Out of the Way, Into Our Hearts

Today, at Newport Aquarium, without prompting, Adam hugged me and said, "Thank you for bringing me here!" That was all I needed to know that this side-trip on our route home was completely worth the time and expense. Today, we made memories that will last our lifetimes.

www.newportaquarium.com

Newport Aquarium is in Newport, Kentucky, just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. It is adjacent to a pedestrian-friendly area called Newport on the Levee, on the "river walk" level where there are street vendors, shops and restaurants and regular outdoor concerts. It reminded me a little of Church Street in Burlington, but with a view of a river.

We'll never remember that the morning started out rough:
* We had a lame breakfast at the run-down Quality Inn in downtown Cincinnati. So I packed some peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches and fruit in the backpack for the snacks I knew we would soon need.
* We got lost on our way to Newport and Adam worried about missing the 9:15 Penguin Parade. (The Tom Tom wasn't cooperating; it didn't recognize the aquarium or address.) But we had allowed plenty of time and Paul is a master of road navigation on the fly, so we made it there by 8:50.
* We had trouble negotiating our way into a parking area, having missed several entrances and feeling panicked. By pure chance, we landed in a lot directly under the "river walk" adjacent to the aquarium, and it cost just $2 to park for the entire day IN THE SHADE of an underground garage.

I had ordered our tickets by phone in advance, because the aquarium website warned that the line for tickets might be long. Admission fees are $20 for adults, $13 for kids age 2 and up. So our total was $53, and the tickets were waiting at the "Will Call" counter. I was second in line and there was no problem.


Our good fortune continued when Adam was selected to lead the Penguin Parade! Each day, one or two lucky kids are picked to lead the parade, and we had talked about this possiblity for weeks. Adam and another little girl got to go into a special area prior to the parade and put on a royal robe and crown (he got to keep his crown), then walk in front of the carriage that transported three African penguins along a red carpet. Following the parade a staff person gives a talk about penguins. We learned that penguins eat twice their weight in fish each day and poop about every 20 minutes. It was too hot to listen to the whole thing, so we went inside to the museum. And we stayed for five hours, because it was so much fun!

We looked into gigantic tanks featuring aquatic life from all regions of the world. We watched crabs and lobsters walk, gazed at unusual fish and marveled at translucent jellyfish.
We watched sharks and stingrays swim toward and past us and talked with a young man who told us everything we ever wanted to know about these ominous, majestic creatures. We strolled through a river environment and watched otters play. We walked through glass tunnels through tanks filled with sharks, turtles, rays and colorful fish. Zac and Adam laughed and played next to a tank of penguins that seemed to be doing the same. Adam pet sharks.

Just looking at the aquatic creatures fascinates kids of all ages. I saw plenty of babies, in front carriers and backpacks, who seemed content to look at the pretty fish and turtles. During busy periods, such as now, strollers are not allowed because it gets too crowded. (During our visit, a group of senior citizens arrived in wheelchairs, each one pushed by a caregiver, which made me wonder about the double standard.)

The aquarium is arranged so that you pass by the exhibits one by one and end up at the cafeteria and gift shop. Some smart marketing people helped plan that architecture. We walked through the entire length of the aquarium, which is said to hold "A million gallons of fun." Then we rested in the caferia where we purchased drinks to wash down our brown-bag PBJ's. Then we walked the aquarium in reverse so we could experience all of it again. We had to go through the gift shop to get to the exit -- those clever architects! -- so, after a brief shopping excursion , we emerged onto the river walk plaza at nearly 2:00 p.m.

Money spent on souvenirs: a photo of our family in the jaws of a shark, $21; a stuffed ray shark for Adam, $15; a frog grabbit stick for Zac, $5. A day with my family at Newport Aquarium: Priceless.