With Multiple Playgrounds And Nearby Ice Cream Shop, This Incredible Restaurant In Ohio Is Perfect For Families

Summit Park in Blue Ash, Ohio, is the superlative superstar of local parks. For starters, there’s its epic playground, full of verdant green turf and colorful, next-level play structures. Then there’s the nature playscape, with its zip lines, in-ground tunnels, natural jungle gym, and water play area. Add in the 153-foot Observation Tower that offers panoramas all the way to downtown Cincinnati, several top-tier restaurants (including an ice cream shop!), a farmers’ market, dog park, and massive great lawn, and there really is nothing Summit Park doesn’t offer. Today, however, we're focusing on the dining experience that awaits at Senate, an Ohio restaurant known for "upscale" hot dogs and a menu that's the epitome of family friendly.

In 2014, a new park arrived in the beloved Cincinnati suburb of Blue Ash, Ohio. Occupying a space formerly devoted to the Blue Ash Airport, the first time I visited Summit Park Playground with my kids, it felt like walking into the technicolor land of Oz!

In the decade since first opening, Summit Park has transformed into a true community space, exceeding even its designers' wildest dreams!

Summit Park's Great Lawn is as much a space for big-name events (the July 4 Festival and local food truck rallies) and community fitness classes as it is for tumbling toddlers and chatting couples...

...while the nature playscape is a wonderful destination for families, complete with multiple zip lines, a climbing tower, swings, and entire water play zone for epic creek stomping.

With so much to see and do, it was only natural that, over the years, Summit Park has added several top-name restaurants to its resume, including Senate.

Senate is known in Cincinnati and beyond for its gourmet street food and next-level hot dogs. The restaurant, which had made a name for itself in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, opened in Summit Park in 2017.

Senate features both indoor and outdoor dining and a menu full of kid-friendly classics: fries, mac-and-cheese, and, of course, hot dogs.

The 'dogs take center stage at Senate, and adventurous palates will likely encounter quite the dining dilemma! Chicago, K-Pop, Guaca-saurus rex... decisions, decisions. The "Trailer Park" is one of Ohio's most talked-about hot dogs, and features bacon, cheese, coleslaw and crushed Grippos (Grippos are every Cincinnatian's favorite chip, of course!).

Fans of the classics (and families toting along discerning -- cough "picky" cough -- kids can enjoy fries, 'dawgs, cheeseburgers, and chicken tenders au natural... while enjoying amazing views of Summit's Great Lawn, of course!

Post-meal, I recommend taking your crew over to Gold Spoon, a new-to-the-park ice cream shop with some of best, creamiest flavors in the city! The "Strawberry Swirl" is a coconut milk-based ice cream that will forever change the way you look at "non dairy" desserts.

Talk about the cherry on the top of a delightful (and delicious) family outing at Summit Park!

Have you had the pleasure of dining at Senate in Summit Park? Whether you come for the 'dawgs (or the nearby dog park!), the brews, the playground, or overall vibe, Senate is an all-around winner for family friendly dining in Ohio! For more information and a full menu, visit the Senate website. And if you *are* visiting the dog park at Summit Park, be sure to bring along water and eco-friendly waste bags for Fido!