Eye Level With Kass and Tibbs : Newport Kentucky Aquarium, and Jungle Jim's

If you are looking for some unique experiences in the Cincinnati area this is the day for you.

Jungle Jim's is a ginormous store with a water feature at the entrance. You might think you would get wet from the elephant statue spraying, but we managed to stay dry. It is an international grocery store with food and items from all over the world. When you first step in the doors a greeter welcomes you and gives you a map so you do not get lost. They have a section for each food category including, candies, jungle pets, cheeses, seafood, even a singing Elvis Lion. The smells are unique and Tibbs did great staying focused on me. I will say they had so many options that the aisles were a little small and it was so crowded after we explored Tibbs and I were both ready for the exit! It is an out of this world grocery store you must be sure to check out if in the area.

The Newport Kentucky Aquarium is just over the bridge from Cincinnati. Before considering an aquarium trip make sure you and your service dog are prepared so you have a good experience. Due to the fact that there are several live animal touching options available before you even enter the doors they will ask you if you dog is a trained service dog and three tasks that it is trained to assist you with. After breezing through our security questions we were able to go into the aquarium with our timed entry tickets. There is an escalator, but a elevator is available just around the corner. Tibbs and I were able to navigate the elevator buttons together and make our way down to start our under the sea adventure. I have been to several aquariums so I kind of knew what to expect and had done my research on what we might encounter. Aquariums are typically kind of dark. They are also kind of noisy as families with lots of little kids tend to go and explore. I and the kids parents had to do a lot of reminding not to distract or pet service dogs. One of the first things we saw was a stingray touch tank. You can wash your hands then go up to the tank and gently touch the stingrays. You also want to make sure you wash your hands again afterwards. Tibbs was really focused on me. We were able to get right beside tanks with frogs, lizards, fish, seahorses, turtles, and so much more. My mom hated the snake section, but I thought it was awesome!

Next we went through a tank tunnel where there were glass floors and tanks surrounding us. Tibbs thought it was interesting to look down and see sea animals and fish moving beneath him. I was a little nervous at first thinking it might not hold the weight of my chair. I got brave and went across and of course Tibbs wasn't nervous and helped me move right along.

After the tunnel we got to another touch tank that had little sharks. Tibbs and I were so impressed that we learned sharks can have zoomies just like dogs!! When the little sharks get excited they swim in circles and pop their heads up out of the water. Tibbs enjoys good zoomies at home, but we decided not to show those sharks how a proper zoomie gets done. Make sure to wash your hands before and after again.

Just around the corner were alligators. Tibbs and I thought that the alligators stood so still that it might be a statue in there. We eventually did see it more so we knew we were wrong. Just past the alligators were my favorite the penguins. They had a ramp to one side so we could get up close for a good view. They wobbled back and forth and made a lot of noise. They also have a slight unpleasant smell but it was worth it for their cuteness. They had a restaurant option at the end if you were getting hungry. They had a rope bridge that was narrow and tight that they allowed people to walk across. For once I was glad my wheelchair wouldn't fit! It was fun watching my siblings cross and Tibbs and I went around instead. The exit led into a gift shop where you could buy aquarium souvenirs.