Newport Aquarium: Discovering the Wonder Together

During our met-up with the Dias family  this summer,  we were not able to make it on time to go with them  at the Noah's Ark due to time constraints.  Even though we left Tennessee  early that day, it  wasn't enough time for us to make it so we  just rested  when we arrived and planned our adventure  the next day.  

We went to Newport Aquarium the next day.  It's a fun place to explore as it showcases thousands of animals from around the world in a million gallons of water.  I did  not get to see the enormously popular “Sweet Pea” and “Scooter,” which are the stars of the first shark ray breeding program in the world but I enjoyed every animal that I saw.  My kids had a blast too.

I did not know it  but this state-of-the-art facility  acquired quite a bit of recognition so it was worth visiting.  Below are the awards;

•  the No. 1 aquarium in the 2012 Readers’ Choice Travel Awards from 10Best.com; 
• the Best Rainy Day Outing in 2006 in Cincinnati Family Magazine; and 
• the Best Aquarium in the Midwest in the Zagat Survey’s U.S. Family Travel Guide in 2004.  

When you have children zoo and aquarium, are always the best places to visit  because not only it's fun to see different kinds of animal species but it  is also very educational not only for the kids but for adults as well.

It's so much fun to do it with friends, you get to learn while catching up with the  people you don't get to see very often.  What more could be fun than discovering the wonder together right?

Our children are definitely growing up.  I remember the first time we  met up in Florida, these kiddos were still little, now they are  almost teens.

They live in Texas so meeting each other is  a bit hard but we  try our best to do that once in a while when  time permits.

Gladly, they are still friends  just like us, parents.

My daughter is almost my height.  They will be taller than me soon.  They grow so much while I think I shrink as time goes by ha ha.

It's neat that they have this height and weight measuring  features at the aquarium.

After we  have explored  inside the aquarium, we tried to find a good place to eat but almost all of the place we checked are packed so we asked siri some nearby places we could go to.

We ended up eating at  Chick Fil A which was nice because we all love the place.  I am not sure when we can meet up again but I hope that it would be  sometime soon. 

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We finally got-together again after years have passed since our met-up in #DisneyWorld then in #Texas. It’s a great feeling to reunite with friends. We’ve known each other since I started blogging, almost ten years now. It’s rare to find real friends nowadays that’s why I value ours, thank you for all the wonderful memories we shared all these years, most especially for the friendship. #Friendship #GetTogether #AdventureWithFriends

A post shared by Chubskulit Rose (@chubskulitrose) on Jul 7, 2018 at 7:53am PDT

Anyway, one thing worth mentioning  for about the aquarium is that, they give discount to veterans  so if you have your military ID you can avail some savings such as photos and other  stuff.  We did not use it during the  admission though.  I am not sure if they allow it but we  were able to have a discount for the pictures we  claimed upon  getting out.

Our Relaxing Stay at Homewood Suites in Florence Kentucky

During our 2 days adventure in Kentucky, we stayed at Homewood Suites.  We chose  this  hotel accommodation because we liked it when we stayed with them during our vacation in San Antonio Texas few years ago.

When you have kids, having  a complimentary breakfast is a big plus.    Homewood Suites  always has a nice selection of  breakfast in their  morning menus.  

The room was very spacious, it's a perfect  place to stay if you have  small tots that loves to run around as there is plenty of space.

I also love the fact that they have a sofa bed  which  the kids always use.

The kitchen is complete with  tools and wares for use.

We never used the coffee as we always have our coffee at the  breakfast bar.

I was very impressed that they even  wash the dishes for you if you forget to  run the dishwasher.

Although, we did not  plan to cook there, it was nice having the kitchen because we meet up with a family friend and we  had  plates and silverware to use for our snacks.

Homewood Suites  truly  know that Home is where the heart is. They understand that even  when you travel you still long for the comfort of the home that's why they work harder to make you feel at home by offering their  guests with resourcefulness and flexibility.  I love that about them.  This is our second time staying with them and they never disappoint us.

I love the bathroom!  I wish our bathroom is that big lol.

The mirror has a built-in touch lamp in it, it was pretty cool.

There was a huge  closet to hang clothes, they even have iron and ironing board.

We only stay there for a couple of days and  I highly recommend them. 

They have an indoor poor with jacuzzi.  The kids love the swimming pool, they had some place to swim after a long day of stroll outdoors.

Their employees are really nice and courteous.  I noticed that most of them are hispanic.  

The lobby area is pretty big too.  I just didn't like that the indoor swimming pool is  near the lobby/reception area.  You can smell the  bleach when you come in but other than that, it's an over all  nice play to stay.

I love staying at a place like this because you feel at home.  I think it is a perfect place to stay especially if you are staying longer.

The day we checked in, the receptionist informed us that they are serving a free dinner which was a nice surprise.

If we ever go back to Florence Kentucky, we would surely stay at this hotel again.  Their price is decent.  I am NOT in anyway compensated for this post, I just want to share our great experience with them.