Location: Mason
Top Things to do in Mason
10 Things to Do in Mason That You Shouldn't Miss
In the resort area of southwest Ohio, Mason features two major theme parks that attract families from all over the Midwest. Kings Island, the bigger of the two theme parks, has won "Best Kids Area in the World" for six consecutive years in a row from Amusement Today and remains a major attraction. Before they head to the U.S. Open, some of tennis' biggest stars show off their skills each summer in the Men's Masters and Women's Open.
Restaurants in Mason
1. Kings Island
Overall Ratings
4 based on 2 reviews
The largest theme and water park in the U.S. Midwest offers more than 40 thrill rides including riding a tornado on "Delirium" and taking a white-knuckle ride on a runaway train.
Reviewed By Pamcat36 - Jacksonville, Ohio
Great park with things to do for all ages. Have enjoyed this park for many years. Always exciting and a lot too do around the area.
2. Bella Balloons Hot Air Balloon Co
Overall Ratings
5 based on 85 reviews
Sunrise and sunset hot air balloon flights departing daily from the Great Wolf Lodge, 2501 Great Wolf Dr, Mason, OH 45040 and MANY other locations. Flights operate year-round, twice daily.
Reviewed By Heidi L - Fairfield, Ohio
Bella does a fantastic job of keeping you safe, educating you about the history of ballooning and most importantly making sure you have a GREAT time! My husband and I did an evening flight and we are already talking about going back for a sunrise flight one day. Mike (our pilot) was wonderful.
Please note, you will want to be a little flexible with your schedule. Since you are literally floating in the weather the wind and weather determine if it is safe to fly. But don't worry, they are very good about communicating what's happening to you.
3. Cincinnati Premium Outlets
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 194 reviews
Cincinnati Premium Outlets features an impressive collection of the finest brands for you, your family and your home. Include a shopping stop during your next trip to the area. You're sure to find impressive savings of 25% to 65% all year round. Cincinnati Premium Outlets is located 30 miles north of downtown Cincinnati and 30 miles south of Dayton, off 1-75 in Monroe, Ohio. Local Shop & Stay packages are available.
Reviewed By aorton - Indianapolis
Every time we visit Cincinnati we make a quick trip to Cincinnati Premium Outlets. The outlets are clean and have a great occupancy rate. There are many stores that my family like to shop at here, such as The North Face outlet, Nike, Gap, Banana Republic, Coach, and Fossil. While it is an outdoor mall it is designed with a covered walk area in most places to keep you somewhat out of the elements.
4. Liberty Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 29 reviews
Reviewed By echo8kilo
Very impressed with location on first visit. Laid out well with indoor location to get out of weather should you need to. Would like to see more signage as to where certain things are. Fair amount of shopping.. Great assortment of restaurants, will be back for those, certainly the Brazilian steak house.
5. Escapology
Overall Ratings
5 based on 67 reviews
Time Travel is a reality. The Time Displacement Institute (“TDI”) was created by the Federal Government to monitor and fix illegal changes to the existing timeline. You and your friends are visiting TDI for a tour of the facility when sirens and alarms are blaring in your ears. With no time to spare, you and your friends are enlisted to travel in time to complete a mission and escape. Please visit our website, then select Cincinnati to view our daily game availability times and to book your mission.
Reviewed By ron48309 - Mason, Ohio
There are 2-3 places in town offering escape rooms. They offered three scenarios, and we chose 'Extinction'. The setup was good as expected. However it was overly complicated for the average family. Perhaps 15-20% of families could complete it in the time allotted. It would have helped to know this when making the booking.
6. Loveland Castle
Overall Ratings
4 based on 253 reviews
Reviewed By rxjohn23 - Zanesville, Ohio
The Loveland Castle, is just that, a small castle nestled on the shores of the Little Miami river. The castle and it’s grounds are very casual, everything is self guided. It only takes 15-20 minutes to tour the property, but don’t miss the video on the second floor detailing the reason for the castle and the building process. We had our small dog with us and the caretaker on duty allowed us to take her inside, as long as we promised to clean up any mess she may make. Our 6 year old niece was with us and kept saying how “ cool” the castle was. Kids are free, its $5 a head for adults. There is no plumbing in the castle so be aware bathrooms are portalets outside and there is no food or drink available. The castle is worth a look.
7. Jump & Jack's
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 45 reviews
Reviewed By mooretd - Cincinnati, Ohio
My daughter booked a birthday party here for her kids and to be honest...I wasn't thrilled about going! Wow! Someone understands kids and organization. First of all, we were extremely lucky to have John as one of our assigned helpers. Personality plus! He also was mature beyond his years...rare (sad to say) to see in a teen these days. He was engaging, funny, attentive and most of all, very appropriate the entire time. The facility is set up nicely as it has separate areas, not just one huge area of chaos! Grandmas like this! The kids loved their party, everyone was happy, and the activities were perfect and appealing. I did not have any of the pizza provided but others said it was good. The fact that they allow you to bring your own fruits and veggies in is quite commendable as many places simply do not allow you to do such. I highly recommend this for birthday parties...especially winter ones!
8. Miami Valley Gaming
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 4 reviews
Get Ready to Get Lucky at Miami Valley Gaming! With over 1800 gaming machines, 4 restaurants, harness racing and live entertainment, there's something fun for everyone! Conveniently located just off I-75 at exit 29 between Cincinnati and Dayton with lots of free parking.
Reviewed By Katie s
I never really expect to leave with winnings, but I do expect to win enough so that I am entertained for a few hours. Impossible in the dollar and five dollar, and even the penny slots seemed tight. Several times the machines took a larger bet than what I placed. Initially, I thought I was messing up, but we started paying close attention and we're certain. No recourse if course when you complain. One wonders how they will stay solvent after so many years as people catch on. We have choices if other casinos.
9. Western Southern Open
Overall Ratings
5 based on 92 reviews
Reviewed By fairfield744 - Cincinnati, Ohio
This is our third time attending the W&S tournament. In 2017 (this year) we attended the opening Sunday morning session from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. We had box seats ($100/each) on center court which were lovely, however we spent a lot of time out of our seats walking around the other fifteen courts watching practices or visiting one of the other three stadiums, taking a seat and watching a set or two of the qualifying matches. We saw many of the star players practicing on the outlying courts and we saw several stars at the entrance to the players' center (where fans could wait to get autographs).
Our box seat tickets came with access to the Racquet Club, which is a covered patio attached to Center Court with comfortable seating, bars, TVs to watch the matches or other sports, and a buffet. As I recall the lunch there was about $17 although we did not eat in the Club. (The Racquet Club shelter access was especially important last year when there was so much rain during the matches.) We also had preferred parking very close to the Lindner Center for an extra charge which I appreciated--and I believe after the torrential rains that occurred last year during the tournament management upgraded a lot of the parking and improved parking logistics.
The crowds were not very big during our visit so we enjoyed strolling around the grounds, visiting the food court, stopping for a wine cooler, listening to a band, and doing a little shopping. I think our day was a special promotion for high school students as I saw a lot of young people with polo shirts with their tennis team logos. There was also a hospitality tent for prospective Miami University students. Our day was also a feature day for Dayton fans. So I believe there are many special promotions for tickets if you check around for better pricing. There are also a number of corporate hospitality tents which are lovely air conditioned venues that we have visited in past years. And if you need tennis equipment and supplies, stop at the big 'Midwest Sports' tent on the grounds. (And they have a big outlet store not very far from the Lindner Center just off 275 at 11613 Reading Rd, in Sharonville too).
The Western & Southern tournament is a fun way to see some great tennis. It would be a wonderful treat for any avid tennis player. It's much more laid back than the US Open or Wimbledon which I have attended a few times as well, but it is a great experience. If you are thinking of attending with young people, taking in the tennis on one of these early days would be ideal. And there is also Kings Island amusement park, the Reds, and FC Cincinnati Soccer if you want to put together several days of fun for the family. We will probably go back later this week for some of the finals and I will let you know how that goes.
10. Cobb Liberty Luxury 15 & Cinebistro
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 41 reviews
Reviewed By James C - Monroe, Ohio
Took my kids to see the Lego Batman movie. Everyone working was friendly and the theater was as clean as when it first opened. It was a great time.
