Toddler Things in Kentucky

I’m a low/no screen time mom. Which means I spend a lot of time coming up screen free activities to do at home that my kid is interested in for all of 15 minutes. After that she’s giving me the “okay what now” look. So to spare the tears and boredom on both of our behalves I have dedicated this summer to getting out of the house and doing different activities.

I am a frugal girly (or I try to tell myself that I am) so I have tried to find things that are free, reasonably priced, or if they are on the pricier side I found them to be worth the cost. I have also stayed decently close to home when looking for activities. My daughter will last about an hour to an hour in a half in her carseat before she is screaming bloody murder so most activities are within that commuting range. Getting out and about this summer has honestly been a lot of fun for the entire family. I have made some of my favorite memories and I have managed to keep the stir crazy down to minimum and my sanity in tact. ◡̈

McConnell Springs Park

I consider this one a hidden gem. It is tucked away in the middle of an industrial park but once you start to explore you soon forget that. This area is where the city of Lexington, Kentucky was first established. There is a nice trail where you see different parts of the spring, a rock quarry, and a 300 year old Bur Oak. My daughter was a huge fan of the tree she didn’t want to leave it once we got to it. The best thing about this particular park, it’s FREE!

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The Cincinnati Zoo

Okay I know this one isn’t technically in Kentucky, but its close enough. My husband is from Northern Kentucky, which for those who don’t know is a stones throw for Cincinnati. He has a lot of childhood memories at the zoo so he was excited to help my daughter create some in the same place. We took the little over an hour commute up to the zoo for his 30th birthday. We were there as soon as it opened to beat traffic and the heat and left around mid-afternoon. We all had a blast. I recommend nice walking shoes and a stroller. They have a train that loops around the zoo and a petting zoo full of goats which was one of my daughters favorite parts. We thought my daughter would have napped while in the stroller but she refused to miss a thing. Tickets prices were very affordable and kids under 2 are free! Definitely will not be our last zoo trip.

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Amsden Play and Create

This cute little play cafe is in Versallies, KY. They sometimes do themes and story times with coordinated snacks and crafts. Parents can also grab a coffee to sip on while your little one play. You can purchase a ticket for one specific time slot or a pass for multiple visits. The reading area is so cozy with a lot of my favorite children’s books and my daughter loved the little play kitchen. I will say this place is on the smaller side. When you have multiple kids and parents in the space it does get a little tight. Still a very cute and cozy activity to do with your toddler.

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Bernheim Forest & Arboretum

This place was awesome. The forest is located in Clermont, KY just 30 minutes south of Louisville.It’s a non profit and has donation based entry. You could tell everyone that worked there really enjoyed what they did, every single person I intereacted with there was very friendly and knowledgable. It was a little ways away at 1.5 hours, but my daughter did amazing in the car. I was actually a little worried about this commute because it was just the two of us that took the trip, but everything went swimmingly. The trail to see the giants is about 2 miles total. I used my stroller and a lot of upper body strength to make it through the loop. It was doable but be warned some parts of the trail were bumpy, muddy, or on an incline. I was wore out and drenched in sweat by the time we finished, but it really was worth it. After our visit with the giants we headed over to forest’s “natural play” area. There is no conventional playground equipment but still lots of different things to explore, climb on and play with. They did also had a little water area set up so bring a change of clothes.

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The Newport Aquarium

My kid is a huge fan of fish so we knew we wanted to take her to the aquarium at some point this summer. You can’t beat the location. It sits on the KY side of the Ohio river but is located close to the pedestrian bridge to cross over into Cincinnati. My husband and I had been before pre parenthood and had a pretty good time so we were excited to take my daughter. Be warned you may gasp at how expensive it is. We could have done the zoo two and a half times for the price of our aquarium tickets. We did end up with some pretty neat photos from photo op stations they have sprinkled around the aquarium. The cost is not really worth it to me personally, but I guess the major upside to this activity is that it is inside and air conditioned.

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Public Library

Saving the best for last! I am a library advocate. If you follow me on my bookstagram @wittywhitreads, you’ll see I talk about the library constantly. It truly is a community center. They have book clubs, baby and toddler story times, community events for all ages. One of my favorite things about the library these last few months has been the “Summer at the Library”. They had a kick off event with a petting zoo, popsicles, and free books. Our visits are not limited to events, we usually go weekly for story times and just to let my daughter play in the children’s section. This is also a great opprotunity for socialization for her since she’s not in any kind of daycare or pre school.

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