The Best Free Things To Do with Kids in Fairfield, OH
Fairfield, OH offers residents and visitors the charm of a small town with the adventure and activities of a larger city. You’ll find it about 25 miles north of the Cincinnati area, and it sits right on the banks of the Great Miami River. There are many activities and attractions for the whole family in Fairfield, and you can find things to do both inside and outdoors. If you are on a budget and want to keep the kids entertained this spring and summer, you can even find a wide variety of things to do that are completely free. Take a look at the best free things to do with kids in Fairfield.
Spend the Day at A Park
Fairfield is home to some really great parks. You can find them with playground equipment, walking and hiking trails, athletic fields, and more. Some of the parks worth visiting include:
William Harbin Park
This large park covers 161 acres and has running trails, volleyball courts, basketball courts, disc golf, and playgrounds.
Waterworks Park
Waterworks Park is a small park with a nice bike path that takes you to Hamilton. It has ball fields, playground equipment, and picnic shelters. You can bring the kids for an afternoon to play on the volleyball courts, tennis courts, or use the baseball and softball diamonds.
Joyce Park
Head to Joyce Park to take advantage of all the athletic fields. This is a 313-acre park with archery, baseball, flag football, and cable water sports. It’s also a popular park for Ultimate Frisbee and soccer.
Village Green of Fairfield
Village Green of Fairfield is a community-owned and managed park that sits in downtown Fairfield. It’s home to an amphitheater where you can see concerts and local productions every summer.
Founder’s Park
Take the kids to Founder’s Park to walk along the shaded, brick-covered paths. It has a large gazebo where you can sit and relax.
Benninghofen Playground
When the temperatures go up, bring the kids to Benninghofen Playground & Sprayground. It has an indoor splash park where the kids can cool off. Outside, there are play structures, swings, slides, and more.
Lane Public Library
Bring the kids to Lane Public Library on Corydale Drive in Fairfield. This is a great library with something for everyone. You can stop by to browse the books and media and find something to take home or use their website to check out the calendar of events. The library offers online and in-person activities that everyone can participate in. There are activities for kids of all ages, including teenagers. You can choose from things such as story time for the little ones and teen writing contests.
This library also has a tech center with PCs and Macs, a VR headset, and 3D printers. The Lane Libraries Community Tech Center is in the former Journal News building on Court Street in Hamilton and a great resource for the kids.
Go Fishing
Since Fairfield sits right on the river, there are some terrific fishing spots. Some local parks also have fishing lakes where you can drop a line from the shore or get out on the water, whether you do it by boat, canoe, or kayak.
Marsh Park Fishing Lake
Marsh Park Fishing Lake has free fishing during the 2021 season. The Boat House stays open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m where you can launch your canoe or kayak during the boathouse’s open hours. Fishing is available even when the boathouse is closed. Thomas O. Mark Park Fishing Lake has over 4,000 feet of accessible shoreline. It’s stocked with carp, catfish, bass, bluegill, crappie, perch, trout, walleye, and bass. Stop by the bait house for live bait and all your basic tackle necessities.
Lake Butler
Lake Butler is another excellent fishing spot near Fairfield. An onsite bait and tackle shop has everything you need to make your big catch.
Wetlands Park
Wetlands Park features a pond that is a great fishing spot for the kids.
Take a Hike
While many of the parks offer some hiking trails, you can also find some more challenging hikes near Fairfield. Head to Bender Mountain Preserves in Cincinnati to explore the miles of hiking trails. Some will take you along the creek bed, and others are more challenging with up to a 45-degree incline. Once you get to the top of Bender Mountain, there are beautiful views overlooking the Ohio River Valley.
You can also hike the Harbin Park Orange Trail. This runs for just over 4 miles, and it’s a well-maintained trail with some hills and lots of wildlife. This trail is popular for hiking and for biking, so you might have to share the path with some bikers as they come through.
The Gilmore Ponds Preserve Metropark Loop is a nice, level path that runs for about 2.5 miles. The trail is well-marked, so it’s easy to navigate and wide enough for companion hiking. The kids can run and explore while you get some exercise and enjoy the time out in the fresh air.
The kids will have some fun hiking at Trammel Fossil Park in nearby Sharonville. Make sure to bring a bag to carry the fossils you find. The 10-acre park has lots of fossils that are easy to dig out from the earth. Since the plot of the park has never been disturbed, you are sure to find something. The dig spot sits at the top of a small hill, but it’s an easy walk-up. You can also sit and take in the views of the city. Signage around the park provides some information about the fossils you might find, and they also have information about how erosion created the rocks and fossils. This park is perfect for play and some education, too.
At Performance Honda, we love to take our kids to these places in and around Fairfield for some free fun. If you have some other places that you love to take your kids to, let us know. We can check them out and add them to our list.
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