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We live in central Kentucky, so we are thrilled to have both the Ark Encounter
and the Creation Museum within a 2-3 hour drive. While we have made numerous visits to the Creation Museum over the years, we were not been able to visit the Ark Encounter until this past summer.
Ever since I heard that Ken Ham and Answers in Genesis were going to be building a life size replica of Noah's ark in our state several years ago, I knew I definitely wanted to go! So even though I was still on meds for severe pregnancy-induced nausea at the time, when Hubby's factory's July shutdown week rolled around for 2017, we planned a trip to the Ark.
On the morning of our trip, I wasn't feeling great, but I was determined to go anyway. We did end up having to make one pitstop along the way due to the nausea, but thankfully it eased as the day went on.
When we arrived at the Ark Encounter, we parked in the enormous parking lot (among many other minivans which doubtlessly belonged to other homeschooling families), purchased our tickets, and boarded a shuttle bus to take us to the Ark itself.
It is BIG!
The first thing that struck me when I saw the ark for the first time out the window of the shuttle bus was its awesome size. If you have never been, you really have to see it in person to understand what I am talking about. Pictures alone simply cannot do it justice!
In front of the ark is a lovely pool and topiaries. There are benches and special areas for taking the best group pictures with the ark in the background.
There were also restrooms, concession stands, a few small shops, a two-story all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant, a rope challenge course, a music stage, and a petting zoo on the grounds.
Because we visited in the middle of the summer, the crowd was huge. I would love to go back perhaps on a weekday during the public school year when it might not be quite as crowded. (One of my favorite perks as a homeschooling family!)
The line to enter the ark was super long. Guests actually enter the ark from the underside rather than through the ark's one big door. There were lovely flower gardens and screens playing videos showing how the ark was built, so those helped to pass the time as we waited to go aboard. As we neared the entrance, there were lightening and thunder effects, which I thought was pretty neat.
It also made me pause and think.
Noah had preached righteousness to the multitudes of wicked people of his day and warned that the Flood was coming, but he alone found grace in God's eyes. Though literally hundreds of people were now excitedly waiting with us to board this replica of Noah's ark today, the original ark had only 8 passengers. Everyone else on Earth perished in the flood. Such a solemn feeling.
Inside the ark was even more crowded!
And from inside, we could definitely see that the original ark really had been plenty big enough to shelter Noah's family and the necessary animals through the Flood.
Visiting the Ark Encounter requires a LOT of walking!
We spent a couple of hours walking the Ark's decks and viewing many of the exhibits, but we honestly just barely scratched the surface. There was just SO much to see and the crowd was so big that we did not get to see everything there was to see on board during our visit. I wished we could have taken at least two whole days!
Once outside again, we walked over to the restaurant for a delicious meal. Our boys are super picky eaters, but we were able to find something on the buffet everyone liked. And we dined on the top floor where we had a great view of the Ark out the window!
After a meal, we made our way to the little zoo. This is the part of our trip Little Brother still cannot stop talking about. There were interesting animals from all over the world and camel and donkey rides. Big Brother rode a camel while Little Brother rode a donkey.
It was a pretty hot July day, so after spending an hour or so in the zoo, we stopped by one of the concession stands for some fresh-squeezed lemonade.
By this time, we were all exhausted. Although we knew there was much more to see, we went ahead and called it a day!
We really want to go back soon and take our time.
I am thankful for the ministry of Answers in Genesis, the Creation Museum, and the Ark Encounter. I appreciate their commitment to teaching the authority of Scripture. My own faith has personally been strengthened over the years through this ministry.
Looking for help teaching Creation Science in your homeschool? You can purchase excellent resources from the Answers in Genesis Bookstore
If you ever have the opportunity, I encourage you to visit the Ark Encounter.
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