Adding up the Fun in Ohio’s Largest Playground
Blog by Scott Hutchinson
If you’re a regular reader of Stories From The Playground, you probably know by now that Warren County boasts more to do in a 30-mile radius than anywhere else in the state of Ohio. You may also know that more than 12 million people visit the Southwest Ohio hot spot each year for family fun and grown-up getaways. Now, I’m no math guy, but those numbers certainly do paint quite the picture of the excitement awaiting travelers in Ohio’s Largest Playground®.
Here are just a few other stats that tell the Warren County story:
12 world-renowned roller coasters wind their way through Warren County’s iconic theme park, Kings Island. More so, 3 of those are record breakers! When Mystic Timbers, the park’s latest coaster creation, opened in 2017, its 3,265 feet of wooden track made K.I. the world’s undisputed king of wooden coasters! And Amusement Today just named Mystic Timbers best new ride in the world!
While we’re on the topic of tracks, Warren County is also home to 25 miles of train track. The Lebanon Mason & Monroe Railroad, stationed in historic Downtown Lebanon, invites guests aboard for themed, nostalgic train rides year-round, and even brings them face-to-face with Thomas the Train, Curious George, Santa Claus and other family favorites.
Speaking of Santa, Warren County does Christmas pretty well too! In fact, Lebanon’s Annual Horse-Drawn Carriage Parade features more than 100 candlelit carriages pulled by Clydesdales, Percherons, ponies and more four-legged friends!
You’ll find plenty of horses every fall at the Ohio Renaissance Festival, too! In fact, the festival’s incredible horseback jousting show is just one of its more than 135 daily performances!
On the topic of festivals, did you know that more than 7 tons of sauerkraut are served each year at Waynesville’s Ohio Sauerkraut Festival? Or that 28 varieties of grapes are used to produce the award-winning wine served up by Valley Vineyards at its annual Wine & Beer Festival? The second largest vineyard in the Buckeye State, Valley Vineyards also brews its own line of craft beer, making it 1 of 4 (and counting) breweries to call Warren County home.
What goes great with beer? Sports, of course! Each year, hundreds of youth, collegiate, amateur and professional sporting events are held in Ohio’s Largest Playground, including the Western & Southern Open! The world-class professional tennis tournament features more than 100 of the sport’s biggest stars and has been been played in Southwest Ohio 120 years and counting!
Have an athlete or outdoorsman in your group? Be sure to check out Warren County’s 10 gorgeous golf facilities, its 75 miles of scenic bike trails, its 60-plus miles of hiking trails and the 12 zip lines spanning the skies 200 feet above Oregonia’s Ozone Zipline Adventures! While you’re out that way, explore more than 2,000 years of Native American heritage at Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve!
Have a love of history or a heart for the arts? 12 U.S. presidents have visited the iconic Golden Lamb since it opened its doors for business more than 200 years ago, and La Comedia Dinner Theater comes in at No. 1 on Ohio’s list of largest professional dinner theaters. Both beloved attractions serve up killer cuisine too, as do the county’s 70-plus other local eateries!
No matter how you crunch the numbers, they all add up to fun in Ohio’s Largest Playground! Plan your Warren County getaway today – but leave the calculator at home!