Top 8 things to do this weekend (that aren't Riverfest)

It's Labor Day weekend and every Cincinnatian knows what that means: Riverfest! The annual end-of-summer festival – which lights the fuse on the Western & Southern WEBN Fireworks – has certainly changed and grown over the past 45 years, and it needs no further introduction. Therefore, this week's list looks at other worthy events taking place over the holiday weekend.

Blast from the past: The history of WEBN’s fireworks

Things to do: Find Cincinnati events near you this week, Aug. 29-Sept. 4

1. Lunken Airport Days

Here's a quality, family-friendly event with something for every budget. Lunken Airport Days features a whole lot of free and fun things to see and do for aviation enthusiasts young and old. You can view a wide array of military vehicles, classic cars, enjoy free ramp access to a variety of aircraft, meet pilots and get up close with the aircraft on display. There's also a patriotic ceremony each day at noon, featuring the University of Cincinnati ROTC on Saturday and the Navy Seal Cadets on Sunday. Food trucks will be on-site each day, with special catering by Hotel Covington.

For those interested in a more hands-on experience, you can book helicopter rides on-site or register in advance to take a flight in one of two historic aircraft that will be on display: the B-25 "Berlin Express" and the C47 "That's All Brother," which led the D-Day invasion over Normandy during World War II. Once rides are finished for the day, you'll be able to tour the inside of those warbirds.

Lunken Airport Days is hosted by the Cincinnati Warbirds EAA Squadron #18. It runs from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Lunken Airport (262 Wilmer Ave., East End). Admission and parking are free. Warbird rides are available from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday through Monday. To book a ride in the B-25, call 800-359-6217 or email b25@eaa.org. To ride in the C47, visit thatsallbrother.org/tour.

2. Cincinnati International Jazz Festival

The inaugural Cincinnati International Jazz Festival takes place Friday and Saturday at Smale Riverfront Park (166 W Mehring Way, Downtown). The festival is being brought to the Queen City by Rainbow Promotions, the California-based company responsible for the Long Beach Jazz Festival, which is now in its 33rd year, and the smooth jazz lineup is impressive.

R&B and gospel singer Avery*Sunshine, guitarist Norman Brown and Swiss pianist Alex Bugnon are scheduled to perform Friday, with doors opening at 5 p.m. and music starting an hour later. On Saturday, doors open at noon with music starting at 1 p.m. The Saturday lineup includes Japanese keyboardist Keiko Matsui, multi-instrumentalist Brian Culbertson, Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Gerald Albright, violinist Damien Escobar, Puerto Rican flutist Nestor Torres, Incognito vocalist Maysa, pianist Brian Simpson, Grammy-nominated singer Eric Roberson and saxophonist Jackiem Joyner.

Low-backed lawn chairs, picnic baskets and small coolers are permitted at the festival, as well as factory-sealed plastic beverage containers. In other words, leave your glass, metal and aluminum containers at home, and don't try to sneak in any alcohol. You'll be able to purchase food, soft drinks, beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages inside the festival grounds. As with most music festivals, there's no reentry once you're there, so come prepared with your sunscreen, shades and cool vibes. Reserved seating ranges in price from $85-$180 per day, with general admission lawn seating $65-$76 per day. showpass.com.

3. Ohio Renaissance Festival

It's time once again for the drawbridge to lower at Willy-Nilly-on-the-Wash, a 30-acre recreated 16th-century English village situated in the heart of Warren County. The Ohio Renaissance Festival boasts 166 village shops with wares you won't find anywhere else. Looking for handmade armor and chainmail jewelry? You'll find it here. Elf ears and fairy wings? Check. Ditto on kilts, corsets, leatherworks, handmade clothing and accessories, pewter goods, oils, incense and even classic weaponry like swords and knives. For the kiddos, there are games, toys and rides, as well as plenty of kid-friendly shows.

Ah, the shows. You can enjoy 132 daily performances and 49 unique shows on 17 stages, including dueling swordsmen, fire jugglers, human combat chess matches, comedy knife throwing and the pièce de résistance, full-armored jousting. Watch craft demonstrations in glassblowing, jewelry making, blacksmithing, stone carving, leather craft and weaving, and enjoy a large variety of food and beverages, including Rhinegeist's new Chain Mail Ale, exclusive to RenFest.

The Ohio Renaissance Festival runs from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (and Labor Day Monday) through Oct. 30. Renaissance Park is located at 10542 Ohio 73, Harveysburg. renfestival.com.

4. Beyond Guilt

This compelling visual experience tells the powerful and redemptive stories of those impacted by over-sentencing and over-punishment. Featuring six short films created by students at Northern Kentucky University, as well as candid photographs taken by local artist/activist Harriet Kaufman, the exhibition is part of a statewide advocacy project that serves incarcerated people who have been over-sentenced and have demonstrated the ability to be safely released from prison, and the ethical necessity to see and treat them beyond their guilt.

