Take Your Meeting Outdoors: Discover NKY’s Best Spaces for Recreation and Connection

Sometimes Mother (Nature) knows best. Case in point: Outdoor meetings have many benefits, from ramping up productivity and inspiring creativity in attendees to encouraging increased engagement and participation. Not only that, but moving beyond four walls can also improve physical and mental health and boost community outreach through raising awareness.

Thinking outside the meetings box can make all the difference, and NKY has an exciting and dynamic outdoor recreation scene. Riverfront parks, biking and paddling adventures, open-air gathering spaces, an arboretum-based recreation park, arts installations, and nature and walking trails are sure to enhance meetings, retreats, teambuilding, and recreation-focused group events.

INCLUSIVE DESTINATION FOR LEARNING AND LEISURE

One venue, uniquely positioned at the intersection of recreation, horticulture, and community connection, is the Boone County Arboretum. The nation’s first arboretum within an active recreation park, it blends over 5,000 labeled trees and shrubs into a landscape that also features athletic fields, playgrounds, and paved multi-use trails.

“The Arboretum provides a peaceful natural environment that encourages reflection, creativity, and connection among attendees and is ideal for retreats, educational outings, or recreation-focused breaks before or after formal meetings,” said Arboretum Director Kristopher Stone.

“We can coordinate guided horticultural tours, wellness walks, nature photography sessions, and plant-focused experiences that align with sustainability and wellness goals for meeting planners.”

Amenities such as two reservable outdoor shelter houses — each with electricity, picnic tables, nearby parking, and access to walking trails and gardens — are ideal for small gatherings, breakout sessions, and group lunches.

“Groups often take advantage of our paved trail network, open lawn spaces, and outdoor gardens for guided tours, wellness walks, or team-building activities,” said Stone. “These natural settings provide a relaxed and refreshing complement to traditional indoor meetings held elsewhere in the region.”

MEETINGS WITH A VIEW

Meeting planners can also take their meetings out of the indoors and onto the water with BB Riverboats, one of NKY’s most iconic attractions, offering cruises that connect groups to the scenic splendor and the story of the Ohio River and NKY’s role in it.

“This is a meeting site that moves with the incredible views of downtown Cincinnati and the hills of Northern Kentucky,” said Nancy Willhoite, director of sales at BB Riverboats, whose fleet includes the flagship Belle of Cincinnati and River Queen and the state-of-the-art River’s Edge event center.

Amenities include meeting space for up to 280 attendees and A/V, including monitors, screens, and a projector, plus unparalleled views, from historic bridges to architectural landmarks.

“This is not your boring, windowless hotel ballroom, but an experience that holds the audience captive with its uniqueness and surrounding views,” said Willhoite. “It’s also accessible and offers delicious food and discovery at every turn of the river.”

Another unique option, spanning the Ohio River from Newport on the Levee to downtown Cincinnati, is the Purple People Bridge. One of the country’s few pedestrian-only bridges, it provides a distinctive and unique outdoor meeting space that can accommodate groups of up to 1,200.

With spectacular views of the Cincinnati skyline and Ohio River, Covington Plaza offers a gorgeous setting directly behind the Cincinnati Marriott at RiverCenter and Embassy Suites Rivercenter. Here, groups can host an outdoor event or reception for up to 1,350 people in the amphitheater and Plaza.

FROM BACKCOUNTRY TRAILS TO BISON FIELDS

Filling out NKY’s outdoor meetings landscape are such venues as Drees Pavilion, famous for its breathtaking and sweeping views of NKY and downtown Cincinnati. It is located within Devou Park, Covington’s jewel of a park, with meeting space for up to 300 people, an 18-hole golf course, a professional disc golf course where the LWS Open is hosted yearly, paved and backcountry trails, a fishing lake, and the Behringer-Crawford Museum. During downtime, Cincy Red Bike is there to help meeting attendees explore the region by pedal, with bike rentals available from 15 kiosks stationed in Covington, Newport, and Bellevue. Prefer paddling to pedaling? Schack’s Yaks provides kiosk kayak rentals on regional waterways, including the Licking River and Doe Run Lake, as well as Kentucky's largest mobile kayak rental service to accommodate group paddle outings. Neltner’s Farm bursts with fresh-air adventure, horse-drawn wagon rides, live music, a corn maze, and pumpkin patch. Big Bone Lick State Historic Site has a perpetually viewable bison herd, Megafauna Diorama Pit, golf, Discovery Trail, and hiking trails. If nature isn’t your cup of tea, NKY also has appealing open-air spaces like Covington Yard, a relaxed outdoor food court and entertainment venue with big screens, lawn games, and live music that can host a variety of gatherings.

EVOLVING BACKDROPS FOR GATHERINGS

Two projects in progress will bring dynamic outdoor options to the region. Designed as a long-term, ever-expanding, and evolving canvas for outdoor recreation, education, art, and connection, Erlanger’s Eons Adventure Park is creating a place where innovation, education, and environmental stewardship intersect.

“Eons will give meeting planners a distinctive setting that merges nature, wellness, and creativity, with opportunities to host breakout sessions outdoors, schedule guided hikes or trail walks between meetings, or plan teambuilding activities in a natural environment,” said City of Erlanger City Administrator Mark Collier.

Initial elements, including a dog park, multi-use “spine” trail, parking areas, and key road improvements, will eventually be joined by canopy trails, scenic overlooks, streamside classrooms, art installations, and open green spaces. Another evolving space is Riverfront Commons. Called the “front porch of the South,” this Riverfront District along the Ohio River will eventually offer a 20-mile continuous riverwalk linking eight NKY river cities from Covington to Silver Grove through attractions and landmarks, including parks, scenic drives, restaurants, shopping, museums, and marinas.

When it comes to outdoor meetings, NKY has just what you need to inspire and engage meeting attendees. Contact us today to learn more about unique outdoor meeting spaces perfect for your next event.