Home of Jerry Springer, Neil Armstrong and Ted Turner, most of Cincinnati's claims to fame do not involve sports and the outdoors. Still, there is plenty to do to keep you active while visiting. As luck will have it, some of the best recreational activities in the area take place alongside the county parks' campgrounds.
Things to Do
When weather permits, urban and trail biking is a popular activity in greater Cincinnati. Starting in 2009, the city began implementing a new bike plan, striving to create more bike lanes and bike trails in the city. As a result, you can look forward to more shared bike lanes and bike-friendly streets. Cyclists in Cincinnati can also look forward to biking the Little Miami Scenic Trail, the longest paved trail in the United States as of 2008. The city is also planning two more paved trails, providing close to 30 more miles of urban bike trails.
Besides cycling, you can also take advantage of 36 parks, with 13 hiking trails in the city of Cincinnati. Greater Hamilton County also has 21 forests, parks, and recreation areas, with more than 16,000 acres. The county parks offer opportunities for golfing, bicycling, hiking, lawn bowling, padding and boating, among many other activities.
Forest Camping
For camping that provides you access to recreation and nature, three Hamilton County parks provide what you need. Hamilton County's Miami Whitewater Forest Campground and Winton Woods Campground both offer camping cabins for rent, complete with kitchens, bathrooms, and all the amenities you need in a home away from home. Those two campgrounds, as well as Steamboat Bend Campground, provide electrical hookups for RV's, as well as showers, bathrooms, and dump stations. Steamboat Bend, near the RIverbend Music Center, is open to RV campers only. Staying at any of these campgrounds gives you access to boating, fishing, hiking, cycling, and many more outdoor activities, like the Halloween Campout weekends at Winton Woods each October.
RV Parks
RV park camping in the Cincinnati area is a bit slim, with only a few campgrounds that cater specifically to RVs. Unlike RV parks in many other parts of the country, the RV parks here do not provide recreation activities like shuffleboard or swimming pools. Instead, expect to find paved parks with electrical hookups and shower and bathroom facilities, but little else. For RV parks, try the Hidden Valley RV - Mobile Home and Storage Facility or the Woodland RV Mobile Home park. One more RV park, Paradise Gardens, does offer a more comprehensive RV park experience, with recreation and swimming pool, but the park is a nudist facility.
Where to Eat
When you're looking for some fresh food, Cincinnati is home to a handful of farmer's markets, including the Hyde Park market, Wyoming Avenue market, Delhi market and the Montgomery market. At least one market is open every day of the week in different parts of the city, so you'll be sure to get some local fare before you head out to your campsite. On top of that, a host of natural foods stores will provide you with the sundries you'll need, including Cincinnati Natural Foods, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Markets.
Weather
With average highs around 30 degrees F during the winter months, the campgrounds owned by Hamilton County Parks close down from November to the beginning of April. The private RV parks in Cincinnati cater to year-round residents, so if you're looking for a place to stay during the winter months, you'll have to go there. Because of the weather, many of the recreational activities in winter involve ice and snow--ice fishing and ice skating are popular activities that you can do in the Cincinnati area. In summer and spring, the weather is quite pleasant, with average highs around 80 degrees F.
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