Beaches Near Cincinnati: Best Swim Spots

If you’re like me and love the water, living in a “landlocked” state can be frustrating.

If you just want a place to float around 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:

Check websites for individual places before visiting. Things are subject to changes!
This map shows the closest beaches to Cincinnati area, but these pins are general and not directly at the beach area.

⇒ See my Cincy day trip ideas within a 1 hour drive

⇒ See my Cincy day trip ideas within a 2 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!

Lakes with Beaches near Cincinnati (in order of distance):

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

east fork lake, closest beach to cincinnati

Stonelick Lake, Ohio (40 mins from Cincinnati)

Caesar Creek, Ohio (60 mins from Cincinnati)

⇒ If you would rather swim in a pool- check out SWIMPLY. With this website, you can rent pools by the hour in your area (like an “AirBNB of swimming pools”). If you use my link, you get 50$ off your first rental!

I’ve used Swimply before, and had a great experience! See more about it on my Cincy Staycation Post! 🏊‍♀️

Acton Lake, Ohio (60 mins from Cincinnati)

acton lake, hueston woods, closest beach to cincinnati — *Image via Hueston Woods Visitors Bureau*

Cowan Lake, Ohio (68 mins from Cincinnati)

cowan lake beach ohio — *Image via Wilmington News Journal*

Brookville Lake, Indiana (72 mins from Cincinnati)

brookville lake indiana beach swim — *Image via Visit Indiana*

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

LaGrange Quarry, Kentucky (76 mins from Cincinnati)

lagrange quarry kentucky lakes beach — *Image via La Grange Quarry Website*

Mineral Springs Lake, Ohio (80 mins from Cincinnati)

mineral springs lake ohio beach swim — *Image via The Columbus Navigator*

Natural Springs Resort, Ohio (82 mins from Cincinnati)

natural springs resort, ohio, sandy beach, closest beach cincinnati — *Image via Natural Springs Resort Official Website*

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

jump rock red river gorge — *Image via Natural Bridge Cabin Rentals*

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)