CINCINNATI - NORTHERN KENTUCKY
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Cincinnati Museum Center
Located in the historic Cincinnati Union Terminal, this complex is a one-of-a-kind center for history learning in the region. The 1933 art-deco building itself is a landmark on its own. The center houses six organizations in its facility - namely the Cincinnati History Museum, Museum of Natural History and Science, Duke Energy Children's Museum, Cincinnati History Library and Archives, the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust and Humanity Center, and the Robert D. Lindner Family Omnimax Theater.
Cincinnati History Museum
The Cincinnati History Museum lets visitors travel back in time to learn more about the Queen City's story. It provides visitors a glimpse of the city's past and the events that shaped it to become what it is today. One of its main attractions is the recreation of the 1850's Public Landing that depicts storefronts and scenes from a bustling riverside market. Climb aboard the Queen of the West, a replica of a side-wheeled steamboat. The museum also houses Cincinnati in Motion display, a 1/64 scale model of the city in the 1900s to the 1940s.
Museum of Natural History and Science
One of the three museums housed in the Union Terminal building and the oldest predecessor of the Cincinnati Museum Center, the Museum of Natural History and Science lets visitors explore the world of science, history, and nature through its interactive exhibits and activities. The museum features a Dinosaur Hall will unique fossils and specimens that could not be found elsewhere. It also has a replica of a limestone cave that lets guests experience spelunking adventure. Another highlight of the museum is the Neil Armstrong Space Exploration Gallery, presented by the Harold C. Schott Foundation, which celebrates the giant leap on space exploration of the Apollo 11 mission and Ohio native Neil Armstrong. The gallery displays numerous artifacts from the Apollo 11 mission and objects used by Armstrong during his historic space exploration.
Duke Energy Children's Museum
Great for younger children, this museum features exhibits and activities of educational value. The institute houses eight interactive displays and themed play areas, including two that are specifically designed for preschool-aged kids. Children can learn the basic concepts of physics, simple machines, and energy at the Energy Zone. Inside the Grin provides an educational space to learn more about proper oral hygiene and dental health inside a gigantic mouth. Students can discover the value of work and sense of community in the kid-sized neighborhood Kids' Town. It also has an infant and toddler-friendly play area at the Little Sprouts Farm. At The Woods, kids can challenge their physical prowess and imagination in an adventure-based wilderness themed area.
Newport Aquarium
Located in Newport, Kentucky at Newport on the Levee right across the river from Cincinnati, the aquarium allows visitors to experience the wonders from under the sea up close and personal. The facility houses 70 themed exhibits in 14 galleries, including five seamless acrylic tunnels totaling over 200 feet in length. It is home to thousands of animals from around the world including shark rays, alligators, penguins, various sharks, Giant pacific octopus, Moon jellyfish, seahorses, several species of corals, different kinds of reptiles, and amphibians. It also offers a thrilling encounter with the sharks through its first-in-the-world Shark Bridge that lets courageous souls walk on a rope bridges inches above a tank full of sharks. It is also home to two rare Albino alligators in captivity.
Kings Island
Cap your trip to Cincinnati with a visit to the largest amusement and water park in the Midwest. The park is located in a 364-acre area in Mason Ohio. It boasts several thrilling rides and attractions including 14 different roller coasters. The most well-known rides are the Diamondback roller coaster, The Races which ignited back the interest in roller coasters in the 1970s, the Banshee which was the longest inverted roller coaster in the world when it opened, and the Beast which is the tallest, longest, and fastest wooden roller coaster in the world in 1979. The Beast still holds the record as the longest wooden coaster at 2, 243 meters traveling across a 35-acre site at the speed of 65 mph. Kings Island also offers visitors a taste of Europe in its International Street with architecture inspired by France, Spain, and Switzerland complete with a one-third scale replica of the Eiffel Tower, and the Oktoberfest area which resembles a German town.
National Underground Railroad Museum
Visitors can surely learn something from the faith of the enslaved peoples as they struggle towards freedom and liberty. The museum pays tribute and commemorates all the efforts to "abolish human enslavement and secure freedom for all people." The museum's main exhibit is the only known surviving rural slave pen that housed slaves before they are transported and auctioned to the slave markets. The location of the museum is recognition of the role the city of Cincinnati played to the Underground Railroad, which is the way for many slaves' escape to freedom.
Cincinnati Art Museum
Founded in 1881, it is the first art museum in the west of the Alleghenies, and one of the oldest art museums in the United States. With 100,000 works of arts spanning over 6,000 years of history in its collection, it is recognized as one of the most comprehensive in the Midwest. The museum houses paintings of many European masters as well as a large collection of paintings from American Frank Duveneck. In 2003, The Cincinnati Wing was added to the museum to house and display works created for Cincinnati or by artists who hailed from the city.
Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum
The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum commemorates the history of the Cincinnati Reds, one of the oldest professional baseball teams in the United States, through displays, photographs, and audio-visual presentations. Established in 1958, it aims to recognize former Reds players, coaches. Managers, and executives. Currently, the Hall of Fame has 81 inductees with inductions held annually. The inductees include the individuals that contributed to the Cincinnati Reds legacy since 1869, the year that its predecessor the Cincinnati Red Stockings was born. Visitors also learn about the rich history of the team through displays of old uniforms, bats, gloves, balls, and other sports memorabilia in its galleries.
Cincinnati Observatory
Located on top of Mount Lookout in Cincinnati, the observatory is the oldest professional astronomical observatory in the United States. It is not only a center for astronomical research and study but also a place of history and inspiration. The 19th-century observatory consists of two buildings housing an 1845 Merz und Mahler 11 inch refractor and a 1904 Alvan Clark & Sons 16 inch refractor. The observatory hosts an extensive program, providing education in astronomy to students of all ages.