Sunday, January 13

Florida Trip Day 2 - Newport, Kentucky

Day two of our trip we got up and headed across the street from the Travel Lodge for breakfast on the Levee. Newport is just across the river from Cinncinnati, OH. It is a pretty place. Below you will see Jordan heading to the stairs that take you onto the Levee. We had breakfast at Mrs. Fields. The boys loved it and when we finished eating, we headed for the Aquarium that had just opened.
Above is a tiger shark. The boys both enjoy sea creatures and were amazed to see all of them together in one spot. Neither of them had ever been to an aquarium before. They have been to Marineland in Niagara Falls, but this was a new experience.
All of the creatures were so very interesting. Above is a sea horse. It's not the greatest photo in the world, but we were taking all of these through glass. Many have reflections, but some do not.
There were hundreds of species of fish and even the natural habitat the Aquarium had created was interesting.


Jordan was amazed at the size of this turtle shell. Brandon has studied turtles and told Jordan that they can get much bigger than this. It was interesting to listen to their conversation about all they were seeing. This big guy was interesting to watch. The boys spent quite a bit of time at the turtle exhibit. They both love turtles.
More turtles. These are a different species. These ones were vividly striped dark green and a kind of greenish yellow. They were the most active turtles in the tanks.


We all enjoyed watching the sharks. This is a very small one. When Dwight and I were there a few years ago, they had a giant Great White. It wasn't there this time. Either it died or has been moved to another aquarium. These creatures are very interesting but I wouldn't want to meet one that wasn't behind glass.

Here are the boys watching the jelly fish. What fascinating creatures they are, but it's very hard to get a photo of them. If you look closely, you can see them in the tank.


A large shark and some small fish. We did see a shark eat some fish in one of the tanks. There are a vast range of fish species in all tanks at the Aquarium.

It's hard to believe that Brandon is going on 6 feet tall and he is only 12. Both boys enjoyed having their picture taken so close to this shark.

At ten, Jordan is quite a bit shorter, but has grown quite a bit in the past year.

The Aviary was interesting with a wide range of bird species from all over the world. They were beautiful. This one was so brightly colored, but it was hard to get photos of them. They move around so quickly. I did manage this one but the quality isn't good.


Penguin Encounters was the last stop before the gift shop and exit. The boys both like penguins. Brandon did a project on Emperor Penguins last year and was thrilled to see them up close. Again, it was hard getting a good photo because of the glass, but this exhibit was awesome. We even saw penguins sliding into the water for a bit of swimming fun.

We had a great time at the Newport Aquarium. We entered just after opening at 10am and left at 1pm. We then headed for a very unique lunch experience for the boys. I'll tell you about it tomorrow and post a couple of photos.

Thanks for stopping by and joining me on our first day of vacation. Maybe later today I will post for Green Thumb Sunday. ~Blessings, Mary~

28 comments:

  1. Great pictures! I didn't know that Newport has an aquarium. We used to live close to Newport many moons ago. At that time, Newport wasn't a very nice place. Looks like it's changed for the better.

    We have an aquarium here in Atlanta, but I've never been there.

    Looking forward to more posts about your trip.

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  2. Lynne,

    I'm not sure when the aquarium was established but hubby and I stopped there in 2006. There are 16 themed exhibits and 11,000 different species that call the aquarium home. It's a very interesting venue. If you get a chance, be sure to see it. It's awesome.

    Thanks for dropping by.
    Blessings,
    Mary

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  3. Good Morning Mary,
    Oh, I love your photo's of your trip to the Aquarium. I have never been to an Aquarium myself, but would love to go to one someday. I know our girls would enjoy it as well. "THANK YOU" for sharing another day from your Vacation with us. I so enjoyed it and look forward to the others you will be sharing with us. I have been thru Kentucky with DH before, but I don't think I've ever heard of Newport, KY. My Sister has been to the Aquarium in Atlanta, GA before and she said she would love to take the girls there someday. Take care my friend and have a great day. May God Bless You and Yours.

    Love & Hugs,
    Karen H.

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  4. That looks like a fun stop on the way down. It's nice to do a few fun things while driving.

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  5. Thanks for sharing the vacation with us. The boys looked like they really enjoyed the aquarium. We have one in Chattanooga that I have been to but the one in Gatlinburg was just being built the last time I was there. My brother says it is better than the one in Chattanooga.
    looking forward to your next post.
    Peace

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  6. It sounds like you had a fabulous time. I love aquariums as well. We had one in our house for years but since we moved into our new home haven't set it up again. I need to get going on that. Have a great day! God Bless!

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  7. What a wonderful time you must have had with those too cute little boys!!! Such fun times with Grandma!!! the pictures are wonderful and I have always wanted to go to an aquarium but have not made it yet... Maybe this next summer me and DH will go to San Diego.. I would love to see Sea World ( I think that is the name) Anyway... I love the pictures and look forward to more.....

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  8. Lovely photos.

    I'm happy you are home safe.

    Mari-Nanci

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  9. Karen,

    Newport is right across the river from Cinncinnati. As soon as you pass out of Ohio into Kentucky, you see the aquarium sign.

