NEWPORT, Ky. -- Northern Kentucky soon will be home to a
large-scale aquarium expected to attract many motorcoach travelers.
The $40 million project is being developed in Newport on the
southern bank of the Ohio River, across from Cincinnati. Oceanic
Adventures Newport Aquarium, slated to open in the spring of 1999,
will be a 100,000-square-foot, 1-million-gallon facility.
The building is being designed to be the signature structure on
Newport's riverfront, with an exterior resembling waves on the
water. The aquarium will showcase both freshwater and exotic
saltwater aquatic life. Among the many features of the facility
will be floor-to-ceiling tanks, a touch pool, and a "human
fishbowl" surrounded by sharks and 20 other species of marine
life.
The aquarium is one of several projects aimed at transforming
Newport and its riverfront area. Other initiatives include an
entertainment district called Newport on the Levy, which will
feature a collection of entertainment venues such as a large-screen
theater, a multiscreen cinema, an interactive entertainment center,
themed restaurants, live entertainment venues and specialty retail
shops.
A common plaza will link the district to the Riverwalk, which is
a walking tour of the historical Ohio River around Newport and
Covington, Ky., and Cincinnati.
Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau, Phone: (800)
447-8489