While my parents went on a very well deserved vacation (read about why this trip was on hold for two years here), my little brother and I had an awesome staycation in our amazing hometown.
Friday night started off at a family favorite, Buckhead Mountain Grill in Bellvue, KY. Their bread rolls and cinnamon butter are the subject of my food dreams quite frequently. The food is delicious, you have to try the cheese boulders! And you can’t beat the view of downtown Cincinnati from the huge patio with lots of outdoor seating. Unfortunately the lighting was not ideal for me to capture a photo, so you’ll just have to check it out for yourself!
After a great meal we went to Newport on the Levee our favorite arcade called Gameworks. Playing the Deal or no Deal video game, skee-ball, and shooting some dinosaurs made for a fun Friday night. Adam even won a 30 minute video game card for winning a Pacman contest.
Saturday started off with a trip to the Cincinnati Zoo to check out the Zoo Blooms. The entire zoo was covered in a rainbow of beautiful tulips.
The weather and all the gorgeous flowers made for a great afternoon wandering around the zoo.
Next was Adam’s volleyball game. They played great and won all three games. But the highlight was when Adam went to set the ball and it went right through his hands and hit him square in the face! Everyone, including Adam, busted out laughing! So proud of number 15.
After a great win, Adam and I headed up to the University of Cincinnati to watch the FC Cincinnati soccer game. This is the newest team in town joining the Reds, Bengals, and Cyclones. After only 2 home games, FC Cincinnati has become a huge hit with sports fans in the Queen City. My brother Steven and I have season tickets and are looking forward to more games with an amazing atmosphere.
Saturday night FC Cincinnati lost 2-3 to Louisville City FC in front of a United Soccer League record setting crowd of 20,497. It was quite impressive!
After mass on Sunday morning, Adam and I headed to the Newport Aquarium to check out the new seahorse exhibit. We were not disappointed! There are 10 new species in this space including the dwarf seahorse that grows to a maximum of 2 inches and the leafy sea dragon that looks like a piece of sea grass.
The Newport Aquarium also has 4 shark rays, albino alligators, several species of sharks, a 14.5 foot alligator named Mighty Mike, jellyfish, penguins, and tons of colorful fish. You can also touch sea stars and sharks with the very gentle 2 finger touch. Each time we go to the aquarium there is always something new to see and discover.
There is a huge mural on the wall of the aquarium that faces the Ohio River created by Artworks. And the view of downtown Cincinnati from Newport on the Levee is beautiful!
After the aquarium, Adam got his homework finished before we headed to dinner at Chili’s with our brother Steven. The weekend ended with the three of us belting out some songs on the car ride home accompanied by some pretty sweet dance moves. Pretty typical for the Kent kids.
I loved feeling like a tourist in my hometown and getting to spend it with my little brother. Now that the weather is nicer, get out and explore your own backyard. Comment below with your own favorite things to do in your hometown.
Happy adventuring travel friends!
Bridget
Photo credits:
https://roadtrippers.com/us/bellevue-ky/food-drink/buckhead-mountain-grill