Trip to Cincinnati: Day One (Museum of Natural History and Science and Children's Museum)

Last week we took a one night trip to Cincinnati. Kevin had some days to use at work before the end of the year, so we decided to go up and do the Cincinnati Museum Center (history, natural history, and children's museum, in one) and Newport Aquarium. My parents joined us in the afternoon of the first day, and we decided to add on a visit to EnterTrainment Junction the second day since it was just a few minutes from our hotel. It was a fun little trip!

First, some pictures from the Museum of Natural History and Science. The focus was mostly on Earth/space science, dinosaurs, etc. so it was a bit over Lew's head, but it was free with our Science Center membership, so we decided to go ahead and check it out. They did have a huge sandbox area and there happened to be a banjo player playing children's music and Christmas music while we were there, so it worked out! 

 Listening to the banjo player

 Piling in the sand...

 And then making it rain! :)

 

 Checking out a huge geode

 Crawling through a cave tunnel

 Reading about what it means to be an astronaut

 Playing dinos with Dada :)

 

Petting a wolf :)

He was freaked out by it at first, so we were giggling as he very cautiously approached it and petted it.

We took a break for lunch and then decided to go ahead and buy tickets to the Children's Museum. It was really great--all age-appropriate. Lew had tons of fun.

 Found the water table, first thing, of course :)

They have a cool play structure with trees and a tree house and lots of tunnels and slides and ladders connecting it all--we had a hard time keeping track of just where he was in all of it, but he had a blast.

 

 Going up!

 They had a mini town with gas station, grocery, vet, construction site, doctor's office, etc. that was a lot of fun:

 Filling up his tank :)

 GRAHAM CRACKERS!

A current favorite food.

 Filling up his cart

Watching Lewis and Kevin fill up the red bucket with rocks

 

Watching as they dump the load of rocks into the dump truck 

:)

After the children's museum, we headed to our hotel to meet up with my parents. We went swimming and then to dinner and IKEA.

 Lew trying to drown Gramma? Haha.

 Hitching a ride on a dolphin Papaw

 

:) Dad used to do that to us when we were little--you lay straight as a board, and he lifts you up and tosses you into the water. Lewis loved it...'Again?'

Next, day two...