Spend a Day in Hamilton Ohio

I’m not sure how I went thirty-some years without visiting the city of Hamilton.  Hamilton is a bit of a drive from our house, and until earlier this year I had no idea what this city had to offer.  I’m sure glad we have finally spent some time exploring that area!   It all started with a Date Night Cincinnati outing in February.  Michael and I had the good fortune to get to visit J. Austin’s Riverbank Cafe for a special lunch date for a Date Night Cincinnati review.  While we were driving to the restaurant I fell in love with the city.  I loved the small town, vintage feel the town has.  As we ate lunch we decided that we simply must go back to Hamilton, Ohio with our children in tow for a day of family fun.

On Spring Break this year we didn’t have any plans to go out of town because I was taking a graduate class and had too much work to do.  So our big outing for Spring Break with the kids was a day spent in Hamilton, Ohio.  Our family had such a fun day, and I’m sure this won’t be our last trip to Hamilton for fun and entertainment.  Here’s a list of the fun things we did while we were in Hamilton, I hope this post helps you plan your own outing there!

A Day Spent in Hamilton Ohio ::

J. Austin’s Riverbank Cafe ~ We started our visit to Hamilton with another lunch at J. Austin’s Riverbank Cafe, and the food was just as amazing as we remembered it from our first visit.  We introduced our kids to Poutine for the first time, and they loved it.  I only wish that J. Austin’s was closer to my house…I would eat there constantly!  We will go back again though, it is definitely worth the drive to Hamilton to dine there.

J. Austin’s is located at  102 Main Street in Hamilton.  You can find more information out about them and view their menu on the J. Austin website.

Cheri’s Preferred Puppies ~ When you dine at J. Austin’s Riverbank Cafe you can look out the window and see puppies frolicking in a store front window across the street.  The kids were fascinated, so after lunch we walked over to Cheri’s Preferred Puppies to  check it out.  At this shop you can reach into the pens and pet the adorable pups while they play.  It was so cool!  You can also hang out with the other inhabitants of the store. It’s such a cool place to visit!  Who couldn’t use a little puppy love?  If you can’t make it to Cheri’s there’s a live webcam on their website so you can watch the puppies play from the comfort of your home.  It will definitely brighten your day.

Geocaching ~ One of our favorite FREE things to do as a family is to search for hidden geocaches.  It’s a little bit like a treasure hunt!  After our lunch and puppy visit we took a walk around Hamilton looking for hidden caches using the Geocaching App.   Not familiar with Geocaching?  Google it!  It’s really fun!  While we walked around hunting for geocaches we also enjoyed looking at some of the beautiful architecture of the older homes of Hamilton.  There are some historic gems all within walking distance of Main Street.

True West Coffee ~ Lucky for this Mama (who was losing energy after the big lunch and long walk) our Geocaching led us to a charming coffee shop, True West Coffee.   While the kids searched for a geocache outside I snuck in to get an iced coffee, it was scrumptious.  And I loved the unique decor inside the coffee shop.  It looks like a perfect place to meet up with friends or to work away from home on the laptop, or to just sit and read a book because it was such a peaceful and welcoming space.   I hope I make it back there again on another visit to Hamilton!

True West Coffee is located at 313 Main Street in Hamilton.  Visit their Facebook page to learn more about them.

Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park and Museum ~ After walking around Hamilton we headed to the Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum.  It was a beautiful day to see some amazing art work!  Read  this post for more details about our trip to the Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park.

Have you been to Hamilton, Ohio or do you live near this city?  What should we do next time we visit?