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Cincinnati Museum Center, Cincinnati, OH

Photo: Ɱ, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

MuseumsFamily FavoriteHistory BuffRainy-Day Pick

Cincinnati Museum Center

1301 Western Ave · Cincinnati, OH

Why you should go…

Cincinnati Museum Center fills Union Terminal, an Art Deco station whose half-dome rotunda is the largest semi-dome in the Western Hemisphere. Museum admission covers the Cincinnati History Museum, the Museum of Natural History & Science and The Children's Museum. Inside you find a Dinosaur Hall and The Cave, a 500-foot limestone cavern replica modeled on Mammoth Cave. The OMNIMAX theater and the Holocaust & Humanity Center are ticketed separately.

  • #history museum
  • #science museum
  • #children's museum
  • #art deco
  • #union terminal

Good to know

General museums guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Check the special exhibition separately

    Touring shows usually carry their own ticket and their own opening hours, listed apart from general admission.

  • Look for the free window

    Many museums run community days, member evenings, or discounted late openings. It is worth a look before you pay full price.

  • Travel light through the door

    Large bags and backpacks often have to go to a coat check, and lines for it move slowly at opening.

  • Weekday mornings beat weekend afternoons

    School groups clear out by early afternoon midweek, while weekends stay busy from late morning on.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Cincinnati Museum Center, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Shopping
    Foodie Favorite

    Findlay Market

    Free

    Ohio's oldest continuously operated public market, with butchers, produce, cheese and food stalls in Over-the-Rhine.

    1.1 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping

  • Sightseeing
    Local Gem

    Cincy Region

    Free

    Official destination marketing organization for greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

    1.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Museums
    History Buff

    National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

    Under $25

    Explore the history of the Underground Railroad on the Cincinnati riverfront, including a preserved 1830 slave pen.

    1.6 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    Free

    Cincinnati Art Museum

    Free

    Free art museum in Eden Park with a collection of more than 73,000 works spanning 6,000 years.

    2.2 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    Quirky Fun

    American Sign Museum

    Under $25

    Wander a neon-lit indoor streetscape of vintage American signs and watch neon demonstrations.

    2.3 mi awayMore like this

  • Attractions
    Family Favorite

    Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

    $25–$50

    See Fiona the hippo, gorillas, elephants and giraffes at a 75-acre zoo and garden that opened in 1875.

    2.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions