8 Nostalgic Places Around Cincinnati That Will Take You Back To Your Childhood
By Andrea Limke|Published February 22, 2018
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Andrea Limke
Author
A Cincinnati native who has lived in Kentucky for over 10 years, Andrea's heart belongs both in the Queen City and the Bluegrass State. After earning an education degree and working in that field for a number of years, Andrea began to pursue her passion for writing over 6 years ago. Since then she has written for a number of print and online publications, as well as published a children's book.
Cincinnati is a great place to grow up and always has been. Each generation has had its own collection of places in the city that evoke feelings of nostalgia and memories of a fun childhood in the Queen City. Some of these 8 places are still around today, and others exist only in our memories, but all of these playful Cincinnati spots will take you back to your childhood and a time when life was carefree and much more simple.
Roller skating was the ultimate outing for decades and remains popular today, although things look a bit different. The Skatin' Place on the west side, now known as The Place, still has a rink, but now offers other games and activities. It's very likely you have memories of doing The Limbo on roller skates or hoping to find that special someone to hold hands with during the slow skates.
Americana Amusement Park, also known as LeSourdsville Lake, was home to so many Cincinnati family memories over the years. This nostalgic park was known for classic rides such as the Electric Rainbow, the Whip, the Screechin' Eagle and Serpent roller coasters. Although the park has long been closed and the lake drained, the memory of this American classic remains.
While Kings Island is still a popular hangout spot for Cincinnatians today, the park has seen many transformations over the years. Many may recall the Smurf ride, getting splashed with slime from Nickelodeon or when Paramount took over and gave the park a movie theme. But perhaps the most beloved time was when you could visit Hanna-Barbera Land. Pictures with Scooby-Doo and Fred Flintstone were childhood musts when this part of the park was around.
It seems this overstimulating area of a once-popular mall was doomed from day one. It was always crowded (because as a kid, it was awesome), however, so many teens in one area caused issues, as you can imagine. You likely still have memories of gawking at the indoor Ferris Wheel and meeting up with friends at this exciting hangout spot.
Today's kids can be creeped out by the mouse at Chuck E. Cheese's, but back in the day, ShowBiz Pizza Place was THE spot for a birthday party. The "concert" seemed so advanced for the time, and the pizza and games were enough to make any kid happy.
Oh, the memories of this little yellow card and magic key arriving in the mail! Any Cincinnati kid can tell you that a trip to this mysterious castle housed inside a toy store was the highlight of a birthday.
Mirror Lake is a still an iconic spot in Cincinnati, but it's not as common to see people wading in it. Back before the wonderful fountains at Washington Park and Smale Park, this was a great spot to visit on a hot summer day to cool off in the water with some incredible views surrounding you.
It all began in June of 1970, but 32 years later, this iconic stadium was demolished. The memories made inside definitely were not. As the home field for both the Reds and the Bengals, going to a game at Riverfront Stadium was such a big deal as a kid in Cincinnati. Maybe you even have memories of sitting up in the red seats and feeling as if you'd fall with one wrong step! History was made in this stadium, which may not have been as pretty as our current Great American, but it remains a nostalgic spot for many former Cincinnati kids.
These places remind us of our childhoods and, decades from now, it’ll be interesting to see what our children remember from growing up in Cincinnati. What other places do you remember hanging out at as a kid in the Queen City? We’d love to add to our list, so share with us in the comments!
And if you loved the 80s in Cincinnati, check out our previous article here.
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