Cool Museums in Fairfield, OH – History, Arts, & Sports

Located in easy driving distance from Cincinnati, Fairfield is close to lots of museums and educational centers. Whether you’re interested in art, sculpture, history or science, this region’s got something for you. Here are some of Fairfield’s top museum experiences for the whole family.

American Sign Museum

Image via Flickr by Mobilus In Mobili | Licensed by CC-BY-SA-2.0

Located a 30-minute drive from Fairfield in a historic sector of Cincinnati, the American Sign Museum is the largest museum of signs in the country. Full of painted, printed, and neon signs, the museum traces the development of the sign industry in the United States. Stroll through almost 20,000 square feet of commercial signs, reliving advertising trends over a century. On weekdays, the museum offers tours of Neonworks, an on-site neon sign shop. The American Sign Museum is open from Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Price of admission to the American Sign Museum is:

• Adults aged 19-64: $15.
• Children aged 13-18: $10.
• Seniors 65 and older: $10.
• Military members and first responders: $10.
• Children 12 and under: Three free child admissions per paying adult.

Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park and Museum

Located 10 minutes from downtown Fairfield, Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park and Museum is an outdoor sculpture museum with over 100 contemporary sculptures. The park features both permanent installations and temporary exhibits. You can drive or walk the 1.75-mile sculpture loop or rent a cart from park staff. There’s also the Ancient Sculpture Museum on the grounds, featuring Roman and Greek sculptures. The park is open every day from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., while the Ancient Sculpture Museum is open Monday to Sunday, from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Leashed pets are welcome in the park area.

Price of admission to Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park and Museum is:

• Adults 13 and over: $8.00.
• Children aged 6-12: $3.00.
• Children five and under: Free.

Heritage Village Museum

A 20-minute drive from Fairfield, Heritage Village Museum is located in Sharon Woods Park. It’s a historical village staffed by costumed re-enactors who can show your family what life was like in 19th-century Ohio. From October to April, the village is only open for self-guided, outdoor tours, but from May to September, you can go inside the buildings on guided tours. From October to April, the museum is open Wednesday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. From May to September, it’s open Wednesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays.

Price of admission to Heritage Village Museum is:

• Adults: $3 for self-guided tours, $7 for guided tours.
• Children aged 6-11: $1 for self-guided tours, $3 for guided tours.
• Children under five: Free.

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

Located a 30-minute drive from Fairfield in downtown Cincinnati, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is the nation’s first museum dedicated to the history of the Underground Railroad. Visitors can see permanent exhibits about the history of slavery and abolition in the United States, participate in interactive sessions about key figures in the Underground Railroad and watch immersive films about the flight for freedom. A standard ticket gets you access to all permanent exhibitions, but special events may have an additional fee. The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is open Wednesday through Sunday, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Price of admission to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is:

• Adults aged 13-59: $15.
• Seniors over age 60: $13.
• Children aged 3-12: $10.50.
• Children under three: Free.

Cincinnati Museum Center

A 30-minute drive from Fairfield, the Cincinnati Museum Center is an educational experience for everyone in the family. This restored train station, a National Historic Landmark, houses several museums, including the Children’s Museum, the Cincinnati History Museum and the Museum of Natural History and Science. You can explore these three museums for a single ticket price, or buy a combo ticket for the Omnimax Theater and the Nancy and David Wolf Holocaust and Humanity Center. The museum center is open Thursday through Monday, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but hours might vary for specialty shows and exhibits.

Price of admission to the Cincinnati Museum Center is:

• Adults aged 13-59: $16.50.
• Seniors over age 60: $12.50.
• Children aged 3-12: $12.50.
• Infants aged 1-2: $7.50.

Contemporary Arts Center

A 30-minute drive from Fairfield, the Contemporary Arts Center is a large contemporary art museum serving the Cincinnati Metropolitan Area. This museum hosts a range of exhibits throughout the year, from paintings and sculptures to installation pieces by contemporary artists from Ohio and beyond. Exhibits in this museum tackle important societal issues and explore the role of the artist in a changing world. The museum also hosts live performances. The Contemporary Arts Center is open Wednesday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Admission to the Contemporary Arts Center is free.

Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum

Baseball fans won’t want to miss the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum, located about 30 minutes from Fairfield. A 16,000-ft. facility with two floors of exhibits, this museum allows visitors to take self-guided tours of memorabilia and historical markers tracing the journey of Cincinnati’s hometown baseball team. From October to March, the museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with the museum closed on some Sundays for Bengals games. From April to September, the museum is open on non-game days from 10:00 to 5:00 p.m., with a varying schedule on game days.

Price of admission to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum is:

• Adults aged 19-59: $12.
• Seniors 60 or older: $8.
• Students aged 13-18 or college students with ID: $8.
• Active military or veterans: Free with valid ID.
• Children under 13: Free.

No matter what your family loves, the Fairfield area has educational experiences to engage and inspire them. If you think we’ve missed a must-see museum near Fairfield, get in touch with us at Performance Honda Fairfield! We’d love to hear about your experience and add your choice to our list.