William E. Durr Branch of The Kenton County Library – Independence, KY
We were very impressed by the Durr Branch of the Kenton County Library in Independence, Kentucky. As many of you may already know, I am a library junkie! I have been to more libraries than you can imagine. We moved a lot when I was a child and the library was always one of the first things we visited. I’ve been an avid reader my entire life. It’s one of the traits that I am happy that I passed on to my children. The library is one of the little treasures in many towns. When you have kids and need to take a break while on the road a good library can be a lifesaver! They are always free to look around and most have play areas for the little kids. Ivy can normally find at the very least a computer to play on or a comic to read. Just the act of getting out of the car or house and stretching your legs can make all the difference!
This particular branch was impressive. It is one of the better that I have visited in northern Kentucky. If you are from here, it looked like it was well stocked with books and movies for rental. If you are just there to hang out and let the kids play, you will be pleasantly surprised. They have a small circus tent at the opening into the large kid’s area. There is a play area with a train table and additional toys in the back. There is a tank of hermit crabs on the counter. Two more tanks of fish are on the back left of the kids’ area. There are chairs and a large magnetic slide table near the tanks. Along the right wall, funny circus mirrors are hung at child-friendly heights. They had a huge magazine rack near the main circulation desk that was nice for mommy.
The people were friendly. The entire place was clean and rather new. There is a small outdoor area with tables and chairs. We did not picnic there but I wouldn’t be surprised if they let you. The one major downfall of this place is the fact that it is so far from the interstate. It took me between 5 and 10 minutes from the exit to reach it. It was a nice stop off though. I have a feeling that it is so quiet and clean because it is so far out. Most people would not make the trip unless they lived right there.
There are gas stations, restaurants, and even major stores off this exit as well. You could fill up your gas tank, grab some lunch, take the kids to play for an hour, and pick up some snacks & drinks from the grocery store before hitting the road again.
The Details:
| Location: William E. Durr – 1992 Walton-Nicholson Road, Independence, KY |
| Website: http://www.kenton.lib.ky.us/aboutus/locations/durr/index.cfm |
| Directions: Take KY-17 exit, Exit 80 toward Covington/Independence. Merge onto Madison Pike/KY 17 toward Independence (south). Turn right onto KY 17. Turn Right onto Walton-Nicholson Road. The Library is on the right. |
| Phone: 859-962-4030 |