Short trip to Cincinnati

[ttfn3]

DH, DS and I just returned from a 3 day trip to Cincy. We drove down on Sunday and spent a great day at the Newport on the Levy. We ate lunch at Claddagh Irish Pub - enjoying a fine Irish lunch with a great view of downtown Cincy - and the crazy people climbing the bridge nearby. Check this out! http://www.purplepeoplebridgeclimb.com/ After lunch, we visited the Newport Aquarium. Very cool aquarium. If you are ever in Cincy - or Newport, Ky - it's a must see. Allow about 3 hours and you'll have plenty of time. DH's favorite was watching the otters being fed.

We stayed in a nice little hotel called the Homewood Suites located in Sharonville. We had a 1 BR suite with a kitchen area (complete with full sized fridge, sink, microwave, 2 burner stove, coffee pot, real plates, glasses, and silverware). The unit was very comfortable - and it's in a convenient location to I-75 and I-275. The staff was very friendly. Breakfast is included and it was very tasty! (Make your own Belgium Waffles with whipped cream and strawberries or syrup, eggs, bisuits, sausage gravy, sausage, ham, cereals, yogurt, fruit, muffins, etc etc - lots of food and tasty). Mon-Thurs they also have a social hour that includes simple dinner such as lasagna, garlic bread, veggies/dip, soft drinks and adult beverages. The only negative is the hotel is located in an industrial area so the traffic can be a bit noisy. Oh - the hotel has a house cat named Max (very friendly).

The hotel staff wasn't very knowlegable about local owned restaurants but we managed on our own. We discovered the Blue Goose (a sports bar/restaurant), Burbanks BBQ, and the Root Beer Stand (that makes homemade root beer).

The second day we spent a great day at the Beach Waterpark. LOVE this waterpark. It's awesome! The Aztec will take your breath away! (Note - we drove by the throngs of people driving into Kings Island. If you are trying to get to the park going north on I-71, take the second Kings Island Exit (the one for the Beach Waterpark). The traffic isn't as heavy.

The third day we traveled to the Cincy Zoo. It's an old zoo. I can't say that we were terribly fond of this zoo. You can tell they are having a bit of a funding problem. So sad.

Overall, we had an enjoyable little trip! The only things on our list that we didn't get to do was go to Izzy's for lunch - and to visit Jungle Jim's (an unique market/grocery in Fairfield OH).

 

[lindakmonty]

Sounds like you really enjoyed it I took my ds5 to Newport aquarium 2 years ago..and Kings Island of coarse!! Glad you had a good time!

 

[ohiomom28]

I live so close yet have never been to Newport aquarium. I would love to go, but finding the time is always the problem. I did take my son to both the Columbus and Cincy zoos this year and I personally liked the Cincy zoo better. Except for the monstrous hills, they have a better selection of animals.

So glad you had a good time.

 

[mrsmom]

I live in Cincy and hardly go to the zoo ,maybe every two yrs. Next time you get to Newport on the levee try Brio's restaurant , They have the best steaks!!! WE were at kings island Sunday, It wasn't really crowded at all, had a good time .
Kim

 

[Tigger&Belle]

We're going to Cincinnati this summer, so it's good to get some feedback about the area.

We are planning on going to Newport Aquarium, so I'm glad you enjoyed it. You said 3 hours was plenty of time--is there other things to do in the area to make it a day?

I was on the fence about the zoo, but I will cross it off our list. We're not big zoo people and we have the National Zoo close to us if we want a zoo.

We'll be spending a couple days at Kings Island (have Kings Dominion season passes so we'll get in free to KI). Were you in the area on a weekend?Hopefully the people won't be streaming in on a weekday when we're planning on going.

Glad you liked the Beach Waterpark--that's on our list, too. How long did you spend there? Are there discounts to get in? I'd love anything else you could tell me about this park. Our kids are 6-15yo, but the 6yo is a daredevil and will go on anything he is allowed on (and is 48"), so hopefully he can do most everything.

