Pleasant Ridge Recreation Center
Rating
Family of 4
The outdoor grounds cost nothing.
Duration
1-2 hours for playground and court time, longer for a scheduled program or camp day
Best Ages
Workable from toddler age through the teen years, with the strongest fit from about 5 to 14. The outdoor side is the part that serves the youngest kids, since the grounds include a playground that a 2 or 3 year old can use while an older sibling is at a program. Little kids and big kids are the core audience for a Cincinnati Recreation Commission neighborhood center, which is where after-school programming, youth sports and summer day camp typically run. Tweens and teens use centers like this for gym time, open recreation, and organized sports, and the tennis courts on the grounds extend the range further. Infants have no dedicated space here. What runs at this specific center changes by season, so call (513) 731-7894 to confirm which age groups are being served right now.
About
The listing name is generic, so start with the useful correction: the Cincinnati Recreation Center at 5919 Ridge Ave is the Pleasant Ridge location within the Cincinnati Recreation Commission system, and searching for Pleasant Ridge will get you further than searching the generic name.
What is confirmed is the outdoor side, and it is the part most families will use. The city's own facility page shows photos of the center exterior, a playground, and tennis courts, all of it free. That combination is the reason to have this on a list.
You can drive over with a racket and a couple of balls, let a 4 year old take the playground while a 10 year old hits on the court, and spend nothing. For a neighborhood in the middle of the city, free courts that are not perpetually full are worth knowing about.
The indoor side is where you need to make a phone call. The listed website points to the citywide CRC facilities directory rather than a page carrying this center's hours, and the Pleasant Ridge page itself does not publish hours, amenities, or fees. CRC neighborhood centers are generally where after-school programming, youth sports and summer day camp run, and CRC uses a membership and program-fee structure, but none of that is confirmed for this specific building in the sources available.
Third-party listings describe weekday hours running into the evening with weekend closures, along with a seasonal outdoor pool and a splash pad in the surrounding park space. That would be excellent if accurate, and it is exactly the kind of detail worth confirming rather than driving on. Call (513) 731-7894 or reach the city at 311 and ask three questions: what are the current hours, what does a membership cost and cover, and is the pool operating this season.
Practical notes for a visit. Changing table and family restroom access is not confirmed either, so bring your own supplies. There is no food service confirmed on site, so pack water and snacks, and plan a meal at Southern Grace Eats or in the Pleasant Ridge business district along Montgomery Road, which is a few minutes away.
1000 Hands Playground is listed as the nearest playground if you want to string two stops together. Being a mixed site with an indoor gym also gives you a fallback when the weather turns, though again, confirm the building is open before you count on it.
Age Suitability
Parent Logistics
Stroller-Friendly
Limited
Nursing / Changing
Unknown
Kid Meals
N/A
Setting
Indoor & Outdoor
Rainy Day
Great option!
Plan Your Visit
Best Time to Visit
Weekday late afternoons for the playground and courts once school lets out, or a weekday morning in summer if you want the outdoor space to yourselves
Wait Times
No line for the outdoor playground or courts. Indoor access depends on the center's schedule, so call ahead rather than waiting at the door
Nearby Food
Southern Grace Eats is the closest listed restaurant. The Pleasant Ridge business district along Montgomery Road is a short drive and holds a run of casual, independently owned restaurants and coffee shops, and the Kennedy Heights and Norwood directions add more options within about ten minutes. Nothing is confirmed for food service inside the recreation center itself, so pack water and snacks for playground or court time and plan a meal off site. Check individual restaurants for current hours before you commit, since neighborhood spots keep shorter and more variable schedules than chains.
Why Kids Love It
It is a neighborhood center, which means the draw is that other kids are already there. The grounds have a playground and tennis courts that cost nothing to use, so a kid can show up on a bike after school and have something to do. Indoors, a rec center gym is where pickup games and organized youth sports happen, and for a 10 year old that is the whole appeal.
Pro Tips from Parents
- Call (513) 731-7894 before you go.
- Know which center you are actually going to. The 5919 Ridge Ave address is the Pleasant Ridge recreation center within the CRC system, so search for Pleasant Ridge when you look it up rather than the generic name.
- Treat the playground and tennis courts as the reliable part. They are on the grounds and free, and they do not depend on the building being open or a program running.
- Ask about the pool before you pack swimsuits. Third-party listings describe a seasonal outdoor pool and splash pad in the Pleasant Ridge park space, but the city page does not confirm the season, hours, or fees, so verify with CRC or by calling 311.
- Ask about after-school programs and summer day camp in the same call. CRC neighborhood centers are where that programming runs, and camp registration fills well before summer.
What to Bring
- Water bottles and snacks, since no food service is confirmed on site
- A tennis racket and balls if you want to use the courts on the grounds
- Sunscreen and hats for playground and court time, which is mostly unshaded in the middle of the day
- Swimsuits and towels only after you have confirmed the pool season and hours by phone
- Your own changing supplies, because changing table and family restroom access is not confirmed here
Cost Info
Partially free — some areas or times are free
Estimated Cost (Family of 4)
The outdoor grounds cost nothing.
The playground and tennis courts at 5919 Ridge Ave are free to use, which makes this a genuine zero-dollar afternoon if that is all you need.
No pricing is confirmed here, so check cincinnati-oh.
gov/crc or call (513) 731-7894 before you plan on indoor access, a program, or pool use.
Budget separately for food, since there is nothing confirmed on site.
Tips to Save
- Use the free half deliberately.
- The playground and tennis courts on the grounds cost nothing, so a racket and a couple of balls from home turns this into a full free afternoon.
- Call (513) 731-7894 and ask specifically what a CRC membership covers at this center before paying for anything, because the membership question is where families overspend by guessing.
- Ask about summer day camp and after-school programming when you call, since city rec programming is usually the cheapest organized childcare and activity option in a neighborhood and it fills early.
- Pack your own water and snacks rather than planning a food stop.
- If a seasonal outdoor pool is operating, confirm the fee structure and any resident rate first instead of arriving with cash and hoping.
Hours & Contact
Contact
Have a Question?
Frequently Asked Questions
Tickets & Booking
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