One of my favorite states in the continental 48 is Kentucky. In 2023, we took our family vacation, trekking our camper across multiple borders to this Southern State. One of our many adventures on this trip was to Williamstown and the Ark Encounter.
I had heard so many varied reviews of this tourist attraction. “It’s a tourist trap.” “Waste of money.” “It’s amazing.” “It’s incredible!” “It’s huge!” While some of these are opinions, it depends on the person’s Biblical perspective. Do they believe in creation, to start? If not, then their opinion is already skewed to begin with. Despite the high price and crowds, as a follower of Jesus, I found it profoundly fulfilling and worth seeing at least once!
From concept to completion, the creation scientist behind the project, Ken Ham, took a little over six years to build! There is so much research and discovery inside the ark: how they fed the animals, stored food, and what kinds of animals existed and were on the ark- for example, dinosaurs, what size were they, and were they even the ark?
Yes, they were, and they didn’t have to be adults; in fact, no animal had to be full-size, just a male and a female. We have always pondered and assumed these questions, yet we have never answered them.
The sheer size of the ark as you walk up to it is pretty intimidating. I could not imagine building such a structure without today's tools and being mocked and jeered. Plus, believing God that a flood is coming when you’ve never even witnessed a raindrop! It took Noah 75 years to build the ark! That is quite some FAITH that Noah had! The inside of the ark is very dark, which makes it feel authentic, with the sounds of animals and the storm sounds on the lower level.
On the upper levels, there are educational areas: flood plains, plate-tectonics, evolution, man vs. ape, etc. Then, the fall of man and creation, and reenactment of video areas as well as gift shops and wax figures of Noah and his family and their sleeping quarters. There were plenty of places to sit down and take a break if needed.
We arrived as soon as it opened in the morning, and I was amazed at how quickly the place filled up! People with license plates from all around the country came to see the Ark.
You can easily spend three to four hours reading everything inside the Ark!
They also offer extra Seminar sessions; for example, we went to a session about how we are all related when we look so different. It was so fascinating! Biology and a Punnett square at work.
After we visited the Ark and our seminar, we looked through the bookstore and had lunch at the buffet-style cafeteria they had built on-site. They also have built a small petting zoo called Ararat Ridge, where they offer Camel Rides, and there is a fossil find and other activities. They have taken creative liberties by naming Noah’s wife and the son’s wives. That is not a big deal, in my opinion; it makes them more relatable as living historical figures. There are signs often say they are fictitious names, so they are not trying to deceive anyone.
Overall, I’m glad we took our boys to the Ark Encounter. You could take kids at a younger age and they will enjoy it, especially the petting zoo, but pre-teens or teenagers and up will understand more in-depth, and be able to read the information presented, and do the walking and standing for more extended periods! Josiah even attempted a zipline they have onsite!
