Newport Aquiarium and Creation Museum

My family has just returned from a short vacation. We vacationed close to home because of the gas prices being so high. One tank of gas got us through. We brought our own food with us, but did eat one meal out. The most money we spent was in the gift shops getting things for the girls, of course.

We went to the Newport Aquarium just outside the Cincinnati area. I was very disappointed in this attraction. It did not live up to the advertised expectations. Of course we went during family hours because of having a 3 year-old and a 19-month-old. It was rough and crowded. The attractions are nothing like what is advertised. I was expecting huge over-the-head displays and all there was was dark tunnels with water around and some small fish and small sharks. Big thumbs down to a family friendly atmosphere too!

Now the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky was wonderful!! Even my girls enjoyed this trip. The displays are beautiful and very educational. The staff is very kind and helpful. There were plenty of activities to keep the whole family entertained. They had a petting Zoo that was my girls favorite place, the camel and goats were the big winners. My husband and I would like to go back again when just the two of us can go. As this was a pretty family friendly place, if you wanted to take time to read about every display and see all the theatricals, small children are not easy to cart along. Overall it gets a big thumbs up.

We stayed at the Econo-Lodge in Richwood, KY and for a "non-expensive" hotel it was not bad. The mattresses and pillows were a little on the flat and lumpy side, but the rooms were clean and in good repair. I would stay there again.

One thing that was frustrating is that people are so rude. What ever happened to people saying "excuse me" when they ram you in the back because they are running down the halls or saying I am sorry when they knock you over. Politeness seems to be a dying art. It really hurts to see how common courtesy has gone down the toilet.

Overall the vacation was a thumbs up.