“I have set my rainbow in the clouds and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the Earth.”
-God, Genesis 9:13
Deep in the hill country of Kentucky is a family experience like no other; The Ark Encounter.
Leaping off the pages of the Bible, visitors meet Noah, his family, and the creatures who were on the Ark, learning the story from creation to the time of Noah and the flood. The life-size Ark is impressive both inside and out and visitors learn how it was built, what life was like on board, and how the creatures on board lived and were cared for.
As you begin your tour, the story is set. Noah is 600 years old and God has commanded him to take his family into the Ark. They need to hurry—the storm is coming.
Tips for planning your visit
Dates and hours for your visit: As you start to plan, be sure to check the Ark Encounter website for seasonal hours. The Ark is closed on Sunday. We arrived early for our April Monday visit and found the crowd modest. The crowds grew a bit around lunch and some exhibits got tight as the day went on.
Parking is plentiful but far from the actual Ark site. Shuttle buses are provided between the attraction itself and the parking areas.
Consider purchasing your parking and attraction tickets in advance. This isn’t required but doing so certainly limits standing in line on the day of your visit. We simply flashed our tickets and got right onto our shuttle.
Wear comfortable walking shoes and be prepared to do a lot of walking. The shuttle bus will drop you at the Answers Center on the main Ark grounds where your experience begins. Restrooms, refreshments, and an auditorium can be found here. We proceeded toward the Ark, snapping photos of the Ark and the animal topiaries that are two-by-two as if they are on their way to board the Ark.
The Ark Encounter property also includes restaurants, gift shops, a petting zoo, playgrounds for children, and zip lines. Check the Ark Encounter website for offerings of concerts, speakers, and other seasonal events that you might like to include in your visit.
Thoughts on our visit
A wholesome family activity, touring the Ark Encounter has something for all ages and can keep your family busy for the better part of the day. We found it fascinating and informative. Inside the Ark itself, there is a lot of information to read with much to learn about nearly every aspect of the Ark as well as Biblical times up to the time of the flood. On the day of our visit, we noticed that many small children grew restless as we worked our way through the three levels of the attraction. However, the rest of the property is geared to family activities that kids of all ages would enjoy. I mention this observation because the tickets to get into the attraction for the whole family could be pricey depending on the ages and size of your group, and you might want to consider smaller children and their attention spans as you plan your visit.
We enjoyed our visit to the Ark Encounter and if you are thinking of visiting, we would recommend it.
You will find the Ark Encounter at www.arkencounter.com, 1 Ark Encounter Drive, Williamstown, Kentucky.
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