You won’t have your toes in the sand, but you’ll feel like you’re at the ocean at Newport Aquarium. Whether you make it a long weekend in Cincinnati or head there for the day, you’ll find plenty to explore for hours. Get BOGO tickets through November 3 to celebrate the new baby gators!
Newport Aquarium is just 2 hours away and showcases thousands of animals, plus fun and interactive activities.
Fun Features at Newport Aquarium
Gator Alley
Check out the two dozen adorable baby alligators to the popular Gator Alley collection of exhibits! Watch the babies swim in the bayou and bask on its banks. The aquarium is celebrating their growing family with a Bayou Baby BOGO offer. Through November 3rd, buy one general admission ticket and get one of equal or lesser value for free with advance purchase online at Newport Aquarium.com.
The exhibit replicates a cypress swamp like those found in Florida and Louisiana. Alligators thrive in the warm, humid temperatures of the bayou, so this new home is a perfect nursery for the Bayou Babies. The hatchlings are about one month old and only six inches long. Baby alligators grow about a foot a year during their first few years.
Freshwater Falls
Take a peek at what lies below the rippling surface of cascading streams and waterfalls around the world. Walk through a tunnel to see what it’s like at the breaking surface of a Kentucky waterfall at a habitat. See the cross section of a cascading stream of the Congo and the West African lungfish, which walks on four fins and breathes air. Check out the elephantnose fish that finds food with an electric current in its long nose. Gaze at the brightly colored collection of cichlids cross section of a Central American waterfall. And check out the 13 tanks featuring different freshwater ecosystems of aquatic life from around the world.
Jim Henson’s Splash & Bubbles Reeftown Adventure
Kids can climb and play their way through Coral Cove and become a Reeftown Ranger as they learn about our One Big Ocean and the animals that call it home.
Plus, visit the Kelp Forest where families can color their own fishy friends and bring them to life in the animated world of Splash and Bubbles!
SHARKS!
Are you brave enough to cross the Shark Bridge or Surrounded by Sharks tunnel? Shark Bridge is the world’s first suspended rope bridge where guests can walk just inches above more than two dozen sharks, shark rays and other ocean animals. Surrounded by Sharks provides seamless acrylic tunnels that allow you to immerse yourself in the ocean surrounded by sharks!
Ring of Fire: World of the Octopus
Don’t miss the immersive exhibit Ring of Fire: World of the Octopus with three different zones to explore. Experience life deep in the sea with glowing lights and rumbling sounds representing churning seismic activity that created the rippling sea floor, caves and other rock formations where the Giant Pacific Octopus live.
Other Newport Aquarium fun
Explore the Stingray Hideaway where you’ll interact with stingrays like never before. Get a thrill at the Dangerous and Deadly exhibit – featuring the predators of our nightmares. Are all sea creatures slimy? Find out at Tide Pool Touch where you’ll have a touchable view of the many species of underwater creatures at the Touch Pool. Kids will love finding the secret frog tanks when they climb through tunnels and tubes in the Frog Bog jungle gym. Watch penguins waddle and play in Penguin Palooza. Catch the eye of the rare white gators, Snowflake and Snowball in Gator Alley. Legends tell how gazing into the eyes of a white alligator can bring good luck and prosperity.
Tickets Discounts and Events for Newport Aquarium
Newport Aquarium is open every day of the year, and offers ticket discounts of $1-$3 at Kroger Stores, and with Military, AAA, and AARP membership.
BOGO Admission
Through November 3rd, buy one general admission ticket and get one of equal or lesser value for free with advance purchase online at Newport Aquarium.com.
Slumber Parties at the Aquarium
Newport Aquarium Overnight Adventures feature after-hours fun for visitors ages 6 and up. Bring your sleeping bag and PJ’s and sleep with the fish! Enjoy behind-the-scene tours, animal encounters, snack in the evening and breakfast in the morning, and more. Stay and enjoy the aquarium the day after your Overnight Adventure for FREE, a $25.99 value. Get an Annual Pass at the special price and you can save $9 on ALL overnight adventures. Cost is typically $49.99 for non-members (and includes all day admission the following day). It’s cheaper than many hotels and will be a memorable experience.
Friday, October 25: Halloween Overnight.
Who needs werewolves and bats when you can spend the night with sharks and penguins! Enjoy costume contests, trick or treat stations, Halloween crafts, snack stations and special animal encounters. Plus, explore aquarium exhibits like Stingray Hideaway, the underwater tunnels and take a trip across Shark Bridge, just inches above a tank full of sharks!
Friday, November 15: Sharks After Dark Overnight
Sleep with the sharks at Newport Aquarium’s next Overnight Adventure Program – Sharks After Dark – on Friday, November 15. Bring your PJs and spend the evening learning about sharks before spending the night in the Aquarium.
Be sure to check out our Visitor Tips page for more suggestions to make your visit the best.
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