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.
29 comments
Christina says:
Jul 3, 2015
Holiday auto theater 🙂
Dottie says:
Jul 3, 2015
The Soldiers and Sailors Monument and Museum is cool. It has a lot of new history and info on Veterans from Hamilton
Kay Bishop says:
Jul 3, 2015
Stop in at the welcome center across from Soldiers and sailors monument, pick up a brochure of all the statues and art around town, then go out and find them all,might even take a couple visits. Did this with my granddaughters we all had a great time.
Renee Smallwood says:
Jul 3, 2015
Bike riding along the Great Miami River…stay over at the Mariott that looks out and has fabulous rooms. The after 5 event has the city “Alive After Five” the last Thursday of the month; with outside vendors and the uptown is hopping (all shops open). Saturdays “Farmer’s Market” and a new City Flea is in the works. The new lunch and breakfast place is High St. Cafe or Neal’s Barbecue. Take in a free concert at River’s Edge (park outside the Mariott)..next one is Saturday evening with free fireworks! Happy 4th of July!
Cathy Blevins says:
Jul 3, 2015
Just a small correction: Alive After Five is the FIRST Thursday of every month. Last night, July 2nd was the second time for Alive After Five and it was an AWESOME turnout. Have breakfast or lunch at the newest Downtown eatery: High Street Cafe and then shop at Art Off Symmes!
missy trees says:
Jul 3, 2015
Try the bike trail, it leads to Joyce park on the border between Hamilton and Fairfield. There is a skate park and rc track also a bunch of new things like a wind surfing ride and plenty of play areas. Also food, try Jollys on route 4 and our home town ice cream shop Flubs on Eaton ave. Butler county fair is also held this month (July) between the 21st to the 26th I wanna say. Rides food and a derby!!!
Marianne says:
Jul 3, 2015
Come back to town to attend a concert at RiversEdge amphitheater this summer. It’s family friendly! You need to take a walk around the downtown area. Visit the Lane Hooven Butler County Museum and check out the Lane Library also.
Jeff Boyle says:
Jul 3, 2015
You should check out one of their free summer concerts at RiversEdge Amplitheater.
The Little Things Mama says:
Jul 3, 2015
Wow! These are some great ideas for more fun in Hamilton! Thanks for the suggestions…looks like I need to make plans to write a post called “Spend a Day in Hamilton Part Two”!
Kelly hornsby says:
Jul 3, 2015
Definitely check out the butler county historical society, you can take a tour of the 1860s home of early Hamilton prominent figures! Very cool tour it is located over on second street I believe. I ended up spending about two hours there my last tour and I live in town!
jamie says:
Jul 3, 2015
Eat at Richards and get ice cream at flubs. We also have super fun and free splash parks!
Jessica Conrad says:
Jul 4, 2015
Richards and Flubs are DEFINITELY a Hamilton staple!
Sherry says:
Dec 26, 2015
We just moved from Hamilton 4 yrs ago to Fl. the biggest thing I miss the most is Richard’s! I just called to order 6 Hoagie sandwiches but when they told me it was $90.00 now I said forget it!! Thankfully my daughter has that kind of money she can afford to send me 6 sandwiches on the 5th!! Guess I’ll have to spread them out over the next yr!!
Robbin Dillingham says:
Jul 3, 2015
The German Village historical district is a nice walk around town and stop and see the historical Society Museum across from the main public library on second street. The German Village historical district is a nice walk around town and stop and see the historical Society Museum across from the main public library on second street. Take time to eat at Gina’s Italian restaurant to kick off of the old Isgro’s that used to be a pretty big deal in Hamilton sometime ago. So so many hidden treasures and so many of those hidden treasures are gone now .
Chris Fields says:
Jul 3, 2015
The FItton Center for Creative Arts…
Carol says:
Jul 3, 2015
Go to the Welcome Center by the Soldier and Sailors Monument. Get a walking tour book of sculptures or neighborhoods.
Rosemary Amend says:
Jul 3, 2015
St. Ann Catholic Church on Clinton Ave. in Hamilton’s Lindenwald neighborhood has gorgeous blue-tinted stained glass windows.(Call to find out when you can come in and see them). St. Julie Billiart’s has gorgeous windows and interior details, and a beautiful Mary garden. Downtown try High Street Cafe for breakfast or lunch. Don’t forget the Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings from 7-12, and the Fitton Center Museum!
Angie says:
Jul 3, 2015
It’s on the outskirts of the city, but you should take the kids to play at Hanover Park and take a separate date night to go to Hanover Winery, which is just down the street from the park :). Both of these are less than 8 min outside of the city!
Misa says:
Jul 3, 2015
True West Coffee shared your post on their facebook page, I’m glad I saw it. I have never heard of Geocache, I will have to check it out. Sounds like fun! There are so many cute little shops here in Hamilton near the downtown area: Front Room on 7th, Hearts of Hope, Sara’s House, Art Off Symmes, and a lot more. And the houses on Dayton St are so old and beautiful, it’s nice driving down Dayton Lane and looking at them. I live in German Village here in Hamilton, I write a blog as well documenting the changes I make to my house which was built in 1919 if you want to take a peek inside an old Hamilton home. 🙂 http://www.diaryofadiymom.blogspot.com
Jess says:
Jul 4, 2015
Love that you loved our little city! There is a lot going on here and we have nowhere to go but up! This city is beautiful!
Carol says:
Jul 4, 2015
Go to Hyde’s Family restaurant on Erie Blvd, been there since 1946, nothing
fancy, just good home cooking, daily specials and the best Onion Rings ever!
Lisa says:
Jul 4, 2015
The author Robert McCloskey grew up in Hamilton. His illustrations are from many of the buildings around town. There is a small museum with many of his items donated by family. The museum is across from the Soldier’s Monument. I think the Riverbank Cafe is closed now. I don’t know if anyone bought it. There were 2 movies that just finished filming here this Spring. Both star James Franco.
Tina says:
Jul 4, 2015
Visit the farmers market on Saturday mornings, now through the fall at the Courthouse. There are small stores downtown as well.
Jesy says:
Jul 6, 2015
My family and I drive through downtown Hamilton on a regular basis as we head out to Brookville, IN (about 30 minutes away) to enjoy camping and boating. This is literally most weekends between May and October! We love all the places you mention but want to add to the story a bit more – The Fitton Center is fantastic, outdoor movie theatre is a time-warp of awesome and finally I have to boast about The Butler County Challenger Baseball program that plays the majority of their games at Crawford Woods. Challenger Baseball is geared towards 5-24 year olds who have special needs and it is rewarding and straight up amazing to watch them play! http://www.bcchallenger.org
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Nancy says:
Jul 10, 2016
They have the Butler County Donut Trail now. Visit 8 donut shops, using the passport & take the stamped passport to the Butler County Visitor Center for a free Tshirt!
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Anna says:
Apr 14, 2017
We had a great time at the pyramid hill sculpture museum! And there’s almost always a Groupon for it.