Newport Aquarium

Address:	1 Aquarium Way, Newport, KY 41071, USA
Phone:	+1 859-261-7444
Site:	newportaquarium.com
Rating:	4.4
Working:	9AM–6PM 9AM–6PM 9AM–6PM 9AM–6PM 9AM–6PM 9AM–6PM 9AM–6PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 6

Timothy Johnson

Wouldnt recommend it. Traveled down to Newport from the north taking 75 south. Took the 1B exit. Crossed the bridge over into Newport. There was not a single sign for the Newport Aquarium. Followed the Newport on the Levee exit around to a stop light. No Newport Aquarium sign there either. Turned right. I should have turned left. Got headed the right direction which took me right into the parking garage I will nickname malfunction junction- worst parking garage I have ever seen. Here again, there were no signs so we didnt know what we were supposed to do- go up; go down? And the elevators were slow as molasses- crowds waited at each levels elevators. Finally, by taking the stairs up, we arrived in a plaza with the entrance to the aquarium on the west end. People waited in the oppressive heat through switchback lines while about 4 sales staff sold them tickets. We already had tickets to we skirted the press of people to get in a line with other people who had tickets who were also being served by too few ticket takers. Finally, we entered the too-narrow corridors of the aquarium and trudged through the mass of humanity standing idly about. All in all, the aquarium cannot handle the mass of people allowed into it. Given all of the above, the Newport Aquarium is very over-rated; not a good buy for the dollar; and there is absolutely no effort made to provide direction to visitors. Definitely, once you have been, there is no need to ever go back again. Sad, very poor hospitality all the way around from Newport KY.

Bob Carnicom

Ive been to the Newport Aquarium several times, and every time back is such a fantastic experience. The staff are always smiling and willing to help/answer questions. The volunteers work hard to make the experience wonderful. If you go during popular times, you may be funneled in with a ton of people at one time. The entrance staff do their best to make sure not too many people enter at one time, but sometimes its unavoidable. Be patient, and dont rush the experience. Stop at every exhibit and learn about the many many species of wildlife. The biggest attraction, the salt water shark tank, has 3 or 4 different areas to view from. Plan to spend about 2-3 hours in the aquarium. We ended up doing the Penguin Encounter, and it was a fun and educational experience. My fiance loves penguins, and this was a birthday present for her. There are about 9 South African penguins in a room where you learn more about the species, get to pet them (under supervision) and get your picture taken with them. The experience is short, but most of the purchase goes towards the funds to help endangered species, like the South African penguin. The gift shop is just like any typical zoo gift shop. We purchased a painting that was done by penguins using their feet. The proceeds benefit Wave Foundation. I highly recommend all the experiences at the aquarium, and just realize that proceeds are beneficial to a lot of wildlife and not just for profit.

David Allis

We visited March 2014 with our six children. We home school, and were viewing this experience as an educational field trip. I rate it a mere 2 stars because, for one thing, I thought it was overpriced for the size and scope. Many tanks just looked like a slightly bigger version of what you might see in a pet store. But more importantly, it really missed a great opportunity to be educational. The names of the fish were not easy to locate, not under the tank but alongside, sometimes skipping a tank or sharing info with an adjacent tank. They could have easily placed maps showing the native origins, or added quirky, fun, and memorable information about the varieties. For instance, the Jellyfish were beautiful, though the displays were not spectacular, and there was nothing to describe the life cycle or place in the food chain, or whether or not this or that variety was dangerous to humans, or anything of interest...just the name of the jellyfish. Im not sure my kids learned anything about the beautiful sea creatures they encountered. Oh, and the only impressive tunnels are at the very end. By that time we were disgusted and just wanted to leave.

Courtney Denning

There are so many amazing and beautiful creatures at the Newport Aquarium! One of my favorite exhibits is Bizarre and Beautiful. You can see lovely lined seahorses, Mississippi paddlefish with their strange paddle shaped snouts, beautiful sea anemones and gigantic Japanese spider crabs. I loved how the sea anemones undulated in the slight current of their tank. They looked like a field of underwater flowers, blowing in a light breeze – so beautiful! I love getting to check out the touch pools at the aquarium! We were able to touch live animals in three areas: the Tide Pool in Shore Gallery, Turtle Corral in Turtle Canyon and the touch pool in Shark Central. I was so excited to check out the touch pool in Shark Central. I petted a pyjama shark (also known as a striped catshark!). The pyjama shark I petted slightly lifted its head when my fingers grazed its forehead. It’s skin was slightly slippery and a little rough, like sandpaper. I expect we will be back soon to explore the aquarium again (and to pet sea stars and sharks!). It’s a great indoor entertainment and education option for the sultry hot summer days of Ohio!

Dan Bunyard

This is a fairly great aquarium. The reason for the only 2 stars however, is the price vs experience. Let me explain: We got there right at 10AM, with pre-purchased tickets. No major issues with lines, and everything went smooth. However after only 20 minutes or so the crowds got exponentially large, and by the time we exited it was almost impossible to see anything. TON of strollers, very few actually had kids in them. Most of them seems to be bags or just in case. Lines to see everything, like waiting just to move past a tank. VERY little room to move, nowhere to even get out of the way to say change a battery in a camera. Everything jam packed with people. Want to stop and sit for a moment and watch something? Good luck. You will mostly end up staring at people. I will say the fish were extremely well cared for, probably better than the guests. This was a refreshing positive. Oh and near the end you have to WALK THROUGH the food court to continue on. Talk about trying to force a sale. All in all, it was neat to see ONCE, but we will never be back. Save you money and head to the zoo instead.

Sharyn Dunnette

NOT HAPPY! I purchased a family pass for my daughter and her family on November 17 to give as a Christmas present. I clearly stated on my phone call that it was my intention to give this membership as a Christmas gift and asked if they could send me anything that I could wrap up as a present. I did receive tickets in the mail. When I went to wrap the tickets on Christmas Eve, I noticed that the date the membership started was on November 17 (when I called to purchase) and not when my daughter and her family would turn in their tickets for their membership cards. I lost 1 month and 1 week because of this. I feel I should have been told this up front and I would have waited to purchase the tickets. I called on Christmas Eve and was told that the manager, Collin Wenzell, would call me back and would make things right. After 3 voice mails, I havent received a phone call back. Im very disappointed in the lack of customer service and lack of information when I called to purchase the membership. Sad to be treated like this after I was told Collin would make this right. Not a very merry Christmas!