Museums provide a one-of-a-kind opportunity for individuals to learn in-depth about various topics. While finding information about a topic on the internet is simple, museums allow you to directly see and engage with historical and artistic objects. In addition, experienced museum interpreters can make learning more enjoyable and participatory.
Cincinnati, fortunately, is brimming with museums of all kinds, including history museums, art museums, sports museums, and so on. The best feature is that many of these museums are open to the public for no charge. And for those who aren’t, there are frequent opportunities to obtain free or discounted tickets.
We have produced a list of the 16 best museums in Queen City to visit.
Note
Free museum admission: Simply by having a Cincinnati Library card and using the Online Reservation System to reserve tickets for certain days, you can acquire two free tickets to the following museums:
The American Sign Museum, The Betts House, The Harriet Beecher Stowe House, and The Taft Museum of Art especially are worth visiting.
Museums on the Map
The locations of all of the museums mentioned in this post are shown on the map below.
Top Museums in Cincinnati
21c Museum Hotel
The 21c Museum Hotel combines a boutique hotel, a contemporary art museum, a cultural civic centre, and a restaurant. 21c, located across the street from the Aronoff Center for the Arts in the heart ofDowntown Cincinnati, wants to contribute to the area’s ongoing rehabilitation and role as a cultural hub.
The hotel and museum host a rotating calendar of solo and group exhibitions focusing on contemporary art. This museum provides visitors with a unique experience, allowing them to see art created by local emerging artists and international artists.
Price: Free
Address: 609 Walnut St, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Website Address: 21c Museum hotel
American Sign Museum
The American Sign Museum is the country’s largest public museum dedicated to signs. This museum is packed with various signs that are enjoyable to explore and learn about, with over 20,000 square feet of indoor area. You should plan on spending at least an hour strolling throughout the museum.
Price: Adults $15, seniors $10, students $10, military $10
Children at or below 12: Free (Or two free tickets with Cincinnati Library card)
Address: 1330 Monmouth Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45225
Website Address: American Sign Museum
The Betts House
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The Betts House is a fascinating museum for history fans to visit. Built in 1804, this is Cincinnati’s oldest surviving structure and Ohio’s oldest brick residence. Exhibits about Cincinnati history and historic preservation are available at the home.
Price: $5 Adults, $2 Children (Or two free tickets with Cincinnati Library card)
Address: 416 Clark St, Cincinnati, OH 45203
Behringer-Crawford Museum
The Behringer-Crawford Museum, located across the Ohio River in Covington, Kentucky, is a regional history museum dedicated to Northern Kentucky’s culture, legacy, arts, and history. This museum offers family exhibits like mammoth fossils, a restored 1892 streetcar, and interactive railway displays. During the holidays, there’s also a large outdoor play area for kids to run about in, as well as a fantastic Holiday Toy Trains display to see.
Price: $9 Adults, $8 Seniors, $5 Children
Address: 1600 Montague Road-Devou Park, Covington, KY 41011
Website Address: Behringer-Crawford Museum
Cincinnati Art Museum
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One of the most popular museums in Cincinnati is the Cincinnati Art Museum, with approximately 67,000 modern and historical art pieces. The museum is free to visit and open from Tuesday to Sunday (closed on Mondays). Because of the museum’s size, you could easily spend an entire day strolling around the numerous exhibitions.
Price: Free
Address: 953 Eden Park Dr, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Website Address: Cincinnati Art Museum
Cincinnati Fire Museum
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The National Historic Registry lists the Cincinnati Fire Museum, honors Cincinnati’s fire department heritage, and lets visitors feel what it was like to work in the city’s busiest firehouse in 1906. The museum houses some of the world’s oldest firefighting equipment and various interactive exhibits for children to enjoy.
Price: $8 Adults, $7 Seniors, $6 Ages 7-17, Free under seven years old
Address: 315 W Court St, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Website Address: Cincinnati Fire Museum
Cincinnati Museum Center (at Union Terminal)
The Cincinnati Museum Center, located in Union Terminal, is another famous museum in the Queen City. Within the Center are the Cincinnati History Museum, the Children’s Museum, the Museum of Natural History and Science, the Holocaust & Humanity Center, and the OMNIMAX Theater. If you’re interested in museums of any kind or want to learn more about Cincinnati’s culture and history, this is the place to go.
