Our Visit to the Ark Encounter

On our recent road trip we were blessed to be the guests of The Ark Encounter by Answers in Genesis in Williamstown, KY. I have wanted to visit this museum ever since I heard it was being built. We spent a brief 3 hours at the Ark Encounter, to really see everything you should plan to be there 5-6 hours.

About Ark Encounter

Ark Encounter features a full-size Noah’s Ark, built according to the dimensions given in the Bible. Spanning 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high, this modern engineering marvel amazes visitors young and old. Ark Encounter is situated in beautiful Grant County in Williamstown, Kentucky, halfway between Cincinnati, OH and Lexington, KY and right off I-75. Ark Encounter’s sister attraction, Creation Museum is just 45 minutes away in Petersburg, KY. Ark Encounter is the largest timber-frame structure in the world, built from standing dead timber, in part by skilled Amish craftsmen. The Ark is an architectural and engineering wonder containing three decks of world-class exhibits.

Tickets

Ark Encounter          Creation Museum      Combo Ticket      Annual Combo Pass
4 years & under       FREE                                   FREE                            FREE                    FREE
5–12 years                 $15                                         $15                                  $25                       $35
13–17 years               $25                                         $25                                  $40                      $70
Adults (18-59)         $48                                          $35                                  $70                      $100
Seniors (60+)           $38                                         $30                                  $60                      $90
All tickets to the Creation Museum are 2-Day tickets, including combo tickets. Combo ticket can be used across a seven-day period.

Our Visit to the Ark Encounter

When you arrive at Ark Encounter you purchase your tickets and board a bus for a 1-mile trip up to the ark. After exiting the bus we wandered up towards the entrance to the ark. I was amazed at the sheer size of the ark. To think that Noah was 600 years old when they entered the ark is just amazing. As you walk towards the ark there are a series of monuments, similar to totems that depict Creation, The Fall of Man, Punishment and Promise, Cain murders Abel, Wickedness fills the Earth, and Noah and the Ark. Sadly, when we were there many people walked right by these monuments. They are beautifully done and give the backstory from Creation through the Flood of why God had to destroy the earth. Thankfully this history is told again, in different ways inside the Ark Encounter. You may also want to browse here the timeline of Noah!

Before entering the Ark there is a time-lapse film about the building of the ark, it truly is a marvel of architecture and construction! Upon entering the ark you are hit with the reality that not only did this boat have to hold Noah, his family, and all the animals, it had to house food and water for them all too.

A timely reminder from the exhibit on nursery books and decor that are cute but miss the gravity of the Flood.

While we wandered through the 3 floors of the ark we learned about the species of animals that were on board, that these animals were mostly juveniles, and that the ark had a complex water purification system. There were exhibits about how Noah’s family lived on the ark, and about the disservice modern day nursery books and decor do to teaching our children the truth about the Flood. Everything we saw was eye opening and made me wish I had my Bible in my hands so I could read and re-read the biblical account over and over again. The gravity of the depravity that had entered the world hit me hard. Looking at the evil world we live in today, I wonder if God would like to send another flood, of course, He promised not to, so He won’t. It does make me wonder what else I can do to share His love with everyone I come in contact with.

I loved how there are exhibits that compare and contrast creationism with evolution and exhibits that share the Gospel message as well. You cannot visit the Ark Encounter without having your faith challenged and/or strengthened. I highly recommend that you spend a day visiting the Ark Encounter next time you are in Kentucky. I hope to visit the Creation Museum the next time I am in the area.