Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal

When it came time to plan our wedding, Cincinnati Museum Center quickly rose to the top of our list of possible venues. While we currently live in North Carolina, the art deco nature of the building, the iconic Cincinnati feel, and the great location made it the best place possible for our (mostly out-​of-​town) guests to come and celebrate with us. We are so lucky that the renovation was delayed a few months and that we had the opportunity to host our wedding in the museum.
We used the Cincinnati Dining Room (ceremony; dancing) and Losantiville Café (dinner) for our ceremony and reception spaces. Our ceremony worked out perfectly and the transition to the band and dancing was seamless. We worked mostly with Hillary, but also had some interaction with Racquel and Andrea. The staff’s support was critical to the success of the day. They coordinated and made sure our vendors were as prompt and efficient as possible. We had a positive experience with the museum and highly recommend it for events!

It’s time to get in a trip to Cincinnati’s Hall of Justice.
Union Terminal is a quarterspherical masterpiece of Art Deco Architecture fresh from America’s hey-​day. The Terminal was once a bustling hub of transportation, acting as a train station, bus stop, and taxi stand; each of which were integral to the building’s design.
It will be undergoing a couple years’ worth of renovations that will shut down much of the museum by summer (2016), so you should plan your next visit accordingly.
We made the most of a recent Sunday visit hitting the current special exhibit the Art of the Brick, taking in the Omni Max feature: National Parks, and moving swiftly though the Cincinnati History and Natural History museums.
The Art of the Brick is an impressively lit and entertaining exhibit of Lego art that includes original works as well as Lego recreations of some of the most famous paintings and sculptures known throughout the world. Large scale models of a dinosaur and a moai were highlights.
The Omni Max film, National Parks, was an intriguing look into our National Parks, but not the most visually impressive Omni show I’ve scene. Instead of taking more advantage of the infinitesimal gorgeous vistas one can find in America’s National Parks system, the film wastes time following three intrepid park-​goers as they tool around National Parks in their Subaru, as they enjoy, but don’t necessarily respect the parks. Subaru is mentioned an inordinate number of times. They also spend sometime giving a partial history of the creation of the National Parks. They filmmakers should have picked one of the three, as they mangle clips of varying parks together with little mention of what park is being explored.
The Cincinnati History Museum maintains the wonderful scale model of streetcar era Cincinnati, though I’ll mention it appears that a partial tear-​down for renovations is imminent.
The Natural History Museum feature some fun exhibits including «the Cave», with beginners and advanced trails, as well as an Ice Age inspired glacial exhibit including a recreation of a massive Sloth.
As always, the Museum Center offers far too much to give it anything, but five stars. Don’t miss the Graeter’s Ice Cream parlor; Tower A, where you can watch the trains (select hours); and of course the gift shop, where you would normally be able to score some Astronaut Ice Cream, but everything is currently on clearance in preparation for the upcoming renovation, alas.

I love that everything in this museum can be traced back to Cincinnati. The Museum of Natural History gives you a look at what sort of creatures roamed the Cincinnati area during prehistoric times. The Cincinnati History Museum brings to life the story of how Cincinnati was founded and how it grew. Union Terminal itself is oozing with Cincinnati history. It’s not hard to imagine it as a bustling train station. The Museum Center also offers plenty of temporary exhibits to excite and delight, with Art of the Brick being the current one. This place has something for all ages, make sure to check it off your Cincy bucket list if you haven’t already!

You’re probably seeing a trend with my reviews, but I’ll say it again: I was raised here.
Since I was a kid, my parents have taken me to the Natural History Museum, the Cincinnati History Museum, as well as the Omnimax theatre.
I’ve visited countless exhibits with subject matter ranging from pirates to the Titanic to human anatomy. Union Terminal and the Cincinnati Museum Center sparked a passion for learning and a curiosity for history that never went away.
This is a place that is only getting better. Both the exhibits and the programming have only improved over the years.
I also volunteered here during college, and they have robust volunteer programming that truly is rewarding for those who take part in it.
On weekends, docent-​led tours let you see areas of Union Terminal that are typically off-​limits.
There are few gems like this left — not just in Cincinnati, but in the country. A true art deco masterpiece that has went from an industry leader, to forgotten, to a community staple.
I’m hopeful and excited for the improvements coming to Union Terminal itself, and thrilled to see so many people engaged with the museums, exhibits and programming.

Museum Center is located in Union Terminal. A very cool old building with lots of history. If you are in to art deco style, you’ll love Union Terminal. Stop by for a show like The Art of the Brick, featuring amazing lego work.

