Warren County attractions, festivals to fuel busy fall travel season

WARREN COUNTY, OH (August 29, 2018) - The Ohio Renaissance Festival, Kings Island’s Halloween Haunt and more autumn attractions are expected to once again draw considerable crowds to Southwest Ohio this fall, according to the Warren County Convention & Visitors Bureau (WCCVB).

Running Saturdays and Sundays (as well as Labor Day) between September 1 and October 28, the Ohio Renaissance Festival in Harveysburg, Ohio will introduce new attractions, shows and vendors in 2018. Billed as a “non-stop, day-long adventure”, the festival will feature 200 costumed characters, more than 100 daily shows, 150 artisan-run craft shops and era-inspired food and drink.

Halloween-themed attractions ranging from family-friendly to highly intense will also open their doors in the coming weeks. Kings Island’s Halloween Haunt will welcome guests Friday and Saturday nights September 21 through October 27, while The Great Pumpkin Fest - the park’s family-focused Halloween celebration -will run Saturdays and Sundays September 29 through October 28. Hosted on the grounds of the Ohio Renaissance Festival, Brimstone Haunt will return for its second year, and will feature both a haunted hayride and haunted trail Friday and Saturday nights September 28 through October 27.

Waynesville, Ohio, regarded as one of the nation’s most-haunted villages, will once again host guided walking tours select October evenings.

Open year-round, Oregonia, Ohio’s Ozone Zipline Adventures is one of the largest tree-top canopy zip line tours in the Midwest. Its zip tours are designed to be both thrilling and educational, featuring lines as high as 200 feet above ground and experienced tour guides who share knowledge of Southwest Ohio’s natural history. Full moon night zipping is offered on select weekend nights throughout the year, including October 19-20, when the course will offer its special Halloween-inspired tour, Zipping From Zombies.

Clarksville, Ohio’s Bonnybrook Farms will treat guests to hay rides, pumpkin patches, corn mazes and more at its Fall Farm Days held Saturdays and Sundays from September 29 through October 28. Its Chuck Wagon Dinner Rides will be offered Saturday evenings from July 21 through August 4.
Nearby in Lebanon, Hidden Valley Orchards will offer tractor-drawn hay rides, a pumpkin patch, apple picking, seasonal bakery items, fresh-pressed apple cider and more each weekend in October.

The LM&M Railroad’s Fall Flyer returns this year, offering guests nostalgic train rides through the Warren County countryside select Saturdays and Sundays in October. The seasonal rides also include free pumpkin pie and a kid-friendly hay maze.

Valley Vineyards, an award-winning winery and micro-brewery in Morrow, Ohio, offers both indoor and outdoor weekend evening cookouts through December. Cookout guests are invited to grill their choice of meat to enjoy alongside staff-prepared side dishes, desserts and the vineyard’s locally produced adult beverages. A “Twilight Canoe & Dinner for Two” package, which includes a three-mile canoe trip down the Little Miami Scenic River and a Valley Vineyards cookout, is available select dates in September.

Fall food festivals account for a sizeable percentage of the county’s seasonal visitors. Lebanon’s Country AppleFest and Feast & Fall-y (Sept. 29) and Waynesville’s Ohio Sauerkraut Festival (Oct. 13-14) are among the region’s most popular food and craft gatherings and are free to the public.

Finally, Kings Island’s WinterFest will once again welcome guests to enjoy ice skating, light shows, holiday shopping, festive food and more select dates from November 23 through December 30.

Tourism is the leading industry in Warren County, as more than 12 million yearly visitors drive an economic impact of $1.24 billion and help support 11,666 tourism-related jobs throughout the county.

About the Warren County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Warren County is Ohio’s Largest Playground®! With easy access from Interstates 71 and 75, visitors to Warren County can enjoy more activities within a 30-mile radius than anywhere else in Ohio. The Warren County Convention & Visitors Bureau is a professional destination marketing and management organization whose mission is to strengthen the community by advancing economic growth and vitality through tourism and overnight stays by encouraging significant participation by visitors in the local tourism economy. Tourism is the leading industry in Warren County. More than 12 million yearly visitors drive an economic impact of $1.24 billion and 11,666 tourism-related jobs. For additional information, visit OhiosLargestPlayground.com, call 513-204-1900 or visit the WCCVB on social media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram