The city of Mason in Warren County, Ohio, is home to many recreational activities and destinations everyone can explore and enjoy.
Warren County is known as “Ohio’s Largest Playground,” and Mason, Warren County’s largest city, is Southwest Ohio’s resort area.
Mason’s history began in 1803 when a war veteran named William Mason purchased 640 acres of property in today’s downtown area.
Mason remained a small farmland town for more than a century before its incorporation as a city in 1971.
Mason has kept its small-town character while providing excellent leadership, a thriving business community, and diverse activities, creating a progressive and attractive city.
Check this list of the best things to do in Mason and see why this incredible gem is truly more than you imagine.
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Kings Island is one of the premier destinations in the Midwest for individuals, families, and groups seeking the best in entertainment, rides, food, and so much more.
This amusement park spans 364 acres.
Kings Island has grown to over 100 rides and attractions since its opening in 1972, providing the ideal combination of world-class fun and enjoyment for guests of all ages.
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Experience thrill rides like the famous Banshee, Delirium, Invertigo, and Orion, one of seven Giga roller coasters!
There are tons of family rides to choose from, including Planet Snoopy featuring Peanuts-themed attractions and character meet-and-greets.
Amusement Today has named the ride the “Best Kids’ Area in the World” for more than 15 years.
One day won’t be enough to cover everything, but for sure, a day at Kings Island is one of the best days you could ever have!
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Learn the art of pottery at the Mad Potter, a pottery studio and store located on Tri-Way Drive.
They allow you to choose your pottery of choice, but they will also help you with the design and colors to match your home decor or as a special gift for someone.
Pottery pieces range from bowls, mugs, platters, vases, etc.
Once done with your design, pick it up a week later after they glaze and fire the shaped clay to deliver the finished product.
Mad Potter also sets a creative and entertaining atmosphere for events like birthdays and bridal showers.
The Mason Community Center has an important goal in mind, improving the physical and emotional well-being of the community.
The Mason Community Center, located on Mason Montgomery Road, spans over 150,000 square feet and provides up-to-date recreational facilities and programs at an affordable price.
The facility is one of the state’s largest, including three substantial indoor fitness studios, an aquatic center featuring an indoor competition pool, and several other pools for therapy and leisure.
Other features include a 35-feet rock climbing wall, a six-court field house that can accommodate a variety of sports, and much more.
They offer programs to suit everyone’s needs, such as fitness classes, water aerobics and swim lessons, day camps for children, activities for senior citizens, health screenings, and enrichment initiatives.
The Mason Community Center is open daily for everyone to enjoy their leisure and recreation time in a safe, pleasant, and fun environment.
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Mason has over 300 acres of developed parklands, with each park providing family-oriented activities for all age groups.
One of these parks is Pine Hill Lakes Park, located on Kings Mills Road.
Pine Hill Lakes Park features two stocked fishing lakes, two miles of walking nature trails, a playground, and lots of trees and green spaces, making it a nice place to relax and unwind.
The park has quite a history.
People found an old pool beneath the dam, serving as a private recreational area from the 1950s through the 1970s.
The historic grounds of the Grizzly, dubbed as Mason’s finest golf course, await you for a round of golf.
The Grizzly is an 18-hole, par-71 course with distances ranging from 5,572 yards to 6,474 yards.
Located on Fairway Drive, the Grizzly has operated since 1972.
Golf legend Jack Nicklaus designed the course with golf course designer Desmond Muirhead.
The course’s name took inspiration from Nicklaus’ legacy, nicknamed “The Golden Bear.”
Since Nicklaus’ triumph in the Ohio Kings Island Open in 1973, the Grizzly has hosted more professional events than any other course.
For the past 30 years, this course has hosted the PGA, LPGA, and the Senior PGA Tour.
The Grizzly offers a fine social experience with their bar and grill, offering a tasty meal or a round of drinks.
The Lodge is a significant event space ideal for banquets, parties, and other special celebrations.
Sundin Fields at Heritage Oak Park is Mason’s largest park, dedicated in 1976 to celebrate the country’s bicentennial.
The park serves many families and local sports teams with its sports amenities such as tennis, soccer, softball, and basketball courts, where you can play or watch games.
Other park amenities include a children’s playground, picnic shelters, charcoal grills, drinking fountains, paved paths, restrooms, and handicap-accessible areas.
The most exciting feature of the park is its lightning prediction system that alerts visitors to the possibility of lightning before it strikes.
An auditory alert will warn people nearby that lightning is coming, giving them time to seek shelter before the storm hits.
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When it comes to vacations, the Great Wolf Lodge is the total package.
The Great Wolf Lodge, a lodge and a resort in one, is North America’s most prominent indoor water park family, with over 19 lodges and corporate offices in Mason and Chicago.
The Mason location on Great Wolf Drive sits close to the larger Cincinnati area, allowing you to conveniently explore the Queen City and its surrounding areas.
The Great Wolf Lodge offers relaxing guest rooms and luxurious suites, various delectable dining options, an exhilarating water park open for 365 days a year, and dry-land attractions like mini-golf, bowling, and arcade games.
You can also try activities like yoga, arts and crafts, and bedtime stories that send kids off to dreamland.
Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or need a break, the Great Wolf Lodge offers exceptional service and great memories that will last a lifetime.
Makino Park is the new addition to Mason’s recreational parks offering a unique design and distinct features.
This 35-acre park on Kopfler Court built a playground to encourage interaction and build self-esteem, confidence, motor skills, and interpersonal relationships for multi-generational users of all abilities.
A group of local parents of children with special needs designed the all-inclusive Common Ground Playground.
Builders constructed the playground in the shape of a butterfly.
It features specially designed equipment that promotes social interaction and sensory experiences while encouraging physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development.
The playground has a fully accessible play structure for wheelchairs and mobility equipment, a platform swing, an accessible zip line, a quiet area, etc.
The Common Ground Playground is fully fenced, allowing parents to spend their time at the park without worrying about their children wandering off.
Bring your family or friends to Mason Bowl for an enjoyable time bowling.
Mason Bowl, a local family-owned business, is on Reading Road and has been around for more than 60 years.
The facility regularly updates its equipment to provide guests with a pleasant, modern bowling experience.
Mason Bowl has summer and winter leagues for people of all ages and summer fundraiser programs.
Grab a delicious meal and ice-cold beer at the bar and grill to round up the evening.
Courts4Sports is Cincinnati’s premier futsal, volleyball, and youth basketball facility, offering year-round programs for every age and skill level.
Courts4Sports is a 53,000-square foot indoor sports complex on Reading Road.
The court is one of the finest, with two NCAA and four hardwood basketball courts and six full-size volleyball courts.
It also features the latest scoreboards and shot clocks, courtside seating, TV monitors throughout the facility showing sports events, apparel, sports equipment, and an arcade area.
Courts4Sports offers tournaments, leagues, and day camps for children.
Courts4Sports is home to the Cincinnati Volleyball Academy Junior Olympic Club and the Wolves Elite AAU Club, which conducts training and plays games.
Gym rentals are open based on availability.
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Mason is the home of the annual Western and Southern Open, the oldest tennis tournament in the county still held in its origin city, and the second biggest summer tennis tournament after the US Open.
This outdoor hardcourt tennis tournament happens annually at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on Courseview Drive.
Starting in 1899, the Western and Southern Open has become a mainstay in the Queen City for over a century.
Almost 200,000 fans from all 50 states and more than 35 countries attend the tournament, broadcast to more than 50 million people in over 160 countries.
The venue offers a friendly environment between players and fans due to its smaller size than the US Open, allowing fans to see the players up close.
If you’re lucky, you might get an autograph from one of the athletes!
Alverta Green Museum is Mason’s best-kept-secret located right in the center of the historic district on West Church Street.
This 1890s Victorian-styled home will transport you back in time, thanks to the historical artifacts contributed by the residents of Mason.
Four-term city mayor William C. VanFossen built the house after longtime resident and antique dealer Alverta Bedacht Green.
They deeded the house to the Mason Historical Society in 1987, months before her death.
The Alverta Green Museum became the home of the Mason Historical Society a year later.
Society has made an effort to share Mason’s humble beginnings and maintain and protect more than 200 years of the city’s heritage and history.
There are 25 historical markers placed around the city of Mason.
Printed guides are available at the Mason Public Library and the Alverta Green Museum, where the tour begins.
They also have an interactive app for the Mason Historical Tour, which helps you navigate the historical landmarks, know what each landmark stands for, and learn the history of each milestone.
Historical sites included in the tour are the oldest building in Mason, the town hall, mill and train depot sites, several churches, and more.
Schappacher Park is a ten-acre park situated on Old Irwin Simpson Road, Mason, although under Deerfield Township.
Surrounded by large oak trees and lots of open and green spaces, this park is an excellent venue for a fun play date for your kids and furry babies.
It contains a well-maintained play area for dogs, divided into two for large and small breeds.
The park has picnic shelters, benches, restrooms, and playgrounds, both old and new.
Everybody loves pizza, but an ongoing debate about the best pizza continues.
Is New York thin-crust pizza better than Chicago deep-dish pizza? Or is it the other way around?
Two Cities Pizza, located on West Main Street, offers the best of both worlds!
Best friends Sean Spurlock and Zach Greves founded the company in 2015, causing a tremendous buzz during the first launch in the larger Cincinnati area.
Two Cities Pizza topped Cincinnati Magazine’s public poll for “Best Pizza in Cincinnati” less than six months after its grand launch.
It won the same poll the following year, with other awards and recognitions.
The restaurant’s popularity stems from the duality and contrast of the two concepts and the combination of culinary skills and influences from two of America’s favorite cities.
Two Cities Pizza has another location in Suwanee, Georgia, offering the same high-quality food, concept, hospitality, and unshakable commitment to exceeding expectations.
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Take a stroll to the Snyder House, serving as Cottell park’s focal point.
The departed Mary Cottell, the Cottell Park’s patroness, gave the parks system a kind donation of $50,000, which was utilized to enclose the Snyder House with a stone patio and a lovely garden.
The Deerfield Honors Veterans Memorial, located in Cottell Park, is one of its unique attractions.
This park-within-a-park was created to recognize the sacrifices made by all military personnel, both past and current.
Explore the park’s features, including the multipurpose facilities, picnic areas, and walking paths.
AR Workshop is your one-stop shop for all your DIY needs!
Maureen and Adria launched AR Workshop in 2016, a specialized DIY studio with more than 125 franchisees nationwide.
They provide craft lessons, team-building exercises, exclusive parties, and a well-picked collection of presents and stylish home accents.
Finding the ideal location for a group excursion may be challenging, so let AR Workshop assist you in planning the coolest DIY outing possible.
Their workshop group experience is customized to fit every taste and price range.
Make cherished memories for a girls’ night away, a date, or even a fun-filled family activity.
Sonder Brewing, based in Mason, Ohio, produces a high-quality beer with a blend of culture and community.
The origins of Sonder beer may be traced back to the distinctive, premium beer variety created on-site at the Sonder Brewing production plant and taproom situated in Mason, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati.
A 30-barrel brew house containing American-made machinery is housed in the 15,200-square-foot facility, in addition to a 2,000-square-foot taproom.
With more than 40 years of combined craft brewing expertise, the Sonder brewing crew is committed to the quality and taste evident in every beer in the range.
Visit the Sonder Brewing taproom to take advantage of the expansive bar area, open spaces, dog-friendly terrace, and sizable turf lawn playing area.
Prasco Park, a stunning, cutting-edge stadium situated on the corporate site of Prasco Laboratories in Mason, Ohio, was built to offer first-class baseball entertainment to everyone on the field and in the seats.
It aimed to be the top destination for amateur baseball in America and held its groundbreaking event and the inaugural game in 2008.
The Cincinnati SpikesTM team plays their schedule largely during the summer months, and Prasco Park serves as its main headquarters.
A few local schools and institutions occasionally use the venue, and the park also holds outreach and neighborhood activities.
Come watch a sporting event at Prasco Park soon, where entry is free, and the memories you make might be priceless.
Firebirds Wood Fired Grill is an American steakhouse and restaurant renowned for its scratch cuisine, flavorful dishes, and warm atmosphere.
Savor delicious hand-cut, matured steaks, authentic seafood, specialty-crafted drinks, and a few wines from their menu.
Every Monday through Friday, from 4 to 7 PM, stop by for happy hour in the Firebar and on the patio.
Experience authentic wood-fired steak and seafood entrees, strong tastes, specialty cocktails, and fine wines in a polished-casual setting with first-rate service and premium dining at an affordable price.
Visit Firebirds Wood Fired Grill at Mason’s Deerfield Town Center for dinner.
Mason is more than you can imagine with its entertainment parks, recreational areas, sports facilities, historic sites, and more!
Mason ranked 7th among America’s small towns on Money Magazine’s “Best Places to Live” list for families in 2013.
Because there is too much to do in the city and nearby areas, Mason makes an excellent suburban home base for more extended vacations to explore the greater Cincinnati area.
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