The exhibition runs 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday through Nov. 27 at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 50 E. Freedom Way, Downtown. Museum admission is $15, $10.50 ages 3-12. freedomcenter.org.

5. Cincinnati Tattoo Arts Convention

If you've been considering getting a tattoo for the first time or adding to your collection, the Duke Energy Convention Center (525 Elm St., Downtown) is the spot to be this weekend when the Villain Arts Tattoo Convention comes to town. You can get yourself inked by a number of high-profile and internationally renowned tattoo artists, including Penny Boy Tattoo from Italy, Jennifer Lauri Brows from Italy, Lukas Smyku from Poland and a number of artists from the "Ink Master" television series, like Kyle Dunbar, Al Fliction, Fon, Jordi Pla, Mystical Mike and E Mac, as well as traveling artist Candy Dunbar, and Trocon Talhouk and Charles Whitfield from VH1.

Shop tattoo, piercing and professional equipment supplies and products, enjoy performances by Ringling Brothers star James Maltman, heavy metal magician Nigel Blackstorm and America's Got Talent stars Captain and Maybelle, plus burlesque shows courtesy of Verona Fink. You can even show off your stuff in the tattoo contest. The convention runs from 2-11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday. A 3-day pass runs $40; otherwise, it's $20 per day, free for ages under 12. villainarts.com.

6. Terror Town

Believe it or not, the beginning of September signals the start of Halloween season around these parts, and the first haunted attraction of the bunch opens this weekend. The 19th century-style Old West town Bravado is filled with two dozen shops, three restaurants, a candy shop, two saloons, a movie theater screening classic horror films, games, live music and … evil spirits that haunt the trail.

You can decide how much fright you're willing to endure on the trail. Terror Town prides itself on detail, realism and narrative, and your trail time will take between 25-35 minutes, depending on the decisions you make during the experience. Basic admission gets you an array of emotional experiences that will hit all your senses. Enhanced horror passes may find you blood-drenched, tortured in an asylum cell, locked up as a prisoner or even buried alive. How do they know which guests want the upgraded experience? The enhanced horror pass is a red bracelet that signals to the actors that you are OK with being pushed, grabbed, doused in blood and possibly becoming part of a scene.

Obviously, this experience is not for the faint of heart, and due to the intensity of the haunt, it is not recommended for anyone under the age of 16. However, if things get a little too real for you, you can always remove the bracelet and take a break. Terror Town opens at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at 1449 Greenbush Cobb Road, Williamsburg, with the haunted trail starting as soon as it gets dark. Basic admission is $30, with upgraded horror passes running $40. allhallowsevellc.com.

7. Baseball

There's always something a little magical about enjoying a game of baseball with friends or family, and with both the Reds and the Y'alls playing at home this weekend, we are spoiled for choice. The Reds take on the Colorado Rockies at 6:40 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and again at 1:40 p.m. Sunday, and as usual, there are some great promotions going on. It's Fireworks Friday, for a start. Then on Saturday, it's Country Music Night, with fans receiving a free Reds straw trucker hat upon entry and a free concert by Cole Swindell after the game ends. Sundays at Great American Ball Park (100 Joe Nuxhall Way, Downtown) are always family days, with discounted tickets, carnival games and giveaways for the kids.

Over at Thomas More Stadium (7950 Freedom Way, Florence), the Florence Y'alls season is winding down for the year and it's Fan Appreciation Weekend. Catch the team taking on the Evansville Otters at 7:03 p.m. Friday, 6:36 p.m. Saturday and 1:07 p.m. Sunday. florenceyalls.com.

8. Homearama 2022

Sometimes you just want to have a nose around a newly built, $1M+ home, right? Homearama is your chance to see the latest in custom home building from five area builders: AR Homes, Drees Homes, Fry Homes, Justin Doyle Homes and WP Land Company. Tour six fully decorated and landscaped homes in this year's featured neighborhood, ChimneyRidge, located at 10377 Butterworth Road, Loveland. Homearama opens Saturday and runs through Sept. 18. Hours this weekend are noon-9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and from noon- 9 p.m. on Labor Day. Tickets are $20, free ages 12-under with adult. The ticket includes on-site parking. Additionally, on the weekends, attendees can park at 220 E. and 227 E. Loveland Ave. and board a 30-passenger, air-conditioned shuttle bus and be dropped off at the gate. The bus will also be in service from 11:45 a.m.-9:15 p.m. on Labor Day. cincyhomearama.com.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Top 8 Cincinnati events Labor Day weekend, besides Riverfest