Jungle Jims is on our list.

What is Izzy's?

 

[ttfn3]

Newport Aquarium is located on Newport on the Levy. It's part of a shopping area (very similar to one we have here in Columbus). There's plenty of restaurants, some shops, and a GameWorks Arcade. There are also riverboat cruises that you can catch at the Ohio River. The Aquarium had some deals where you could buy a riverboat sightseeing cruise and admission to the aquarium. If the Reds are playing a game, you could also catch a baseball game. There are bridges that you can walk on to get to the stadium from the levy or you can take a water taxi. The people watching is great from the Levy. Definitely have a meal at one of the restaurants with a view of the river. There is also a Hooters and an adult only sports bar right on the river. Boats can pull up to the bars.

The Beach Waterpark is awesome! We go there around 11:30 and stayed until about 7 p.m. We went on a Monday. The price of admission is cheaper on Mon-Thurs. We were able to buy tickets at our hotel for $10.50 each! A great bargain!!! The food prices were pretty reasonable. If you have a AAA card, take it. You get 50% off parking - and a 10% discount on food. Make sure you take your own beach towels. We went on a Monday and the lines were very manageable. We did not rent any tubes.

For Kings Island - get there early!!! The traffic was horrible for a Monday morning around 11 a.m. Personally, I would avoid KI if it's hot and muggy. However, they also have a waterpark, so you may be able to get some relief there.

Here's a link to Izzys:
http://www.izzys.com/Default.asp
It's a deli. Very good corned beef sandwiches.

 

[jen0610]

We loved our day at The Levee and the aquarium. We killed almost 4.5 hrs in the aquarium. We took our time. I think I took well over hundred pictures, haven't yet deleted the ones that didn't turn out.

The kids loved, loved, loved the aquarium. DD is 9 and DS is 11. They loved being able to "pet" the sharks. Never in my life did I think that the kids and DH would pet a shark. Yes they were very small, but I never thought they would do it. DS has an obsession with the movie Jaws.

The shark-ray that they have is very cool. Had never heard of this type of shark before.

We walked around the levee and went into several of the stores. Both kids used the telescope viewers that they had along the river. We were lucky to get an extra treat, as there was Italian festival going on. DH declaired that the next time we go down for a Reds came, we will go for a long stay and spend some more time over at Newport.

 

[believe]

I live in N KY and work in Cincinnati. I am glad to hear you enjoyed the area.

Jen0610...We were at the Italian Fest on Friday night...it was packed.

Another restaurant I would recommend if you like pizza is Dewey's, it is also on the levee. I second Brio's...I love that restaurant. Down the street a bit is Buckhead's, similar to O'Charlies but with a rustic atmosphere.

For anyone coming to the Cincy area you may want to look at this site, http://wvmx-cc.yourcincinnati.com/, on Fridays before 8am to see if there are any restaurants you want to go to. I know they sometimes have Buckheads on there.

For anyone who enjoys flowers we have the Crohn's Conservatory. There is also an art museum in that area.

As for the zoo, DH and I have been to many zoos and Cincinnati is the one we have enjoyed most. I also believe if you check it is rated very high in the area of research.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

We're trying to plan our days. We want to go to Kings Island a couple days (since we have the Season Passes and only pay for parking, we might stick another 1/2 day in there, too), the Beach for a day, the Newport Aquarium and the surrounding area for a day, and a Reds game. We'll have 6 days whole days, Sunday through Friday. The Reds have M-W night games plus a Thursday day game.

So my questions are...Is Sunday a bad day for the aquarium crowdwise? I assume that weekdays are best for Kings Island. Is earlier in the week better? Do a lot of camps go there? Are we allowed to bring water into the Beach Waterpark? I know food and drinks are not allowed, but didn't know if this included water.

I'll probably think of more questions, given time. Thanks for the help!

ttfn3, I'll make sure I bring my AAA card to the Beach.

Any idea if the AAAcard can give discounts at other places (Aquarium, maybe?).