On the third leg of our Epic 2.5 Week Family Road Trip we are in Cincinnati, Ohio and we visited the Newport Aquarium. The aquarium is located over the river in Newport, Kentucky and it’s worth the trip over the bridge!
As always, this is our version of a trip. All depictions and information is solely based on our experience. I hope you use this as a reference for your next amazing adventure!!!
What to know before you dive in…
You have to plan ahead. Tickets are “timed entry tickets” and will be for a certain time. You can pre-purchase tickets here. Technically you can buy tickets at the aquarium on the day of but they do sell out and it’s possible that your preferred time will not be available.
At the time of our visit, my boys were 7 and 3, and this Aquarium appealed to both ages as well as us adults. There are so many activities, both hands on and visual, which made the day so much fun for all. We spent about 2.5 hours in the aquarium including lunch.
Over the River and to the Sea
As you progress through the aquarium you will see fish and other marine life in their various habitats. You will see both salt water and fresh water examples as well as teeny tiny and really big fish.
Some exhibits change periodically, so make sure to check with the aquarium, here, before you go.
Here Fishy, Fishy
We were excited to learn about marine life and were even more excited to see it face-to-face. There are so many individual tanks, big, and small that you can see up close.
Some of our favorite spots included the giant tanks full of sharks and ocean life.
We were clearly captivated by the many tunnels that give you an almost 360 view of the fish. It feels like you are swimming right there with them. Look closely and you may even see a scuba diver.
There are other ways that you can interact with the fish. You can pop your heard into a tank to get a really cool vantage point. There are also various touch-tanks where you can get your hands went and touch animals like sting rays, anemones, and starfish.
They save the best for last. You get to climb over a SHARK BRIDGE!!! Literally a rope bridge over a tank of sharks. So dang cool!
Shark Bait
We were hungry after our trek around the aquarium and we were pleased with the cafe at the aquarium. They had kid favorites like hot dogs and fires, as well as adult favorites like fresh chicken tacos, and even buffalo mac and cheese (not pictured).
The Levee
You can’t go to the Newport Aquarium without checking out Newport on the Levee.
Make sure to check out how the rest of our time in Cincinnati went here.
A Great Traveled Life 