Leapin Lizard Event Space

I have SO many good things to say about this place. First off, I live a couple blocks away from the Leapin Lizard, so any chance I get to come here, I won't pass up. I've been here for dance lessons, various events, but this past weekend I came here to see a friend's bellydance show (I love that this space hosts such a broad variety of events). Don't come expecting some fancy-pants venue. Leapin' Lizard is definitely rough around the edges, but is filled with character.I came to the show with my friend's husband and we stopped back at the bar to grab a drink before the show. My friend ordered a whiskey sour. The bartender told us that she was waiting for the sour mix to be brought up but that she would walk the drink over to us when it arrived (in a very busy event), how cool is that!? The bar staff was SUPER friendly throughout the event and it definitely made an impression. I can't wait for the next chance I have to come back!

We just got married at the Leapin' Lizard last night and it was a fantastic event! The space is beautiful, and the stained glass windows left colored light dancing across the space! Richard was an absolute delight to work with! The right kind of attentive; there when you need him, easy to meet up with in the weeks and days leading up to the event, and for set up, very accommodating, explained everything patiently when I was in "bride brain" mode (read: flighty and trying to keep up with a million details), and just all-around wonderful! If you're having an event any time soon, I can't recommend the Leapin' Lizard enough!

My husband and I got married at this venue on 10/3/2020 and man did we love this place! Richard was super easy to work with and his staff did a great job of helping pack up everything at the end of the night. However, we did feel as though we were juked out of about an hour of our bar time, which we paid for. The contract was for 6 hours and the open bar closed at 10pm, however, my bridal party was told they had to pay for their drinks when we arrived at 4pm. I'm not sure what the practice is at this place, but that was very upsetting to us. And you have to pay the gratuity up front. So if we had known that we'd really only get 5 hours of open bar, then we wouldn't have paid so much in tip. Just be real careful and clarify this before signing a contract. Other than that, no issues at all!

This contemporary art gallery is filled with fabulous furnishings, home and garden dcor, fine art and jewelry. Nestled in the heart of Covington's MainStrasse's entertainment and shopping district, the Leapin Lizzard specializes in high-quality one-of-a-kind creations for the discerning collector. Located in a renovated 1880's church, the gallery is an integral part of the revitalized local arts community. With over 150 hand-made works, Leapin Lizard features national and regional artists whose productions include paintings, sculpture, ceramics, photography, collage and assemblage, wire, glass, and more. During my recent visit, I was awestruck by the fantastical ceramics of nationally renowned artist Todd Warner. His whimsical wildlife sculptures are cartoonish, yet capture the idiosyncratic character of each animal he depicts. My favorites were "Whopper" and "I'll Do the Driving" in his Something's Fishy collection. Other highlights were the Twisp River Glass platters and Jeff Freeman floor lamps. Leapin Lizard is an ideal art gallery for aesthetes looking for fine art with flair. Check out their website for upcoming exhibitions and events.

My wife and I got married at this lovely joint in November. The Lizard is so much more than just a wedding venue.. This place provided the perfect whimsical/quirky backdrop for our colorful wedding. Richard was a total joy to work with. Felt like working with an old friend. I still look back in disbelief at how perfect the night was. So many compliments, even my wife's Grandma said, "you two should get married every weekend, that was so fun!"Highly recommend!

