If you’re like me and love the water, living in a “landlocked” state can be frustrating. If you want a place to float around mindlessly on a unicorn tube, here’s where to find the beaches near Cincinnati you’ve been dreaming of!

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. Always check websites for individual parks before visiting. Things are subject to last minute changes! 
2. Check my map to see which lakes are closest to you. This shows the closest beaches to Cincinnati area, but these pins are general and not directly at the beach area.

See other Cincy day trip ideas within a 1 hour drive

Some links in this post are affiliate links, meaning if you book or buy something through one of these, I may earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you!). 

• East Fork Lake, Ohio (35 mins – closest beach to downtown Cincinnati)

 

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• 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 (145 mins from Cincinnati)

Pin it for later- Enjoy this list of the closest beaches to Cincinnati!