International Market in Fairfield
• Explore Saraga International Grocery Store in Columbus
• Eat your way through the Butler County Donut Trail
• Taste Ohio wines in Ohio Wine Country

Explore Ohio City Scenes & Small Towns

• Enjoy the vibrant city scenes of Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati
• Explore Lake Erie’s shore- visit Sandusky, explore lighthouses and sip on libations along the Lake Erie Shores & Islands Cheers Trail
• Explore charming small towns like Granville, Wooster, Marietta and Athens
• Embrace the simple life in Amish Country

Ohio Winter Accommodations

• Stay in an Ohio State Park Lodge or Cabin
• Explore unique accommodations like treehouses, castles, luxury inns and B&B’s, yurts or a geodome

As you can see there are many things to do in Ohio in winter to beat those seasonal blues! Whether you’re looking for a romantic getaway, family vacation or a short-day trip, there’s a winter activity for every type of Ohio explorer!

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