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Newport Aquarium Newport Aquarium Review 2014

Discussion in 'United States' started by CuseZoofan, 8 Jun 2014.

  1. CuseZoofan

    CuseZoofan Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Kirkville, NY, USA
    On May 12th of my trip into Ohio we made a stop across the river into Newport Kentucky, a place I had never been too or knew too much about except that they had a decent aquarium. Newport proved to be a neat town that caters to the tourists but the levee where the aquarium is located is a unique shopping and dining area that is like an outdoor mall with entertainment. Unfortunately I did not have time to see the famous Cincinnati Zoo this trip but will make that trip in the future.

    After entering the main lobby guests descend down the escalator or elevators to the lower level which is the actual aquarium. You can then go right into the main path of the aquarium areas and exhibits or go the opposite way to the cafe, Shark touch tank and Penguin Exhibits. The Cafe is merely a small eatery with made to order dishes and some pre-made items. It wasn't the best food location I've experienced but did the job well enough. The touch tank was quite impressive in the different species that visitors are able to feel. The most prevalent being the Leopard Sharks who seemed the most comfortable with the touching as well, many of the species were easily 3-5 feet in length. The Penguin Experience was a large exhibit that simulates the Arctic rocks and ice much like the old Penguin Encounter at Seaworld did and is home to 5 species of penguins including kings and rockhoppers as well as arctic terns. The exhibit features several rows of seats for viewing as well as their penguin show.

    Entering the main Aquarium you start by seeing different species from rivers all around the world. Many tanks are what you would expect from an aquarium that house several species mixed together in decent tanks. Newport does an excellent job with the natural look of each one. In the center was a large Cichlid tank that was open topped with plenty of real plants and rock work. Others included an African Congo river, Mekong River, Australian Fly River, and a neat cave fish exhibit. One thing that makes Newport so unique is the amount of tunnels they have, when exiting the rivers section you walk thru a small tunnel of freshwater species into the Shores section which is home to different coastal species. Exhibits range from a Hawaiian Islands exhibit, a salt marsh exhibit and a touch tank. You also can enter what they call Shark Ray Bay which is merely a very large viewing window into the main Shark tank with rows of benches for when they do their feedings and dive shows. However it does seem to be the one area the famous Shark Rays congregate compared to the rest of the tank. I was amazed at how large these animals really were and how graceful they could be. After exiting the Shores area is a second tunnel exhibit this time of a Pacific Kelp Forest that is home to a huge California Sheepshead fish.

    Next is the less impressive Bizarre and Beautiful section, which is home to strange species like Giant Pacific Octopus, Seahorses, and Japanese Spider Crabs. On my visit much of the area was being renovated for what appears to be new exhibits. Following the path past murals of extinct sea creatures you find yourself in the Dangerous and Deadly exhibit hall which has more than just fish. Among its residents are Red Bellied Piranhas, Lionfish, Gila Monsters and a large Gaboon Viper. After rounding the corner you enter Gator Alley which is home to many of the Aquariums reptiles including snakes, turtles and many crocodilian species. One side of this entire area is dedicated to Big Mike the largest American Alligator outside of Florida. His exhibit is meant to mimic a southern swamp house and beach with large glass panels allowing for maximum viewing of this enormous creature, the largest crocodilian I have ever seen aside from the legendary Gomek at St. Augustine. The other exhibits are less impressive and down right small, they almost kept me from wanting to visit based on what I have seen from this site. Many of the species such as Nile, Morelet's, Gharial etc. were infants of their kind but these exhibits still seemed awfully small. The only other species being exhibited that had some what adequate space was the Orinoco Crocodile who had an exhibit that was crossed over by a bridge with special viewing windows into the water.

    When leaving the Alley you can check out Frog Bog which I mostly skipped due to the excessive amount of school children running around but did see some of the nice exhibits they have for their amphibians. You can also enter what was once the Rainforest to the new Turtle Canyon. The old Otter Exhibits now hold soft shell turtles in the pool and one of the largest Galapagos Tortoise on display currently on the land side. there are also smaller tanks that divide the path and a special touch zone with 2 or 3 turtles/tortoise at a time. The last exhibit is a large Alligator Snapping turtle in a glass fronted enclosure. The one down side to this area was the extreme heat and humidity which made for a short visit.

    The next two sections were some of the best in the whole Aquarium as they were the next two Acrylic tunnel walk thru tanks. The first was the impressive Amazon Tank which is one of the reasons I wanted to visit, it has impressive sized species of Arapaima, Pacu and Arowana among some other smaller species. It truly looked like an Amazon river being that it was murky but clear enough to see and full of vegetation. The second was the Reef tank which was bright and colorful and contained several Reef species including Eagle Rays. After exiting the two tunnels is the serene Jell Fish Gallery which has several tanks with multi colored lighting effects to show off the jellies better, a highlight was the Lions Mane Jellyfish tank. This area is designed to create a peaceful mood and tranquil feeling and has dimmer lighting and an art gallery look to it.

    The final section is what many people come to see, the impressive Shark Tank Walk thru tunnel which is the largest tunnel and Tank at the aquarium and is home to several species including Black tip, white tip, nurse, sand tiger, zebra, lemon and the famous shark rays. Other large fish swim along the sharks but the sharks and shark rays are the stars. Other inhabitants including rays and a Loggerheard Sea Turtle. The exhibit is absolutely massive and has plenty of viewing opportunities and many of the sharks will pass right overhead giving a view many cannot ever experience. While I truly liked the Norfolk Canyon exhibit at the Virginia Beach Aquarium, this was my new favorite for the ability to get so close.

    Newport proved to be a fantastic aquarium albeit smaller than some, it had impressive exhibits with the exception of some of the Gator Alley exhibits. They offer lots of chances to get up close to species and to show off their impressive collection. I would recommend a visit if your are in the Cincinnati Area as it is just across the river. A quick fact, Newport is owned by the same people who run the Adventure Aquarium in New Jersey which are both owned by Herschend Entertainment which operates Dollywood and Silver Dollar City.
     
  2. Moebelle

    Moebelle Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    I'm not done reading yet but I'm just curious of why you took a right at the start of the aquarium when the actual aquarium galleries begin to the left? Also the largest crocodilian they have in the tanks at Gator Alley is 5 inches long.

    And the aquarium does not have Lions Mane Jellyfish. They have moon, spotted, colored, upside down, and west coast sea jellies.
     
  3. CuseZoofan

    CuseZoofan Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Location:
    Kirkville, NY, USA
    I may have mixed up the Jellyfish from a previous zoo, in all I took in 6 on a week long trip, thanks for the species list. Also when I visited most of the Crocodilian Species in the smaller tanks were bigger than 5 inches, its possible that they replaced them with smaller ones after I visited. And to answer your first question, we have a young daughter and when we arrived at the aquarium it was time for her too eat soon, so we didn't want to get halfway thru the exhibits and have to either turn around or rush by the rest. It actually worked out well because she was much more enjoyable after she ate : )
     
  4. snowleopard

    snowleopard Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

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    Thanks for all of your recent reviews, and I also enjoyed Newport Aquarium when I visited in 2012. At that time Gator Alley had some terribly small enclosures for juvenile crocodilians but for the most part the aquarium was rather pleasant. I think that it would just barely squeeze into the top 20 aquariums in the United States.