Best Places to Road Trip from Cincinnati, OH

Although Cincinnati, OH is a beautiful city nestled along the Ohio River, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to hit the road in your brand-new Toyota vehicle and take a day trip. The city’s central location makes it an ideal base to access a variety of must-visit sites, including the bustling cities of Louisville and Columbus to the lesser-known spots such as the Serpent Mound. Gas up your vehicle, and hit the road to visit some of these amazing places near Cincinnati.

African Safari Wildlife Park

Found in Port Clinton about 3.5 hours north of Cincinnati, the African Safari Wildlife Park is home to a variety of exotic animals including bison, zebras, giraffes, camels, and several species of deer. You can drive through the park in your own vehicle to pet and feed the animals. It also houses a walking safari section where you can see gibbons, warthogs, and tortoises. For an additional fee, you can mine for gems at the African Safari Mining Outpost, feed the kangaroos, and ride a camel.

Brookville Lake

Located in Indiana’s beautiful Whitewater Valley about an hour from Cincinnati, Brookville Lake is one of the best locations in the area for a variety of water activities. You can swim, boat, and fish in a lake that stretches 17 miles to the north and south, while its shores feature more than 25 miles of hiking trails. Two public beaches are equipped with dressing rooms and snack bars, and you can use the numerous picnic benches to enjoy a nice lunch.

Chicago

Image via Flickr by Conal Gallagher

About a five-hour drive from Cincinnati, Chicago, IL is an excellent city to visit. Some of the Windy City’s must-visit attractions include the Magnificent Mile, Millennium Park, and famous buildings such as the Willis Tower and Hancock Building. Depending on the time of year, you could also check out one of the many sporting events including the Bears football team, the Bulls basketball team, or either the White Sox or Cubs baseball teams.

Columbus

Two hours northeast of Cincinnati lies the state’s capital of Columbus. Even if you’ve been to this city numerous times, you might be able to find something new to explore. Its many distinct districts feature boutique shops in the Short North Arts District, while the German Village offers authentic German fare. The Columbus Center of Science and Industry, which is one of the top science museums in the country, has hundreds of exhibits worth checking out. If you’re traveling with children, don’t forget to check out the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium as well as the LEGOLAND Discovery Center.

Dayton

Dayton, which is about an hour north of Cincinnati, is known as the “Birthplace of Aviation,” since it’s the city where Orville and Wilbur Wright first came up with the idea of creating a flying machine. The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, which is the world’s oldest and largest museum of military aviation, provides a free chance for you to see more than 360 missiles and aircraft. The city offers more than just aspects of aviation, so check out the Dayton Art Institute or the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery.

Gatlinburg

Considered a gateway town to the Great Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg is a place worth visiting. This Tennessee town, which is about a five-hour drive from Cincinnati, offers picturesque views of the national park from its downtown. Walking through this town, you’ll find an abundance of quaint shops where you can purchase a souvenir or two. Other attractions include the Ober Gatlinburg amusement park and the Gatlinburg Space Needle tourist attraction.

Louisville

Blending Midwestern and Southern charm, Louisville, Kentucky, is a stunning riverside city bustling with numerous attractions. It sits about two hours southwest of Cincinnati. Stop in at one of the area’s numerous distilleries along the Urban Bourbon Trail and try a few samples of bourbon. This city hosts the annual Kentucky Derby in May, but even if you can’t make the race, you can learn about it at the Kentucky Derby Museum. Another noteworthy attraction is the Louisville Slugger Museum where you can see how baseball bats are made. After the museum’s tour, you receive a tiny souvenir bat.

Ohio Caverns

As the largest cave system in the state, the Ohio Caverns sit in West Liberty about two hours north of Cincinnati. You’ll find thousands of colorful crystal formations, stalactites, and stalagmites. You can only access the caverns via guided tours, in which there are two separate tours in the summer and one in the winter. Each summer tour explores different parts of the caverns, but all tours provide fascinating information about the geography and history of the caves.

Red River Gorge

The Red River Gorge, which sits about 2.5 hours from Cincinnati in Kentucky, is a canyon system nestled within the Daniel Boone National Forest. It spreads about 29,000 acres and consists of natural bridges, sandstone cliffs, waterfalls, and rock shelters. This site is a National Natural Landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places. This world-famous Kentucky site is known as a popular rock climbing spot and has also earned the nickname “The Red” from visitors.

Shawnee National Forest

If you’re someone who enjoys spending time in nature, this breathtaking national forest is the perfect day trip. It’s found in Herod, IL which is about five hours from Cincinnati. The forest spans a massive 289,000 acres and sits between the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. When you explore the forest, you’re bound to see wildlife in their natural environment as well as numerous woodland rock formations and pristine lakes. More than a million people visit this forest annually so they can see all six natural ecological regions in one location.

Thanks to its centralized location, Cincinnati is the perfect spot to start a day trip, so gas up your certified pre-owned Toyota vehicle and hit the road. What do you think of this list from Performance Toyota of locations within a day’s drive from Cincinnati? Did we highlight all your favorite destinations, or are there any that we missed? If we forgot a few, please contact us so we can add them to our list.

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