    I'm glad you are still online and able to enjoy the photos. Aquariums are fun. This is the first one that I was ever to and the first one for the boys. We've been to Marineland in Niagara Falls, but this is much different. They even had a scuba diving Santa, which was a bit of a disappointment, but it was fun to see Santa scuba diving even if the program was for the very young.

    Take care, Karen. I continue to keep you in my prayers.

    Blessings,
    Mary

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  10. Mari,

    It gave the boys a break and they really enjoyed it.

    Blessings,
    Mary

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  11. Lady Di,

    It was fun to watch the boys at the aquarium. They really enjoyed it. I will be sure to visit the one in Chattanooga one day.

    Blessings,
    Mary

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  12. Kathleen Marie,

    We had an aquarium for years but after hubby had his heart attacks and bypass surgery, we decided to let it go. It was a lot of work - a 35 gallon.

    Thanks for stopping by. I continue to keep you in my prayers.

    Blessings,
    Mary

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  13. Denise,

    We went to Sea World in Florida. I don't want to spoil that story, so will tell you all about it in a future post. I will say it was awesome.

    Blessings,
    Mary

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  14. Mari Nancy,

    Thanks for the warm welcome home. I will be over for a visit soon.

    Blessings,
    Mary

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  15. Hi Mary,This sounds like you all how so much fun!! The boys learned a lot too!
    Looking forward to your next post!!! Love and Hugs, Grams

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  16. Carolyn,

    We did have a lot of fun at the Levee. There's a big mall there and a unique restaurant, plus we took photos and watched the barges go down the river. Brandon is very smart about sea creatures and he still learned a lot. Jordan loves fish and marine animals to, so they both had a good time.

    Blessings,
    Mary

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  17. Your trip was a wonderful occasion for the boys. They will remeber it for years. I can still remember our trip to New York when i was 9 where we went to fire Island to swim and took in the Planetariam which was so mysterious to me.

    The trip was before there was a New York Thruway

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  18. Oh these photos are just outstanding!!! We have an aquarium here in town, but I don't think it's NEARLY as neat as the one you and the boys were in.....I bet they had a blast.

    I'm loving this 'trip' with you.

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  19. Philip,

    Yes, I'm sure the boys will remember the trip. They loved the aquarium and Disney. They are getting a little old for Magic Kingdom, or so they think, but loved Animal Kingdom, Epcot and MGM.

    When we were kids a trip was a big thing. When I was about 7, Dad took us to Niagara Falls. It was a big deal back then.

    Take care. Nice to hear from you.

    Blessings,
    Mary

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  20. Anni,

    The boys loved the aquarium and talked about it all the way to Florida. It kept them busy talking about all the things they'd seen. I will be posting more photos tomorrow. The Levee was quite an experience for them.

    Thanks for dropping by. I always enjoy your visits.

    Blessings,
    Mary

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  21. I love the pictures so much, thanks for sharing my friend.

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  22. Denise,

    I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. It's nice to be able to share them with all of my blogging friends.

    Thanks so much for stopping by. I am so glad to be back in touch.

    Blessings,
    Mary

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  23. Mary,

    This is great stuff! I'm glad that your vacation went well, I only wish that it could have been a tad bit warmer in Florida for you. I'm looking forward to reading about the rest of your vacation. I bet the dog was glad to see you get back home too!

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  24. Deborah,

    We were happy with the weather, except for the two days of 48 degrees. That was a bit cold even for us. We had a wonderful time.

    Meeko was thrilled to be home and all day yesterday he followed us from room to room. We had to go out for a few minutes and he was a little upset. We went to the library today and he was fine with it. I did catch him lying on the couch though. I guess he wants all the comforts of home.

    Blessings,
    Mary

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  25. Mary,

    Wow - what a great aquarium and your photos are wonderful! I haven't been to an aquarium in about 35 years, since I went with my sisters to the Boston Aquarium. There were no birds or penguins.

    What a great vacation for the boys. I can see that they have both grown!

    Thank you for sharing your vacation. I look forward to reading more! :-)

    Hugs,
    Tina

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  26. Tina,

    I had never been to an aquarium until I went to this one three years ago when Dwight and I went to KY. I have been to Marineland in Niagara Falls, but this is much better. It had changed a little but is certainly awesome. The boys loved it and yes, they have really grown.

    Thanks so much for stopping by. I always enjoy your visits.

    Blessings,
    Mary

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  27. I love your new header and the "random kindness" reminder in your sidebar ... enjoyed the photos of your visit in Florida. I love penguins too, but my personal favorite is the octopus at the Long Beach aquarium and the sea otters at the Monterey Bay aquarium!!!

    It's nice to have you back and sharing ... I'll bet Meeko IS glad to have you back. Molly loves playing with her fur-friends at Camp Ilene when I travel, but she's overjoyed to come home with me when I return.
    Hugs and blessings,

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  28. Storyteller,

    Thanks for your kind comments on my new header. Mary from Isabella's Closet made it for me and I absolutely LOVE IT. She is such a talented person. She also made my Christmas header.

    Thanks for dropping by. We did enjoy our vacation and we saw many things that the boys and us enjoyed. The aquarium was a real hit with the boys and then we did Sea World. They weren't counted absent from school because they did so many educational things and learned a lot.

    Blessings for a great day.
    Mary

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