Relaxing weekend trip to Butler County

My husband and I were hosted by the Butler County Visitors Bureau. All opinions are my own.

Last month, my husband and I spent another 48 hours in Butler County. Butler County is located just north of Cincinnati. If you remember, we went last year and did some crazy things we’d never done before: like skydiving and kayaking. This visit was a little more laid back. I’ll talk about the Butler County Donut Trail in another post but most of the places below are kid-friendly and fun for all.

Taps, Tastes, & Tunes Festival

This year, the Tap, Tastes, & Tunes Festival happened to run the same weekend we were there. We went on Friday. We could smell all the delicious food from the parking lot! Unfortunately, it rained most of the day Friday so we weren’t able to stay long. However, we stopped back when we were in the area later on in the weekend.

We had some delicious tikka masala and fish tacos before we left. Enjoyed some great music and missed the crowds. It was busy Saturday and Sunday so obviously people enjoyed it. Next year’s festival will be scheduled soon!

The Cone

By the time we made it to The Cone, it had stopped raining and ended up being pretty nice. There are so many things on the menu that it took us a while to figure out what to order. The top of the building is a Cone… it’s pretty awesome. Plus, they have a ton of retro pinball machines in one of the rooms that can be played. And a children’s play area out front.

I ordered a Turtle Sundae and my husband ordered a Smore’s Cone Wizzard. Both delicious but filling. You can find a ton of Butler County residents at The Cone during great weather. It got busy as soon as the rained cleared. The tables were full when we left.

You can find the Cone at:
The Cone
6855 Tylersville Rd.
West Chester, OH 45069

Sara’s House

Sara’s House Home Decor and Gifts specializes in the unique and celebrates in the repurposed, offering one of a kind furniture, accessories, clothing, and gifts. It was a walk from our hotel so we stopped in to check it out. Lots of locally made items. I especially loved the lamps!

This was totally my kind of place. I saw a wine rack that I would love to hang in my house. Mugs, notebooks and clothes all over the place. My husband had to drag me out and decline every request for things I didn’t need. I will be back though, don’t you worry.

If you’d like to check out Sara’s House, go to:
Sara’s House
254 High St.
Hamilton, OH 45011

Two Little Buds

Do you love flowers? So do I! Two Little Buds is a wedding and event florist that makes beautiful arrangements. It isn’t just open to weddings and events though, we walked in with other locals who were on the lookout for something for their houses and found exactly what they needed.

I love the storefront and it drew me into the location even more. I appreciate being able to walk around and take pictures (because flower pictures are always gorgeous!) and they gave us an arrangement to take home. My daughter Olivia loved looking at it. The Location was just a walk from our hotel so we took the stroll and had fun.

Check out Two Little Buds at this location:
Two Little Buds
17 N. D St.
Hamilton, OH 45013

Special acknowledgment: Main Street Vinyl

On our way back to the hotel, we found a cool Vinyl store and ended up spending an hour there. Main Street Vinyl has tons of vinyl for you to look through. They are a small, independent, veteran-owned and operated record store. We found some awesome vinyl and hope to go back and search though their collections more.

You can find them at:
Main Street Vinyl
227 Main St.
Hamilton, OH 45011

Roll on In

Dinner was served at Roll on In. They are considered the original sushi burrito. We both picked a bowl and watched out choices be made. The menu is compiled of a mash-up of Japanese, Mexican, and greek foods which means you can create your own delicious flavor. Unsure of what to put together? Pick one of the meals already set up.

Both of our bowls were delicious! Mine had salmon that was grilled as soon as I order right on top. I really hope they put one in Columbus because we’d definitely eat there as often as we could. It was just that yummy.

Stop in and try out Roll on In:
Roll On In
102 Main St.
Hamilton, OH 45013

Municipal Brew Works

Enjoy Craft Beer? Municipal Brew Works is located right across the street from our hotel and just an awesome place to be. They brew their own beer but also have games and fun for their beer drinkers and their families. There is also a food truck scheduled next to their building every day so you can eat as well as order beer.

We were lucky enough to get a tour of the building. They operate out of the Frederick G. Mueller Municipal Building. The main sitting area is located just on the other side of the garage doors. In the summer, they are open so you can have your choice of sitting outside or inside.

Upstairs, is the old courtroom, which is still used for city council meetings. It was pretty awesome to see how they’ve changed the old building and made it new. Check out more information about Municipal Brew Works on my husband’s youtube video.

Check out Municipal Brew Works:
Municipal Brew Works
20 High St.
Hamilton, OH 45011

Main Event Entertainment

We were supposed to go to Main Event Entertainment earlier in the day but it was closed for a private event. No worries, we just ended our Saturday night with some fun! Eat, Bowl, play. Have fun!

We played pool first and of course we were terrible but of course, it was fun. Then, we headed over to the arcade and played some games together. This location offers so much fun, you wouldn’t even know what to choose from. Once we used all of our money, we picked prizes for our kids. I mean, we couldn’t stop thinking about them.

Head in to visit Main Event Entertainment:
Main Event Entertainment,
9477 Oxford Way
West Chester, OH 45069

Lisa’s Kitchen

We love going to a hometown diner type place for breakfast. Lisa’s kitchen was no exception. Everyone we interacted with was super nice and our food was delicious. They have a great menu with lots of options including a kids menu.

My chorizo and spinach omelet was fabulous. I enjoyed it with 2 cups of coffee.. yes, I do love coffee as well. We even decided to pay it forward and left the remaining amount of our gift card to the next person who checked out.

Stop in at Lisa’s Kitchen:
Lisa’s Kitchen
6601 Dixie Hwy.
Fairfield, OH 45014

Fairfield Fun Center

One last thing before leaving Butler County. We stopped in at the Fairfield Fun center for some mini golf. When is the last time you’ve played mini golf? Probably as long as we had. But so fun was to be had so, of course, we headed up to play.

It wasn’t too busy and in addition to mini golf, they have batting cages. The mini golf course was great and challenging. I am terrible at any type of golf so I lost but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have fun. It’s a great family place and I know our kids would love to have played as well.

You can visit Fairfield Fun Center Here:
Fairfield Fun Center
6400 Dixie Hwy.
Fairfield, OH 45014

Special thank you to the Courtyard Hamilton

We had a beautiful hotel room overlooking the river in Hamilton. Like I’ve said earlier, staying at the Courtyard Hamilton made it easy to walk to many of the locations we visited. They made sure we had everything we needed and even left us with a welcome basket with candy and water bottles. I really wish we had brought our swimsuits. The pool looked amazing!

Book your room and stay at the Courtyard Hamilton:
Courtyard Hamilton
1 Riverfront Plaza
Hamilton, OH 45011

When you take a visit to Butler County, let me know what you plan to do. There is so much fun to be had; both relaxing or something to take you out of your comfort zone. Have fun!