I would give the Leapin' Lizard negative stars if possible.My fiance and I were married in June this year at the Madison Event Center in Covington. We were looking for a laid back, fun place for our rehearsal dinner. While plenty of places in Covington would fit that description, we were limited due to the size of our party and the fact we needed a place that was wheelchair accessible. We were beyond thrilled when we found the Leapin' Lizard. It was exactly what we were looking for and was wheelchair accessible to boot!When we went to check out the venue in person, we actually beat the owner, Richard, there. I began to frantically pace around when I did not see a single entrance that appeared to be wheelchair accessible. When Richard arrived we immediately asked this question and he assured us that they had a portable ramp that would be ready to go the night of our event.Fast forward to the eve of our wedding. As we arrived at the Leapin' Lizard for our dinner, it was a bit chaotic. It was raining heavily and there wasn't a lot of parking to be found. As I walk up to the entrance, I don't see a ramp anywhere. My husband, who got there before me, informs me that Richard has told him we were supposed to remind him we needed the ramp, and now it is too late to get one because they rent it from another company and it was after regular business hours. They offered to use a flimsy piece of plywood up an extraordinarily steep set of stairs to try to get my brother and his 300 pound wheelchair into the building. This obviously was not even feasible, but an extraordinarily idiotic decision. Because we did not have a ramp, my step mother and little brother had to go home and could not attend our rehearsal dinner. It was devastating and infuriating. Richard offered us extra drink tickets, and it was offensive that he seemed to think that would make up for my family not being able to attend our rehearsal dinner. My little brother cried the entire way home. Further. for Richard to say we were supposed to remind him about the ramp is deplorable. We discussed with him multiple times on different dates about the ramp and were never told we needed to remind him. That was not our job, that was his job as the business owner and for him to pin that on us is pathetic.We attempted to contact him after the event to ask for our refund for our rental fee for not upholding the contract, but we never heard back. Do not give Leapin' Lizard your business. We will be filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and we will also be filing a complaint under the Americans with Disabilities Act, as the business is not compliant with the law.

I have to give an extra star for all the hard work they are doing to keep this place on the map in terms of every kind of entertainment you can imagine. They have salsa dancing with a live band, DJ nights, burlesque training, drag shows, fashion shows, art/craft fairs, world music performances, and the list goes on.Not to mention they have lots of local artisan jewelry and home decor for sale. The selection is impressive.

The fact that there are only two other reviews for perhaps the most eclectic venue in Cincinnati highlights Leapin' Lizard's biggest problem: Not enough people know this hidden gem exists.A former church that later became an art gallery, LL is currently an event space that features concerts, drag shows, stand-up and improv comedy, and private events like weddings. LL is divided into a ground floor bar and an upstairs performance/reception area, each with a dramatically different vibe.Every time I enter LL's bar, I feel like I'm stepping into an alternate universe version of Pee Wee's Playhouse where Cowboy Curtis runs a weekly drag night with drink specials on Pinnacle Vodka. Since I regularly perform at LL's stand-up comedy open mics, I can vouch that their quirky and intimate ground floor is one of the coziest rooms in town to watch and/or perform on a show. It's hard not to love a venue that features disco balls, folk art and painted lower halves of mannequins as decorations.LL's upstairs area, which hosts wedding receptions and larger concerts like Cincy's World Music Fest, is a spacious, high-ceilinged room with a non-working pipe organ on one end and a massive stained glass window on the other. I usually can't say that a venue's restrooms are my favorite part of visiting there. Then again, until visiting LL, I'd never used a restroom that was built out of a church confessional booth. (In case you're wondering: Yes, the red "occupied confessional" light turns on when you walk in.)The only reason I didn't give Leapin' Lizard five stars is their unfortunate inability to get the word out about what an awesome place they are. Their website suffers from a severe identity crisis and they don't do much in the line of advertising save for their Facebook page. On the basis of sheer coolness alone, LL should be Covington's answer to The Southgate House. Come on, guys... You've got one of the coolest venues in town. Don't be afraid to let people know about it!

I have gone to The Leapin' Lizard several times for an event we call "Tribal Night". It is a bellydance party we call a hafla, where dancers from the Cincinnati area and beyond come to share their art with each other. We also have open dance, where everyone can participate. The folks at The Leapin' Lizard always have the venue beautifully arranged and ready to go. The sound system is rockin' and Richard usually has a tasty drink special to fit the theme of the night. The other bartenders are super friendly as well. I always look forward to the great time I know I'm going to have at this unique, eclectic venue! It is hard to find a place to park, but I think that applies to every venue in the Mainstrasse area.

It would be nice if they'd have their guest park in the lot for public parking instead of taking up street parking that the residents use.