Consider this an ode to Cincinnati, from a transplanted Nebraskan. I. Love. This. Town. There’s more to do here than could be accomplished in a lifetime.

Last summer, my family joined an ever-growing group in creating a summer bucket list, which we have coined a “summer wish list” at my husband’s request (he deemed the “bucket list” term to be too macabre for a couple of little kids and their parents).

We didn’t know it at the time, but we were part of a trend. We kept encountering friends and neighbors who had done the same thing: all were determined to wring every last bit of fun that they could out of summer and to explore both new and old nooks and crannies of Cincinnati along the way.

One friend told us about how she created “Mystery Thursdays,” and took her children to an unexplored spot every week. Their adventures ranged from Big Bone Lick State Park in Kentucky to Washington Park in downtown Cincinnati.

Another friend made an actual bucket, with clothespins clipped around the edges of the bucket. On the clothespins were written summer activities and places to go; when they had completed the activity, the pin was dropped into the bucket. Brilliant!

I was further inspired this summer by one of our clients, the Cincinnati USA Regional Tourism Network. Their focus is on driving visitors from cities like Indianapolis and Lexington to our great town. The Regional Tourism Network has been lighting up social media with #SUMMERinCincy, and it’s been a great way to hear from Cincinnatians and visitors alike about places to go and things to do in Cincinnati.

For us, our “summer wish list” is just chicken scratch on a legal pad. But it’s a fun list, and includes:

• Go to Putz’s Creamy Whip, a soft-serve institution on Cincinnati’s west side that we’ve somehow never visited.
• Visit Washington Park, a gorgeously re-invented urban park with fountains to splash in, a great playground and tons of activities from yoga to movies to concerts, located at the foot of Music Hall.
• Eat at Taste of Belgium, recently visited by the Food Network’s Guy Fieri for his show “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.”
• Hike at Miami Whitewater Forest.
• Go to the top of Carew Tower, Cincinnati’s tallest building.
• Take a Duck Tour at Newport on the Levee.
• Win $1 million (my son’s idea, though he didn’t articulate exactly how we would win this money. Maybe we need to visit Horseshow Casino?)
• Go to Krohn Conservatory.
• Eat at Mazunte, a little joint serving up Mexican street food.
• Go to the pool.
• Play tennis.
• See a movie at Smale Park.
• Go to Coney Island.

I’m happy to report that of those, we’ve done at least half. Sadly, we’ve not yet won $1 million. But my son did win a couple of movie passes and a gift card to a restaurant, so that’s something, right? Those are just a few of our #SUMMERinCincy ideas. What are yours?