The 13 Best Things to do in Newport, Kentucky

Situated at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking rivers in Campbell County, Kentucky. This wonderful city provides an excellent mix of historic amenities and contemporary development, leaving you with fun things to do in Newport.

Newport is a city with a history of upscale gambling casinos, now a major urban center of Northern Kentucky and part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area, including over two million residents.

In 1937, Newport recorded its worst natural disaster when a flood covered most parts of the city. In 1948, a flood wall was built, and Newport has been a safe, clean, and welcoming community.

The community’s riverfront area provides a striking view of the Cincinnati skyline. It is host to premier attractions, including the Newport Aquarium, Newport on the Levee, BB Riverboats, and the World Peace Bell.

Here you have a guide pointing you to the 13 best things to do in Newport, Kentucky.

1. See Aquatic Creatures at the Newport Aquarium

Established in 1999, Newport Aquarium welcomes you and your family to discover the wonder of an underwater world. See thousands of the world’s most exotic aquatic creatures as you move with playful penguins, meet rare white alligators and get eye-to-eye with smiling stingrays.

Dare to walk just inches above nearly two dozen sharks on the world’s first suspended rope bridge at Newport Aquarium.

You will be amazed at all the things to do in Newport aquarium. Listen to divers talk to the crowd during feeding time, play games in Frog Bog, eat lunch in Sharkey’s Cafe, and much more. They are rated as the best Aquarium in the country by Readers’ Choice Travel Awards.

Make sure you catch a thrilling experience here while also spending quality time with people and creating lasting memories.

Learn more: newportaquarium.com

2. Visit Newport on the Levee

Newport on the Levee is the best dining & entertainment destination in Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky. Located just across the river from Cincinnati’s dramatic skyline view, the Levee features a year-round schedule of festivals, special events, live bands, and a great selection of restaurant offerings.

Opened in 2001, Newport on the Levee features the award-winning Newport Aquarium, Rotolo Bowling, and Hofbrauhuas.

You can’t go wrong with a date night at the Bocce Eatery. The property also features national retailers Brio Tuscan Grille, Cold Stone Creamery, Five Guys, Tom + Chee, and Brothers Bar & Grill. 

This popular riverfront entertainment destination has been completely reimagined with fun things to do for the entire family. Make sure you plan a trip here.

Learn more: newportonthelevee.com

3. See the Nearby World Peace Bell – Newport

The Newport, Kentucky, World Peace Bell is one of more than twenty Peace Bells worldwide. It weighs 30,000 kg (66,000 lb) and is 3.7 m (12 feet) wide. commissioned in 2000, it was the largest swinging bell globally until 2006.

This great bell rings with a powerful, awe-inspiring, deep, resonant tone that is truly a majestic symbol of freedom and peace. You can hear its peak for distances of about 25 miles (40 km).

In keeping with its theme of world peace, the bell features an inscription commemorating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and engravings marking essential events from the past 1,000 years.

Do not miss an adventure to see this great work of art. Bell swings and rings each day five minutes before noon.

The World Peace Bell Center is located at 425 York Street, Newport, Kentucky, 41071, USA.

4. Visit the New Riff Distillery

With over 200 years of tremendous whiskey history in the greater Cincinnati area, New Riff whiskeys are a new riff on an old tradition. This wonderful distillery creates a range of whiskey, including Bourbon, Rye, malted Rye, a host of other unique recipes, and Kentucky Wild Gin.

This distillery is independently owned and makes a declaration for quality in every bottle of whiskey. They proudly lift the bar even higher by bottling every spirit without chill-filtration and stand behind this process with American ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit.

Let this be your first stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour. At New Riff, they provide up-close immersion in the Bourbon experience with their bonded tour, Barrel proof tour, and distiller’s tour.

Each distillery tour lasts around one hour. see the nooks and crannies of their distilling process from grain to barrel. There is also an option to see a cocktail demo and enhance bourbon tasting or whiskey tasting experiences for private bonded tours.

Learn more: newriffdistilling.com

5. Be Thrilled at The USS Nightmare

The USS Nightmare is a bogey house attraction located in Newport, Kentucky, on the Ohio River and built upon an actual steam-powered dredge boat named William S. Mitchell. It lasted for 45 years and was led by a captain whose often questioned sanity was rampant.

The boat may seem innocent enough in the daylight, but it’s more than just a haunted house. It has been a popular attraction in the Cincinnati area for years.

The USS Nightmare capitalizes on the boat’s history by making few changes to the structure and letting its deterioration be part of the creepy scenery. 

Will you be part of the many brave compatriots that have visited this historic boat turned haunted destination. Prepare yourself to see this wonder because this haunted boat in Cincinnati may be the scariest in the world.

Learn more: ussnightmare.com

6. Relax at Rotolo – Bowling, Bocce, and Eatery

Rotolo Bowling, Bocce, and Eatery is a boutique bowling alley with plenty of fun. A license for indulgence and bowler’s paradise.

Translated from Italian, “il Rotolo” means “the roll,” or the act of rolling. Colloquially, “Rotolo” is used to describe the sensation of finding something so funny, so enjoyable, that you are moving on the floor, laughing.

Rotolo is a modern but traditional bowling alley featuring two full-service bars and a 68-seat restaurant.

It features 16 state-of-the-art bowling lanes, a full bocce court, billiards, foosball, life-size checkers, and plenty of lounging and patio spaces to kickback.

Rotolo is known for boutique-style bowling that welcomes beginner-level bowlers to the pro. Relax and enjoy this sweet escape. You deserve it.