Visited the Union Terminal for the Art of the Brick Exhibit and it did not disappoint! Located in the special exhibits portion of the museum (downstairs, by the Children’s Museum), you get to see 20 – 30 personal works of Nathan Sawaya — all made from Lego’s. The most interesting part was Swaya’s details in to how long it took him to make each piece and the number of Lego Blocks used!
We stopped by Graeter’s inside the Museum Center too for an afternoon pick-​me-​up as well. They do not take the Graeter’s gift cards, but the ice cream was still delicious!

So much to do!
We only made it through 2 of the museums and had a full day of fun with our boys (6 & 8 years old).

The museum center is a Cincinnati treasure. To be honest, I am there at least one a week with my kids. There are three separate museums: the Cincinnati history, natural history, and Children’s Museum. We definitely spend the majority of our time in the Cincinnati and Natural History wings. The main reason, avoiding the crowds. And there is actually plenty of things for my 2 – 5 year olds to engage in, whether it is the sand pits, the caves, or the trains.
The Children’s museum is great, but just gets very crowded, especially on weekends.
When friends with kids come in from out of town, the Museum Center is definitely one of the spots I would take them.
Only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is that some of the exhibits are starting to deteriorate and not much has changed over the past 20 years, which isn’t a deal breaker for me, since my kids don’t seem to mind.

A great gem in the crown of greater Cincinnati. The details on the building remind you of a bygone era. It’s still a functioning train station. And if you have not been up to the top to see the rail yard you are missing an exciting view of the rail yard.
The displays and movies are worth the trip. The traveling exhibition are world class. I don’t go to all I pick and choose based on my interests.

It took two years living in Cincinnati before I finally checked this place out, and now I feel like I’ve been missing out! My boyfriend took me here on a date and we decided to check out «The Art of the Brick» by Nathan Sawaya.
It turned out to be one of my favorite exhibits (and we have a habit of going to a lot… from the Met in NY to LACMA and the Getty in LA). It brings back some nostalgia from when I was younger, and it was fun to see lego recreations of artwork we had seen in other exhibits. I loved how they arranged the sculptures, «paintings» and art. Each room was special an breathtaking in it’s own way. It’s definitely something for both adults and children to enjoy! It’s a temporary exhibit, so make sure you check it out before it’s gone!
It was $ 6 for parking, and $ 19.50 per adult ticket. (For a few extra dollars, you can add OMNIA showings or additional museum exhibits!)
I live out in California now, but every time I visit, I’ll definitely check out the Cincinnati Museum Center to see what they have!

HOLIDAY JUNCTION — I love visiting Union Terminal, especially the Cincinnati History Museum. I love learning about our local history. The building itself is spectacular! But my favorite time to go is during Holiday Junction at Christmas time. For 35 years it’s been a tradition to see the old CG&E trains and now as a parent I can share the tradition with my 4 daughters. The Museum Center has done a phenomenal job of keeping this part of Cincinnati history alive for generations to come! Little known fact… the Hall of Justice on Super Friends was modeled after Union Terminal!

Can someone please make sure to help tourists find the entrance better because my GPS could not find the address for this place at all. I first got put on Kemp Road then took a loop back out of the railroad area to try to find a way to get back onto Dalton then to Western. It was a disaster at first. Recommending locals to write a review to help those trying to locate the museum easily, but that’s just my two cents.
Although when we finally arrived we were happy because we got to the parking area then walked up to the entrance. It did take some time today just to get in and see everything but I think it was due to the holiday weekend. I was in line for like half an hour just to get tickets.
To me the awesome part of this museum is just knowing that it served as a railroad station in the past and then the city kept the structure of the railroad station but modified the museum into a science and learning center.
After being in line, my husband and I got ourselves a bite to eat before our showing of Journey to Space in the Omnimax. That was an awesome presentation and I would recommend it to anyone going here.
From there we went to go see The Art of the Brick exhibit which was awesome! I cannot believe some of the things I saw like lego paintings, historical depictions in lego, and the sculptures. They were very impressive and the artist, Nathan Sawaya did a phenomenal job with this work of art.
I’m definitely bringing family and friends here soon! It will be the top place I’ll recommend to visit when coming to Ohio as well!

What a gem in the Queen City. Art deco adorns the beautiful spaces throughout the terminal-​turned-​museum. I went with my family to view the Art of the Brick exhibit, and I was able to also enjoy some of the Cincinnati historic documents on display in the research library on site. All around us were families enjoying themselves and their time at all of the different museum attractions — not to mention ice cream at Rookwood Ice Cream parlor, on site.

