I received such great feedback regarding my family’s spring break trip that I shared last week. I’ve had a few ask me how we managed to fit all of the activities in a short time span. I thought that I would share our trip itinerary today. If you are thinking of traveling to the Ark Encounter or Northern Kentucky anytime soon, here is how we spent our days.
First, I want to call out that I do understand that traveling with young children can be intimidating, especially when driving long distances. This was a six and a half hour trip for us with no stops, but, as you can imagine, we stopped several times on the way there and back. We’ve learned that the key IS making planned stops. This helps break the trip up for us and the kids.
You will also notice a pattern to our days. My kids are past the nap stage, and I did not have to work naps into our day. However, they do go to bed early since they do not nap. We would get up in the morning, do that day’s activity, and then head back to eat and relax in the room. My husband stated that this was one of his favorite itineraries of any trip that he has been because the days were not jam packed with activities. We had time to explore each attraction and then eat, shop, or relax.
Day 1
8:00 am Depart house for Cincinnati, OH and the National Freedom Center– Looking back, we probably should have left our house a bit earlier. The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center doesn’t sell tickets past 4:00 pm which is the time that we actually arrived. We had planned to arrive by 3:00 pm but traffic and stops didn’t allow it. If you are traveling with a group that enjoys taking their time through museums, allot travel time accordingly.
4:00 pm Arrived at National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
5:00 pm Departed National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
5:45 pm Dinner at the Red Lobster in Florence, KY
7:30 pm Checked in to hotel in Florence, KY, and stayed the remainder of the evening
Day 2
8:00 am Approximate wake up time. We slept until the kids woke us up, but they did not sleep past 8:00 am any morning.
8:30 am Head to the hotel’s breakfast
9:30 am Depart Florence, KY, for the Ark Encounter
10:15 am Arrive at Ark Encounter
4:00 pm Depart Ark Encounter
5:00 pm Stop for dinner
7:00 pm Spent the remainder of the evening at hotel
Day 3
8:00 am Approximate wake up time. We slept until the kids woke us up, but they did not sleep past 8:00 am any morning.
8:30 am Head to the hotel’s breakfast
9:30 am Depart Florence, KY, for the Newport Aquarium
10:00 am Arrive at Newport Aquarium
1:00 pm Depart Newport Aquarium. Walked around Newport on the Levee.
1:30 pm Lunch
2:30-5:00 pm Shopped around Florence, KY
5:00 pm Dinner at City Barbeque in Florence, KY
6:00 pm Spent the remainder of the evening at hotel
Day 4
8:00 am Approximate wake up time. We slept until the kids woke us up, but they did not sleep past 8:00 am any morning.
8:30 am Head to the hotel’s breakfast
9:30 am Checked out of hotel. Depart Florence, KY, for the Creation Museum
10:30 am Arrived at Creation Museum
1:00 pm Depart Creation Museum
1:30 pm Lunch
2:30 pm On the road to head home. We stopped at MANY places on the way back, causing us to arrive home around midnight.
Thank you for posting. I am in the process of booking a trip to the creation museum and the ark. We were told to schedule to be there from 10-5. Your itinerary alots less time. Were you able to fully experience everything in the amount of time you were there? 7 hours seems like a lot of time in each place. I dont want to drop the group that long if it only takes a few hours. I appreciate your response.
Hi, I think it depends on the age of those attending. My itinerary is based on taking small kids who have a shorter attention span. They didn’t stop to read each sign, etc. We only visited one place each day so that we could spend the entire day if needed, but the kiddos never lasted that long. For those who enjoy reading all the information carefully and checking out each display thoroughly, 10-5 may be appropriate.