If you’re like me and you love the water, then living in a “landlocked” state can be frustrating. If you want a place to float around mindlessly on your unicorn tube, that’s where this list will come in handy!

These lakes, within a 1-2 hour drive from Cincinnati, all have “public beaches”. This  means you can pack a beach chair, umbrella, and a cooler and pretend you’re in Florida for a few hours! 

Reminders: 

1. Please always call or check the websites for the individual parks before visiting as things are always subject to last minute changes! 

2. Check out the map I made below to determine which beaches are closest to you- keep in mind these pins are general and not placed directly at the beach area. Do your research before visiting:

If you’re looking for other day trip ideas within a 1 hour drive, CLICK THIS POST!

• East Fork Lake, Ohio (35 mins from Cincinnati)

• Stonelick Lake, Ohio (40 mins from Cincinnati)

• Caesar Creek, Ohio (60 mins from Cincinnati)

• Acton Lake, Ohio (60 mins from Cincinnati)

• Cowan Lake, Ohio (68 mins from Cincinnati)

• Brookville Lake, Indiana (72 mins from Cincinnati)

• White Rock Adventure Park (75 mins from Cincinnati – includes cliff diving!)

• LaGrange Quarry, Kentucky (76 mins from Cincinnati)

• Mineral Springs Lake, Ohio (80 mins from Cincinnati)

• Natural Springs Resort, Ohio (82 mins from Cincinnati)

• Jump Rock at Red River Gorge, Kentucky (120 mins from Cincinnati) 

• Hocking Hills: Tubing, Ohio : This is not a sandy beach, but fun just the same! This has options for 4-5 hour tubing trips, although they seem to be unavailable during COVID (145 mins from Cincinnati)

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