This is my favorite building in the city. The museums are okay. I mean, they’re kind of for children. I like going here because I like the beautiful fountain in the front. I like looking up in the lobby area. I like the 3D movies, but sometimes they make me kind of sick. I like the parking lot. I like the murals. Yes, this is a good building to stand inside and look up.
But like I said, the museums are kind of dumb. I’d rather go to the art museum. I don’t really enjoy being around gangs of other people’s children. Like I don’t have my own kids, but they probably wouldn’t bother me as much as other people’s do. Like do you have to bring your screaming brat out in public? It’s not as bad as Newport Aquarium, but just be prepared. I don’t know. Maybe just train your kids. I train my dogs and that’s basically just common courtesy.

I went here a couple weeks ago when I was in Cincinnati, and the museum is GREAT! I only went to the history museum, because I only had a couple hours, but I really enjoyed the exhibit, especially the model of Cincinnati as it would have looked like 100 years ago. It was very interactive and there were lots of things to see and do for kids. I learned a lot about the history of the city. The exhibit on World War II was also very good.

This place amazes me every time I visit. Go for the special events like 1940s weekend or Appalachian days– you can then check out the museums while you are there. Don’t forget to visit the tower to see the train yard and look up at the beautiful murals. If you ever get a chance to do a tour– highly recommend. Fun for the whole family!

Jules wanted to head here as part of her birthday celebrations. Now, I like museums as much as the next guy, but she’s way more into the scientific and biological stuff than I.
That said? I had a ton more fun than I had expected. Jules elected for us to go to the Natural History Museum, which was housed in the Union Terminal complex. Now, I had precisely one point of reference for Union Terminal in the past – Challenge of the Superfriends. The Hall of Justice from that old 70s comics-​show was actually based on the gorgeous Art-​Deco styling of Union Terminal.
As for the museum itself? I was phenomenally impressed. The Natural History museum was full of informative displays that weren’t dumbed down, even in sections meant specifically for kids. Displays were clean and well-​worded, if somewhat sparse on occasion.
Favorites for me? The museum’s Egyptian section was phenomenal, featuring a mummy and expanding deeply on the numerous tests ran on it, from all facets of modern science. Plus, I’m a sucker for things like ancient curses. Also of note was The Cave. Wow. That one was great. I’ve never seen any museum complex have anything so complex as their own artificial cavern complex. Very impressive!
While I don’t know when or if I’ll be back to the Natural History Museum, I’m definitely game for checking out the other museums in the complex. Great for a day out!

The girlfriend and I had a wonderful time at the Cinci Museum Center. For $ 25 a piece we got to check out the Cincinnati History museum, the Natural History museum, and their mummy exhibit. This was the first time I’d been in the building, and I was amazed how large the outside was, and the domed ceiling on the inside was spectacular. The place was busy, but it never got to the point where it was hard to see anything.
The Cincinnati History section of the building takes you on a journey from when Native Americans first lived on the land up through World War 2. It was really very interesting seeing how vital a port Cincinnati was being on the Ohio river.
The Natural History portion was great as well. We were able to go through a make shift cave as well as learn about all of the different animals and fauna that lived in the area dating back to the dinosaurs. The cave is really cool but a bit tight, so if you’re claustrophobic, you may want to avoid this one.
I wasn’t sure if the mummy exhibit was for a limited time or not, but it was really neat being able to see actual mummies on display. If you get the chance, I highly recommend taking the drive down to check out the exhibit.
Overall, I was impressed with how nice and clean the museum was, and I wish Columbus had a cool natural history museum. I love COSI, but I almost feel like the exhibits are stale, and we rarely see anything new. If you’re looking to do some exploring I highly recommend these museums at the terminal.

This is absolutely a gem of Cincinnati. History. Architecture. Science. It’s all here. I remember coming here as a kid with my family so it’s always nostalgic. The movies are already so cool and the theatre is one if a kind. The mummies exhibit was very informative and and done respectfully. This place always amazes me and I love having that glimpse into the retro past of our city.

This place never gets old! It is truly a classic.
I’m so happy I got a chance to see the Princess Diana exhibit before it was gone. So beautiful and such a great way to learn more about the life of such an amazing woman. Sad that the world around her didn’t see her that way until she was gone. The best part about the exhibit was seeing her famous wedding dress up close and personal! There are no words to describe that train! Overall the exhibit was great, sad but still a great way to celebrate her life. I do like how they tied in the «Princess of the Queen City» bit. Empowering every woman who visited from Cincinnati to take pride in their city and to get involved in some type of women’s organization and also highlighting a few of our own prominent Cincinnati women who were «princesses» in there own right.
Next I took in an Omnimax show. And again it didn’t disappoint! I saw the July special, «Mystery of the Nile» — and it was pretty darn cool — especially since I am a fan of Egyptian history!
Overall this place is a gem of the city and I am so happy I was able to knock it off of my 2014 Summer Bucket List!