When my kids and I had the opportunity to visit the Ark Encounter in northern Kentucky we decided to hop in the car and take a day trip not totally knowing what to expect.
Our Arrival at the Ark Encounter
When we arrived we were greeted by about 400 people waiting in line and only 3 out of 20 ticket windows open. The good news is that was my only irritation of the day, the rest of our time at the Ark was great.
After you get your tickets you will board a bus that will take you the 1 mile to the Ark. The sheer magnitude of the ark is amazing. It’s HUGE.
First, we ate in the onsite restaurant called Emzara’s Kitchen and it was actually really good. It’s a buffet featuring fried chicken, sliders, grilled pineapple, green beans, a salad bar, and great desserts. Prices were reasonable and we left happy.
Inside of the Ark
The first thing I noticed about the Ark once we entered was the craftsmanship. It really is beautifully done.
Obviously, I don’t know how accurate the ark is, but it looked good to me. When I pictured in my mind what I thought Noah’s Ark would look like, I pictured it sparse, dark, and depressing, but that isn’t at all how The Ark Encounter depicts it. The various displays take you through much of the bible including the creation of our world, the events leading up to the flood, the preparation that Noah must have had to do and of course how animal and man lived on the Ark.
Potential controversy surrounding the Ark.
Obviously, as with anything religious, there is a lot of controversy about the Ark from both Christians and non-Christians.
I really didn’t go there with any preconceived notions about how I felt about the premise of it. I went for entertainment purposes and had a nice time. For me, personally, I view the bible and its stories as being open to interpretation and I looked at The Ark Encounter as one person’s interpretation brought to life.
Is it 100% accurate? Of course not, but it’s a beautiful interpretation. The staff all over the park were friendly and the whole building and grounds are pristine.
Our Takeaway.
The displays are state of the art and the content, whether I chose to believe it or not, was interesting. I wish I had had more time to read all the displays, but some of the areas were very crowded with people reading so we had to skip some. If you can go on a weekday when it’s less crowded then that is probably best.
Our trip only included the restaurant and the Ark, but there is more to the park coming soon. There is a zip line, petting zoo, and mining sluice & fossil find.
A portion of this trip was provided in-kind, however, we have provided an honest review.