Happy (almost) December, Scoopers!

This week’s email is a special issue highlighting the Christmas season in Cincinnati.

Make sure you check out the events section to see a jam-packed weekend of holiday happenings!

🎄 Looking to fully step into the season this weekend? Here are 18 of the best places in Cincinnati to get your fresh Christmas tree!

Today’s email is a 3min 43sec read. Here’s the scoop:

• ❄️ Snow Report for 2023-24

• 🎄 Christmas Lights Display Tracker

• 🏆 Cincinnati Named Best Place to Live in Ohio

But first…

🐷 LOCAL

‘Tis The Season!

Now that Thanksgiving has passed and your leftovers are nearing their end, it’s time to talk about the big kahuna of the winter season - Christmas.

Lots of places around town are launching special events to celebrate the holiday season so here is a list of my favorite. With December just starting you should have plenty of time to check out a few, or even better, all of them!

 🍻 Covington Yard

This was one of my favorite spots when we lived in Covington and they’ve just opened the doors to their new Winter WonderYard - get it?

The food container park now has Christmas trees made of beer kegs, an Advent calendar with daily giveaways, tons of lights and a light tunnel, and holiday-themed drinks!

♠️ Factory 52

Want to know how much I like Factory 52? A few weeks ago I went there 5 days in a row (not even kidding) and can you blame me?

They have it all from pickleball at Aces, tons of different food options & a cute coffee shop at Gatherall, and two different breweries… what else do you need?

In the spirit of doing it all, Factory 52 is now launching “Deck the Halls”, a series of holiday events including:

• Holiday City Flea on Dec 9-10

• Merry Swiftmas on Dec 16

• Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree on Dec 23

⛸️ Fifty West

I’m still a little salty with Fifty West for closing down the original restaurant, but I do have to admit that their current burger bar setup allows them to do some cool stuff, including bringing back their Ice Rink.

Skating on the rink will set you back $10 for an hour unless you’re four, in which case you get to skate (AKA make a fool of yourself in public) for free.

In addition to ice skating, there will also be Curling leagues, which I have to admit is pretty cool! You can learn more here.

🧙 Renaissance Park

Cincy’s very own Renaissance Park in Waynesville, the site of the popular Ohio Ren Fest, shall thus be knoweth as Yuletide Village.

Maidens and sirs can enjoy festive lights, carolers and tasty holiday treats as they explore the the park’s 16th-century English village. No word on if turkey legs will be available.

🎄 HOLIDAY DECOR

Want to check out some local holiday displays? Click here (or on the map below!)

The trees represent commercial and public displays, while the bulbs represent homes decorated for the holidays.

Looking for a fun weeknight date? Grab a thermos of hot chocolate, plug in some Christmas music, and drive around to these spots. Keep a note on your phone, rating them from best to worst!

💡 EVENT SPOTLIGHT

🍦 MINI SCOOPS

🏙️ The GE building at The Banks in Cincinnati is saying goodbye to its GE employees. GE Aerospace, a jet engine maker, is moving its last 250 workers from the 12-story office building to Evendale in early 2024.

❄️ Snow's on our radar in Cincinnati, but it's unpredictable. Farmers' Almanac says maybe Dec. 4 for light snow, but the National Weather Service predicts rain. Blame El Niño for a warm, dry winter ahead. Stay tuned!

🥇 Cincinnati has been named the best place to live in Ohio for the fifth year in a row by U.S. News & World Report. The report praised Cincy for its museums, sports teams, schools, events, restaurants, and of course, that famous chili.

⛸️ Looking to go ice skating this year but don’t know where to go? Check out this list of top 9 Ice Rinks in the Cincinnati area!

📆 EVENTS THIS WEEKEND

🎨 THU NOV 30, Paint and Sip at Bad Tom Smith Brewing

🌃 FRI DEC 1, First Friday Holiday Night Market

🎄 SAT - SUN, Findlay Market Holiday Market

☃️ SAT - SUN, Winter Market at Washington Park

🧣 SAT DEC 2, Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl

🍺 SAT DEC 2, Rhinegeist Dad Day

🎅 SUN DEC 3, MainStrasse Christkindlmarkt

🐕 CINCYDOG OF THE WEEK

Thanks for being here with us. We’re looking forward to building a strong community of informed Cincinnatians who want to stay in the loop.

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