Week III:Off Season Thrills

[BB1]

(Well, I thought I posted this last week but my phone clearly did not want to I guess?)

With the Off Season winter blues are here, it is hard not to think of riding The Beast or going on The Bat for the famous Fall rides that I personally love. BUT there are still thrills to be had in Cincy. So this week's question is: What are your off season thrills? Any hidden gems you want to share?

[silver2005]

Well, if it weren't blatantly obvious from my avatar and some of my posts, it would be college basketball, particularly attending games in person. While I mainly go to Cincinnati games, I also tend to check out Xavier and other area teams who are doing well. Conference play, especially against the better teams, are quite fun. Looking forward to going to see the Bearcats play UConn, Memphis and Xavier at home later this year.

[LoraX]

I need answers to this one. I am here now. Princess Sparkles will officially be here December 20. We need suggestions on places to go.

[BeastForever]

Other than following the NFL and playing indoor tennis there's really not much else I do during the off-season...

[Thrill_Biscuit]

I love cruising through neighborhoods to look at amazing holiday lights, especially after it snows.

[electricsun]

Four things make me come to the Cincy area on a regular basis: work, Kings Island, Ikea and the Gap Clearance Store.

So with that, the thing I'm making a point to attend is the Mummies of the World exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center. I saw it in Charlotte in 2012 and will absolutely pay to see it again. It's a well done exhibition and I'm hoping to take my oldest nephew. http://www.cincymuseum.org/exhibits/mummies-of-the-world

LoraX - Your daughter and you may be interested in the Gap Clearance Store. You really have to check to make sure that there are no rips/tears (that you aren't willing to fix) but it is totally worth it. With dress pants for $6.99 and jeans for $9.99 - it's a great deal. They can be hit or miss so I recommend visiting every few months or so. http://www.yelp.com/biz/gap-clearance-store-hebron

[MDMC01]

As for thrills during the Off-Season, I do like to skateboard when its warm out (like in March or April). I'm no Tony Hawk, but I do like to cruise around my neighborhood. As for other things to do during the off-season (or really any time), exploring new places or trying new restaurants can be fun. Last off-season, during my Spring Break, I took a half-day to go visit some sites in my hometown such as a park and a mall which was pretty fun.

[coasterfanatic83]

Lots of basketball. Watching, playing, everything. And football until it is over.

I have never been much of an outdoor winter sport guy. My dad told me, when I was growing up in Maine, that snowboarding/skiing wasn't allowed because you would get hurt. That is the policy he gave to his players when he coached basketball, so I just kind of followed along, and I never got into it when I grew up.

Oh, and I watch coaster POVs all the time.

[malem]

You could always try to find one of these (old) machines in a shopping mall:

I last saw one in Indiana around 2012. I have no idea if any are still operating.

[The Interpreter]

I once rode The Beast in one of those...in Seattle.

[jcgoble3]

You could always try to find one of these (old) machines in a shopping mall: (video removed to save bandwidth)

I last saw one in Indiana around 2012. I have no idea if any are still operating.

As of last December, Great Wolf Lodge had one of those in its arcade, with the same two coasters. Unfortunately, I couldn't get it to work right.

[BB1]

That would be one of the awkward moments to ride that in GWL's Arcade.....

[coasterfanatic83]

If there are people on here looking for entertainment stuff around the Cincinnati/Dayton area, Scene 75 in Dayton is great for indoor fun. Laser tag, mini golf, bowling, arcade, go karts, bumper cars, etc... It is a tad pricey, but it is a high quality product!

http://www.scene75.com

[freaks76]

South central Ohio has absolutey nothing going on in the winter months, as matter of fact it don't have much going for it in warm weather, either. If It was up to me I'd hibernate till March

[The Interpreter]

Really?

You don't appreciate what you have until you leave it.

[freaks76]

Have you ever been to Scioto County? Don't get me wrong, this place will always be home. There is just not a whole lot going on here.

[Magenta Lizard]

If I had a little more cash flow at the moment, I'd probably be visiting the Miami Valley Gaming casino. I was able to turn my free play for joining their player's club when they opened into about $20 cash, so that was nice. I haven't been back yet, though.

I think you have to be 21 for that tho.

[electricsun]

I must just be easily amused. I may not love certain cities but I can almost always find something redeeming about it. I think that traveling as much as I have to areas that most people have no reason to visit may play a big part in my perspective.