Price: $14.50 Adults, $13.50 Seniors, $10.50 ages 3-12, $5.50 ages 1-2, free under 1 year
Address: 1301 Western Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45203
Website Address: Cincinnati Museum Center
Contemporary Arts Center
The Contemporary Arts Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to
The Modern Arts Center was one of the first institutions in the United States committed to presenting contemporary art, founded in 1939 as the Modern Art Society by three visionary local women. The Contemporary Arts Center is now a non-collecting museum that focuses on contemporary sculpture, painting, photography, drawings, architecture, performance art, and media.
Price: Free
Address: 44 E 6th St, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Website Address: Contemporary Arts Center
Greater Cincinnati Police Museum
The Greater Cincinnati Police Museum is a one-of-a-kind museum that houses items and documentation from over a hundred municipal, township, county, state, and federal law enforcement departments in the Greater Cincinnati area. Anyone interested in the history of law enforcement in Greater Cincinnati will learn a lot from the tour guides, who are highly knowledgeable about the museum’s items.
Price: $8 Adults, $7 Seniors, $6 Ages 7-17, Free under 7 years old
Address: 308 Reading Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Website Address: Greater Cincinnati Police Museum
Harriet Beecher Stowe House
The Harriet Beecher Stowe House, home to prominent antislavery author Harriet Beecher Stowe, who is well known for writing Uncle Tom’s Cabin, is one of Cincinnati’s most unusual houses museums. The house is included on the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom’s list of recognized sites.
Price: $6 Adults, $5 Seniors & Students, $3 Ages 6-17, Free under 6 years old (Or two free tickets with Cincinnati Library card)
Address: 2950 Gilbert Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45206
Website Address: Harriet Beecher Stowe House
Lucky Cat Museum
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The Lucky Cat Museum, which houses almost 2,000 waving Lucky Cat toys that greet customers at Asian eateries, is one of the most interesting museums in Cincinnati. The museum’s shelves, walls, and glass cases are lined with rows upon rows of these dolls. It’s a genuinely unusual and interesting spot to visit.
Price: Donations only
Address: 2511 Essex Pl, Cincinnati, OH 45206
Website Address: Lucky Cat Museum
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
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The National Underground Railroad Center, located near The Banks, is a history museum with a variety of displays about the Underground Railroad. They have a rolling roster of exhibits, so check out their website to see what they have on show right now.
Price: $15 Adults, $13 Seniors, $10.50 Ages 3-12, Free under 3 years old
Address: 50 E Freedom Way, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Website Address: National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati
The Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati, located across the Ohio River in Covington, KY, is a volunteer-run museum with an extraordinary collection of historic locomotives and railroad equipment. This is a must-see attraction for anyone interested in railroad or train history.
Price: $4 Adults, $2 ages 10 and under (cash only)
Address: 323 W Southern Ave, Covington, KY 41015
Website Address: Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati
Reds Hall of Fame & Museum
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The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame & Museum is a must-see destination for baseball lovers in Queen City. This hall of honor and museum, located directly near Great American Ball Park, houses an incredible collection of historical Reds memorabilia and artifacts. In addition, you may see the several exhibitions they have here.
Price: $12 for adults, $8 for seniors and students, and free for military personnel and children under 12.
443 East West Pete Rose Way, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Website Address: Reds Hall of Fame & Museum
Taft Museum of Art
Another wonderful art museum to visit in Cincinnati is the Taft Museum of Art, one of the top minor art museums in the country. The museum, which opened its doors in 1932, houses an amazing collection of European and American artworks, Chinese porcelains, and ivory sculptures. There is also an outdoor garden, free on-site parking, a museum store, and a cafe.
Price: $9.99 Adults, $7.99 Seniors, Free for ages 18 and under (Or two free tickets with Cincinnati Library card)
Address: 316 Pike St, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Website Address: Taft Museum of Art
Vent Haven Museum
The Vent Haven Museum in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, is the world’s oldest museum dedicated to ventriloquism. This museum is great for anyone slightly interested in the art of ventriloquism, with an extraordinary collection of historical to modern ventriloquist performance figures, photographs, props, and posters.
Price: Suggested $10 donation per person
Address: 33 W Maple Ave, Fort Mitchell, KY 41011
Website Address:Photo Source
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