Krohn Conservatory & Union Station in Cincinnati

Instead of exchanging gifts for Christmas this year, my boyfriend and I decided to take a day trip to Cincinnati. Last year we took this same trip, except it was for my birthday, which is next week. We enjoyed it so much we decided to go again this year but as our Christmas gift in lieu of getting gifts for each other.

Our first stop was at Union Station Terminal, which was a train station and now houses some museums and the Omnimax Theater. It actually still has an Amtrak too. If you haven’t been here, it’s a really neat place to visit and if you did everything, you could spend nearly a whole day here. It’s cool enough just to learn about its history and see the Art Deco architecture.

First we saw a film in the Omnimax, which is a huge dome movie screen. Last year we saw a film about the Rocky Mountain Express Train that goes across Canada. I really enjoyed that film a lot. This year we saw a film about the current space mission to Mars. It was interesting, but I enjoyed the train film a lot better. They are currently still playing the train film. There was a preview for a National Parks film which I would like to go back and see.

After the film we saw a traveling exhibit of Lego sculptures all created by one artist. We kind of thought it was going to be more for kids, but we were wrong! Most of the kids actually didn’t pay too much attention, I think the adults were more intrigued. The Lego exhibit showcased works of art by a man who creates sculptures out of Legos. They were amazing! The Easter Island head in the back was probably 7 feet tall.

After visiting the Cincinnati History Museum and the Natural History Museum at Union Station, we then headed to the Krohn Conservatory. The Krohn is a great place to visit anytime, but especially during the winter just to be in some warm temperatures, breathe fresh air, and enjoy lush greenery everywhere. This time of the year they have their train and holiday display. The train display is made out of all natural materials, so buildings are made of sticks, pine cones, seeds, and all you can imagine. They’re so detailed! They also have a large Christmas tree that has a lot of handmade ornaments made out of natural materials.

Afterwards we ate dinner downtown at a pizza place called Pi that has deep dish style pizza. Their kale salad was exceptional. I can’t wait to grow kale in the garden. If you’re looking for something to do that’s different this holiday, visiting these places are a lot of fun and different from anything you can do here in Lexington, KY. If you love gardens, the Krohn is a must!