Ohio is home to numerous museums - science, art, history, aviation, space, strange local museums. We have strong state and metro park systems. There are six zoos. It seems as though there is fair or festival for almost everything from April through December. Did you know there is a Duct Tape Festival?! And if you give me a city, I can normally give you something quirky to check out within an hour of it. But again, I'm easily amused so it doesn't take too much to entertain me.

24 reasons you should stop underestimating Ohio: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/04/visit-ohio_n_4866946.html

Virtual Tourist has "Off the Beaten Path" tips about many cities. Even though it hasn't updated in a few years, it may still be a good resource. Cincinnati: http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/United_States_of_America/Ohio/Cincinnati-844987/Off_the_Beaten_Path-Cincinnati-TG-C-1.html

For the last few years, I've tried to do things that force me to leave work at a reasonable time and to leave the house on the weekend. I've resorted to taking different classes such as cake decorating, sewing, painting, ice skating, and even a day long survival class. While may not be an expert or even excel in the classes, it forces me out of my comfort zone and I get to try new things. And of course, there are lots of visits to different museums and the Columbus Zoo.

Edited to add...check out your local metro parks. The Columbus Metro Parks have a nice selection of programs that are free. I've been to several and they were fun.

[The Interpreter]

Have you ever been to Scioto County? Don't get me wrong, this place will always be home. There is just not a whole lot going on here.

Scioto County? Shawnee State Park, Jim Dandy, all the Portsmouth excitements, and, back in the day, El Sombrero. How I did love that place.

Yeah, I've been there. I've even slept in a tent under the N&W Railroad bridge that crosses into Kentucky (near the pipeline bridge) and swam across the Ohio River there. Of course, I was much younger then.

[electricsun]

Shawnee State Park is great. My only visit was at springtime for a conference and it was lovely. We went on a flower walk with a quite passionate naturalist that had us walking up and down the side of trails to see rare flowers.

The Floodwall Mural is worth a stop. I wish I had spent more time looking at all the details. My coworkers enjoyed the Portsmouth Brewing Company.

[The Interpreter]

Then there's the Scioto Ribber, the drag race site by the bridges...

[freaks76]

Have you ever been to Scioto County? Don't get me wrong, this place will always be home. There is just not a whole lot going on here.

Scioto County? Shawnee State Park, Jim Dandy, all the Portsmouth excitements, and, back in the day, El Sombrero. How I did love that place.

Yeah, I've been there. I've even slept in a tent under the N&W Railroad bridge that crosses into Kentucky (near the pipeline bridge) and swam across the Ohio River there. Of course, I was much younger then.

Shawnee State Park is great. My only visit was at springtime for a conference and it was lovely. We went on a flower walk with a quite passionate naturalist that had us walking up and down the side of trails to see rare flowers.

The Floodwall Mural is worth a stop. I wish I had spent more time looking at all the details. My coworkers enjoyed the Portsmouth Brewing Company.

Boy, i sure did enjoy El Sombrero when i was a kid. I still think about that place. Jim dandy was a tire shop for a while. I think some of the original owners relatives bought it, they changed it back. Busy little place. One of the lakes was drained out at SSP, and several of the walking paths were grown over (although the main paths were still in good shape). The murals are pretty cool, i've took my kids down there a few times. that ties in with my last post here. Our past is pretty celebrated, but there isn't a whole lot of looking into our future here. Just like the Sombrero, most everything we had, is now gone.

On a related note........The Portsmouth Brewing Co. has the absolute best chicken wings you will eat anywhere. If you get back into this neck of the wood, and you haven't had them, I would HIGHLY recommend them.

[NoChickens]

Nov. 28th-Jan. 11th, the Circle of Lights in downtown Indy.

Nov. 28th- Jan. 4th, Christmas at the Zoo, also downtown.

Dec. 21st - ??? Veals Ice Tree, Acton Indiana. It lasted until May 6th last year, though not much to see at that point, lol. Best viewing is usually mid January- late February IMO.

I really don't go out much in the winter, cold is not my thing. Special events make me brave the cold, but for the most part, my winter thrills are spent beside the warm glow of my monitor, and TV. This is the time of year I wonder why I live in Indiana, then May comes, and I remember

[Mrs. No Chickens]

My winter activity will be painting, and wall papering the inside of our house. I've got 1 room almost finished. I'm hoping for the tub to be installed before the new year. Hint, hint, lol. Other than that, I'll be sitting with NoChickens, beside the warm glow of my monitor and TV too.

[TheCryptCrusader]

Other than counting down the days, I'd have to say my off-season thrills would mostly consist of strumming away at my guitar and doing some drawing every once and a while. I do enjoy me a relaxing trip to the Cincinnati Art Museum here and there, though.