Where We Went on Vacation

I mentioned in my last Dare to Share Party that I was going on vacation, but not sure where I was going.  We knew we could not go real far, because our first grandbaby is due very soon, and we wanted to be able come home quickly if needed.  A few hours before we left, we decided to visit the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky.  Willamstown is about 45 minutes south of Cincinnati on I-75.  When you are visiting the Ark there are actually two different exhibits to visit.  The Ark itself, and its sister exhibit, the Creation Museum.  We chose to just see the Ark during this visit, but combo tickets are available if you decided to see both. 

The Ark was massive.  It is the actual size that the actual Ark would have been,  510 feet long, 85 feet wide, 51 feet high. There were three levels where you could see how Noah and his family lived and took care of all the animals.   

When you are done seeing, they have a restaurant with a good buffet right on the property.  There is also a children's zoo, animal encounters, a playground, and a carousel.  When we were done seeing the ark, we drove a little bit farther south to visit the Richmond, Kentucky Buc-ees, and a nearby graffiti bridge. 

After all the walking we did at the Ark the day before, we decided to go to Cincinnati, and stay at the Great Wolf Lodge there on day two.  I had never been at one before, and swimming sounded good on a day that was almost 90 degrees. 

The room was really nice, and we had an excellent view of Kings Island from our balcony. 

Our stay included passes for the water park for two days.  We spent most of the first day, and part of the second day in the water.  

It was still really warm on day three. We had thought about going to Kings Island, but it was warmer than we would have liked.  We decided to go to the Cincinnati Zoo instead.  There is a lot of shade there, and we could leisurely walk to see all the animals.  

The Cincinnati Zoo is the home of the famous hippo Fiona, and her baby brother Fritz.  Since it was warm afternoon, a lot of the animals were resting, but we were still able to take some great pictures.   After the zoo, we went back to the Great Wolf Lodge for a few more hours and then to dinner.  

Day four we had the perfect weather to visit Kings Island.  I had not been there since my kids were little.  I had not been on a roller coaster since 2017, so I was happy to find out that I can still handle riding most of them. I sat out on a few of the rides like the Banshee, and Mystic Timbers, but the rest I rode.  

If you are looking for a good choice for food while in the park, check out Tom and Chee. I love both grilled cheese sandwiches and mac and cheese.  They have a sandwich that is mix of both, and it is so good!! 

At the end of the night, they have a nice but short fireworks and drone show. The park was not that crowded, the weather was beautiful and it turned out to be a great day.  

Our last day of vacation we did something special.  Saturday was the first preseason game for our favorite team the Cincinnati Bengals.  They were playing Tampa Bay, and the price of tickets for a preseason game were very reasonable.  We were also sitting in great seats with an excellent view.  

This was my view!  Joe Burrow played in the first series, and threw to Tee Higgins for a touchdown.  The rest of the game he stood on the sidelines with his helmet off with the rest of the team.  I definitely did not have any problems with that.  LOL!  Unfortunately we did not win the game, but it was definitely a fun experience.  

This week will be one to remember.  We were able to do all the things we have been wanting to do for awhile, just all at once. If you ever have a chance to go on vacation without any plans and decide where you go as you go along, I highly recommend it. 

The Dare to Share party will be back this upcoming Friday!