The Best Hotels to Book Near Kings Island, Ohio

Kirkwood Inn has an idea to keep your Kings Island vacation on-budget. Check into an affordable single or double room – or splurge a little more for the romantic jacuzzi-fireplace suite – and get treated to a full, free breakfast in the morning. If you’ve got kids in tow, the Mason Sports Park across the street will drain their energy on a day you don’t want the same thing to happen to your bank account.

You’re going to give your kids serious Inception vibes when you give them a vacation within a vacation at Great Wolf Lodge. Without venturing far from your hotel room, your kid can mini-golf, bowl, play arcade games, mine for gems, go on magical quests and create their own stuffed animal – and that’s not including the huge indoor waterpark on-site. Combine it all with a trip to Kings Island and they’re guaranteed to have a howling good time.

Lower your wait time at Kings Island by staying 10 minutes away at Courtyard by Marriott. All rooms have ergonomic workstations, heaps of natural light and access to the business center. It’s also a great choice for your business trip thanks to the P&G Business Center and Innovation Way Business Park nearby. One tip: be sure to mute your line if you’re trying to juggle a conference call while sneakily riding the Invertigo rollercoaster.

If you can keep a secret, Hotel Covington will show you the coolest views of Cincinnati without ever crossing into the city. This hotel hangs out in the hip Covington neighborhood, right across the river in Kentucky. The skyline view from the Roebling Suite is supreme – and the in-room tablet sends you everything from wake-up calls to pickle-brined fried chicken for lunch. Need to get out for some fresh air? The rooftop bar at Braxton Brewing Company is where you’d find us.

Appreciate every artistic aspect of Queen City with a stay at 21C Museum Hotel. All suites and rooms have a trend of minimalist style, distracting not a single eye from the contemporary art adorning the walls of the lower floors. Admire the revolving exhibits from the elevators to the sidewalks, taking a moment to shop the artisan booths at the weekend markets in Fountain Square. Watch more art played out on the stage across the street at Aronoff Center for the Arts.

Jazz up your trip to Kings Island when you stay at Cincinnati’s Symphony Hotel. Toe-tapping tunes, smooth bourbon from across the river and cozy, classical composer-inspired rooms make for a romantic getaway. Kings Island is a short drive for daytime fun – at night, you’ll need only the beat of a snare drum to move you. Savor every note of a five-course meal at the Symphony’s restaurant then dance across the street to a performance at Cincinnati Music Hall.

Parents get the luxury of staying downtown at the Renaissance while staying within footsteps of family-friendly activities. Wrangle the tots into a double room and double knot their shoes for a walk to Smale Riverfront Park. Treat the fam to a Bengals or Reds game on either side of the park and buy the kids some peanuts and Cracker Jack. Keep your tummy empty, though – the pan-roasted diver scallops and shrimp cargot at D Burnham’s at the hotel are to die for.

With over 200 years of welcoming guests to the Buckeye State, the Golden Lamb is a living part of Ohio’s history. Pull your stagecoach – or the more classic Volvo – up to this inn and stay in the same rooms as Charles Dickens, Neil Armstrong and Harriet Beecher Stowe. The antique bedroom furniture is a little more refined than the smart casual dress code – but it’s not a bad idea to dress it up a bit when you slide into their restaurant for a slow-roasted turkey dinner.

You’ll be so close to Kings Island when you stay at Marriott that you may hear the shrill screaming of the Banshee from your double room. There’s an indoor pool a few floors down which is prime for winter laps, but save your towel for Soak City if you’re visiting in summer. You’ll find steaks and seafood near the lobby at Kirkwood’s as well – an excellent dinner if you don’t first spoil it with Kings Island’s Rivertown Funnel Cake.