Ark Encounter

It’s not every day you get to hang out in Noah’s Ark with 6,000-7,000 animals. The Ark Encounter in Williamstown Kentucky is a life-sized replica of the biblical version of Noah’s Ark (minus the live animals). It is both a thought-provoking experience and a masterful engineering spectacle.

Boasting to be largest timber-frame structure in the world, the Ark Encounter has been a very popular destination for many since its opening in 2016. It’s built almost exclusively of wood and is a huge structure at about 510 ft long, 85 ft wide, and 51 ft high. Inside it gets even more fascinating with huge natural wood beam construction. There are three floors of exhibits and a true feel that you are riding in this biblical ark along with all of the animals. The first floor is mostly the small, caged animals and gives you the initial feel of being on the ark, whereas the upper floors provide more thought-provoking exhibits and lifelike models of the larger animals.

No matter what your religious faith, the experience is very interesting and thought provoking as they challenge the scientific theory of evolution with a young-Earth creationist view. The exhibits are all well done with the animals and depiction of Noah and his family being very lifelike.

The Ark Encounter, along with the Creation Museum sister location, was built and is operated by a group called Answers in Genesis. The cost to build the entire Ark Encounter park is estimated to be about $100 million. It has also created some controversy as its teachings conflict with mainstream science and critics argue it presents religion as science.

Although we found the experience to be quite fascinating, we did find the theme park perspective and cost to be a bit overdone for a religious venue. The standard adult cost of admission is $64 plus another $15 to park your car. Within the park are many a la carte activities such as a zipline course, camel rides and a virtual reality theater. Your ticket gets you into the ark itself and the zoo on the property. You can also purchase a combo ticket good for admission to the Creation Museum which is 45 minutes away in Petersburg Kentucky.

Other Things to Do in the Area

Williamstown is in northern Kentucky and less than an hour from Cincinnati Ohio, with many opportunities to expand your adventures beyond the ark. Big Bone Lick State Historic Site is a fun place to visit and learn about the Ice Age mammals that roamed the area and do some light hiking.

We happened to be in the area on opening weekend of the baseball season and took in a Cincinnati Reds game which was really fun. And if you’re heading into Cincinnati, be sure to check out Bellevue Bistro on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River for an amazing breakfast or lunch experience. It’s well worth the wait for a table in this tiny bistro.

Where to Stay

Whether you’re an RV’er or not, I highly recommend staying at Abide Glamping for an amazing experience. This unique property is located up on a ridge with rolling hills and amazing views. They have 5 beautiful RV sites, several luxury cabins and many Geodesic Domes. It’s truly camping with luxury and only 8 minutes from the Ark Encounter!

My Final Take

Although the cost of visiting the Ark Encounter is a bit extreme, the experience itself was worthy of the visit for the structural magnificence of the ark alone. However, this is intended to be a religious experience, and anytime religion becomes more about money, and in this case a theme park, it’s a bit of a turnoff for me. In the end, we have no regrets for attending this attraction but you will have to be the judge whether it’s right for you.

Check out the rest of our pictures.