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Top Ohio museums for families

Cincinnati

Newport Aquarium

The Newport Aquarium is located right on the waterfront across the bridge from downtown Cincinnati and surrounded by dozens of fun shops, restaurants, and activities. The aquarium has 70 exhibits and 14 galleries, including five seamless acrylic tunnels totaling over 200 feet in length, featuring an amazing variety of aquatic life from around the world. The jellyfish gallery is hauntingly beautiful and the interactive session with a scuba diving expert is held in a pirate ship. Everyday at 10am is the free penguin parade outside the museum.

Address: 2008 Newport Aquarium, One Aquarium Way, Newport, Kentucky (a suburb of Cincinnati) 41071

Phone: 859.261.7444

Website:newportaquarium.com


Museum of Natural History and Science

Cincinnati has conveniently housed many of its museums and an IMAX theater in one place, Union Terminal. The Natural History and Science museum celebrates nature’s wonders. Children can walk through a glacier and step back 19,000 years into the Ice Age of the Ohio Valley, then explore a re-created Kentucky limestone cave, complete with underground waterfalls, streams, fossils and a live bat colony. Live demonstrations are constantly happening throughout the museum about topics as diverse as gardening and fossil cleaning.

Address: 1301 Western Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio

Phone: 800.733.2077

Website:cincymuseum.org


Duke Energy Children’s Museum

Consistently ranked in the top 10 children’s museums in the US, the Duke Energy Children’s Museum gives kids the freedom to allow kids to climb, crawl, and explore as they learn about themselves and the world around them. The museum offers eight educational and dramatic exhibit areas, including two especially designed for preschool age children and younger—Little Sprouts Farm and Kids’ Town. Kids will stay busy with scheduled crafts and activities as well as seasonal programs.

Address: 1301 Western Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio

Phone: 800.733.2077

Website:cincymuseum.org


National Underground Railroad Freedom Museum

Not many people know that Cincinnati, perfectly situated between the North and the South, was the hub of the underground railroad, helping an estimated 100,000 slaves find freedom in the North. The museum will help your children imagine a different time in America, and appreciate the freedoms of today, thanks to the oral statements of former slaves and the many images displayed. This is a visit that will prompt many discussions and is sure to make a profound impact on the entire family.

Address: 50 E. Freedom Way, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

Phone: 513.333.7500

Website:freedomcenter.org


Taft Museum of Art

The Taft Museum of Art is known as one of the finest small art museums in America. It houses famous works from Rembrandt and Whistler as well as many other European and American painters. Some Saturdays the museum offers “Families Create!” programs that combine storytelling and games with arts and crafts.

Address: 316 Pike Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

Phone: 513.241.6243

Website:taftmuseum.org

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