Learn more: www.rotolobowling.com

7. See a Show at The Footlighter Incorporated

Footlighters, Inc. was renovated into a performing arts facility in 1987 from the United Salem Methodist Church, built-in 1882. They are in the Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events industry.

Footlighters allows you to view multiple shows a season in a smaller, more friendly setting. Their musicals are wildly entertaining. They’ve gone to numerous shows and have many good memories as a result.

Why not fill your calendars with “date nights” by signing up for a series of 4 shows. It gives you more options of fun things to do in Newport.

Learn more: footlighters.org

8. Visit Falcon Theatre – Intimate Theatre

Since 1989, Falcon has been an integral part of Greater Cincinnati’s thriving theater community. But it is the union of their finished piece with the emotional and intellectual response of you, their audience, which creates an intimate performance.

There are selections of famous and timely plays, the stage and actors have an excellent off-stage relationship with the theatre-goers, and their productions are well done.

A perfect evening begins with dinner next door at Cincinnati’s best Mexican restaurant, “La Mexicana,” then the Falcon Theatre, followed by a night’s drink at the Prohibition Bar. It doesn’t get any better.

Make sure you give the Falcon a shot for sure. After the first performance, you will indeed be fascinated—lots of options to quench your cravings in the area.

Learn more: falcontheater.net

9. Cruise in a BB Riverboat

BB Riverboats is one of Cincinnati’s best attractions and has served the Greater Cincinnati area for over four decades. They specialize in lunch, sightseeing, and dinner cruises on the beautiful Ohio River.

There are authentic riverboats available for private charter, and each boat has smaller private rooms to accommodate groups of all sizes. The ship is clean and has plenty of seating. You might also get an opportunity to be invited up to the control room.

Cruising in a riverboat on the Ohio River is a fantastic experience! So peaceful and so relaxing! Make sure you take a bold step and go on this historic cruise where you learn a lot of fascinating information and see why everything is better on the river.

Learn more: bbriverboats.com

10. Visit Wooden Cask Brewing Company

Wooden Cask Brewing Company is a modern microbrewery designed in honor of traditional English pubs. This 4000 square-foot taproom is home to a standard menu of 18 Wooden Cask beers, a rotating menu of small-batch brews, wines from their winery, and an extensive bourbon selection.

Make sure you stop at the Wooden Cask Brewery Farmstand cafe inside the Wooden Cask Brewery. There is enough seating in this industrial setting, designed nicely. You can purchase beers at the bar. Lunch can be ordered and picked up at the cafe counter.

Enjoy the tasty brews, grab a delicious bite to eat, and relax with friends at Wooden Cask. It is the total package.

Learn more: woodencask.com

11. Newport Southbank Bridge – The Purple People Bridge

Since 2001, the Newport Southbank Bridge Company has owned and operated the ever-popular “Purple People Bridge.” it is a pedestrian-only bridge that stretches 2,670 feet (.5 mile) across the Ohio River. Today the bridge is the most extended connector in the country and has linked both Kentucky and Ohio together since 1872.

The Purple People Bridge is a safe and well-maintained regional attraction that serves as a historic landmark, recreational trail, event space, and an iconic community asset that improves development and makes life enjoyable on both sides of the Ohio River.

The bridge offers impressive views of the Ohio River and the skylines of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. There are many nearby amenities such as Newport on the Levee, Cincinnati Reds/ Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati Bengals/ Paul Brown Stadium, Newport Aquarium, PromoWest Pavilion Music Venue, Sawyer Point Park & Yeatman’s Cove, as well as several hotels, restaurants, shops, and public parking options.

Thousands of people cross the bridge each year for entertainment, recreation, commuting to/from work, or even to host their private events. Be part of the people that take this easy and fun walk on the “Purple People Bridge.”

Learn more: purplepeoplebridge.com

12. Spend a Day at General James Taylor Park

General James Taylor Park is a portable modern park in Newport, Kentucky. You will find it on Riverboat Row overlooking the confluence of the Ohio and Licking Rivers and the skyline of Cincinnati.

This park has short connecting access to the Ohio and Licking river banks. Most people use it as a local fishing spot and a launch point for canoes and kayaks.

Park amenities include a playground, picnic tables, benches, shelter, grill, swing, and paved parking lot.

Visit this beautiful park and enjoy a fun day with others. You can also take beautiful pictures.

13. Find the Best German Food and Beer at Hofbräuhaus, Newport

Hofbrauhaus, Newport, gives you an authentic Bavarian dining and entertainment experience outside of Munich, Germany. It is a subsidiary of the over 400-year-old and world-renowned Hofbrauhaus Royal Brewery in Munich, Germany.

It features a Traditional beer hall, a microbrewery, the region’s most extensive beer garden, gift shop, lunch menu, kids menu, and live entertainment all day and night.

Hofbrauhaus offers Delicious authentic German food dishes and some great German beer. The atmosphere and service are excellent.

If you find yourself in town during October, make a stop at Hofbrauhaus, Newport. Every day! From 11:00 am. you can get a special Oktoberfest beer.

It’s such a unique place where everybody is super friendly, and you feel like you’re actually in the country of Germany. Brewery tours are available.

Make sure to add it to your checklist of things to do in Newport.

Learn more: hofbrauhausnewport.com

Plan a Trip to Newport, Kentucky

You now have a clear guide to the 13 best things to do in Newport, Kentucky.

Don’t forget to drop a comment about your experience and let us know how we can update this article.