Top 5 things to do in Cincinnati this weekend: December 3-5

1. East Row Victorian Christmas Tour

Kentucky's second-largest historic district is right across the river in Newport, and you'll see a wide variety of distinct architectural styles – including Queen Anne, Italianate and American Four Square – on this self-guided walking tour through the tree-lined streets of the East Row neighborhood. The tour features six private residences decorated for the season and open to the public, plus dozens of other home exteriors lit up with holiday displays, as well as beautifully illuminated stained glass windows. Luminaries will line the sidewalks throughout the neighborhood, and visitors can enjoy a holiday block party on Saturday along Seventh Street with food trucks and live music. 

Tickets for the tour are $10, free for ages 12-under. You can pick up tickets on the day of the event at Roebling Books (601 Overton St.) or order in advance via the website. The East Row Victorian Christmas Tour runs from 3-7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. eastrow.org/victorian-christmas-tour-and-tea.

2. Light in the Forest

Families and friends can create a new winter tradition by exploring the enchanting display of lights and illuminated trees in the beautifully lit forest at Rowe Woods at Cincinnati Nature Center (4949 Tealtown Road, Milford). This is not your typical holiday lights show. Light in the Forest produces original works of moving art using the natural environment as a canvas. You'll enjoy installations by Brave Berlin – the creative team behind Luminosity and Blink – as well as warm bonfires, live music, a historic home with nature-inspired decorations, and holiday shopping. You'll also have the opportunity to view the Winter Wonders Holiday Art Show, featuring more than 100 works by Charley Harper and artists who pay homage to his iconic style. 

Light in the Forest is open from 5-9 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday through Jan. 2, except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Due to space restrictions, tickets are sold by timed entry in half-hour blocks. Scan the QR code onsite to access the route map, which is a circular, one-way walking path approximately 1 mile long. Tickets are $12, $7 children. cincynature.org.

3. Lebanon Horse Drawn Carriage Parade & Festival

The pandemic halted the Horse Drawn Carriage Parade & Festival in 2020, but the clippity-clop of horses will once again echo throughout downtown Lebanon when this time-honored family tradition returns for its 32nd year Saturday. Holiday festivities run from 10 a.m.-8 p.m., beginning with live entertainment and a visit from Santa, followed by a daytime parade at 1 p.m. and the traditional candlelight parade kicking off at 7 p.m. The parade route encompasses Broadway, Main, Cherry and Warren streets and Oakwood Ave. and includes food and craft vendors set up along Mulberry Street.

Kids can get their photos taken with Santa and Mrs. Claus in Bicentennial Park (corner of Mulberry and Cherry) from 10:30 a.m.-noon and again from 4-6 p.m., and there are plenty of charming shops to browse. You'll find the official 2021 Carriage Parade keepsake ornament for purchase at BrickHouse on Broadway (15 N. Broadway). lebanonchamber.org.

4. Holiday Pops

Cincinnati’s beloved holiday concert returns to in-person performances at majestic Music Hall this year with music, warmth, laughter and seasonal inspiration for the entire family. John Morris Russell leads the Cincinnati Pops, the Holiday Pops Chorale – which includes members of Classical Roots Community Mass Choir, the May Festival Chorus and the May Festival Youth Chorus – and vocalists Aubrey Logan and Michael Preacely through a holiday program filled with traditional, classical and popular music sure to get you into the holiday spirit, while students with the Cincinnati Studio for Dance add an exciting visual dimension.