Activities Close to Home: Newport Aquarium

Day 3 of my series "Activities Close to Home" is about our journey to the Newport Aquarium (read Day 1 about the Louisville Zoo here and Day 2 about Mammoth Cave here).  Just to recap, we used the following guidelines on choosing destinations to visit as a family this summer:

• Distance from our house (had to be within a 2 hour driving distance)
• Family friendliness
• Cheapness

Having visited Ripley's Aquarium at the Gatlinburg or Myrtle Beach locations for 4 years in a row, I was more than happy to be visiting an aquarium that was not Ripley's.  There were more similarities than I expected, but Newport Aquarium was a great day out.  They had the underground tunnel where you see water all around you, penguins, alligators, sharks, stingrays; basically anything you expect to see at an aquarium and more.

 

  

There was also a fun little play area for the kids in a great spot where kids could just have some fun and let off some steam after being such angels during the first part of exploring the aquarium ;)

One of the best parts of the Newport Aquarium is its location.  It is a beautiful walk all around.  Behind the aquarium is some beautiful scenery of Cincinnati and the Ohio River.

After going down the block we came upon an awesome bridge over the Ohio River for pedestrians.  Later I found out it was the Purple People Bridge, a bridge that was once upon a time part of the railway system, later a road for cars, and now is used as a pedestrian bridge over the Ohio River.  It was a great surprise and discovery for us, it was like finding a hidden treasure since we had no idea it was there!

 

 

I can see us visiting the particular area again.  I loved the location, the walking, the shops and restaurants all around.  If eating at a restaurant, this will bring our price up, but perhaps it is worth saving up for ;)

Newport Aquarium Pros:

• Everything you want to see at an aquarium and then some!
• Great location

Newport Aquarium Cons:

• Overpriced gift shop, but that was expected!

Newport Aquarium Tips:

• Wear your walking shoes!  Lots of great things to see and do in the surrounding area (including the Purple People Bridge).