Wear comfortable shoes! Kid friendly and very educational. This place is absolutely incredible. read more

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This place is massive. The workers are so friendly. I loved the talks that were given. It is amazing how everything worked together to do what needed to be done. Read all that you can. Don't miss any of it. read more

70!!!! Seventy freaking dollars. We are a family of believers and were really excited to see this. We drove down to Kentucky to walk the parimeter and the girl at the parking counter, which they wanted to charge am additional $15 for, told us we couldn't see the Ark unless we paid admission. We told her we had no interest in seeing the inside (guys it's just a bunch of fake animals for two floors and then some real scattered around) and just see the structure and she said that wasn't an option. Keep in mind the park closed in an hour when we got there and she would not budge. Terrible experience. Insane pricing. Avoid read more

David and Kristen made this adventure one to remember! We felt safe, well informed and most of all, they made us feel like we were no trouble at all!! Becky from Texas read more

It was easy to get around and see all of the displays. It was very educational and fun for the whole family. I highly recommend this experience! read more

Really fascinating, even for those who may not be super religious. There is a lot of reading but there is a book in the gift shop of all the sign reading, I wish more places had these. The little zoo here is also pretty neat and has an animal I had never seen nor heard of. read more

This is such a great place. There is so much information and a lot to read. The kids were shocked there was so much walking. The Ark is filled with a bunch of displays. The animals, camel rides and play ground were perfect outlets for letting the kids get their energy out between exploring the different levels of the Ark. It's difficult for young children to comprehend or even appreciate, but just seeing the Ark up close was amazing for them. I'm giving it 4 stars because the entrance fees were steep and the food was overpriced. read more

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While the the actual Ark was amazing, the flow of traffic inside and in order to see the exhibits felt extremely confusing. Nobody really ever knew what they were in line for and usually it turned out to be a picture just hanging on the wall. The people in electric scooters were clogging almost every line and ramp and it was extremely difficult to get around (by no means should they not be there / but there were multiple tour groups ONLY in scooters, and there needed to be a better system for them to get around.) Some of the exhibits were interesting but again. Flow of traffic was just really challenging. I think the ark exhibit at the creation museum was actually much more user friendly and easy to navigate. read more

Ark Encounter - The ark - Museums Near Me - Williamstown, Kentucky

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Wow! This is a great experience. Hard to imagine the size and scope of Noah's Ark but this full size replica really helps. It is HUGE! With sections to scale to show how it might have been set up. Cages for the animals, huge storage racks of food and water. Three stories with ramps for handicapped and all. Many exhibits with plenty of information. A LOT of walking with breaks for short films on each level and conveniently located bathrooms. Also a large theater where they are featuring performances by Christian groups. Forty days of concerts. A ladies quartet, High Toad, performed the day we were there and they were great. Plus a virtual reality "ride", at an additional fee, took you through time to the time of the original Ark. worth the extra fee. There is also a small zoo with petting area, even a "walkabout" with a lot of friendly kangaroos. We also caught a live animal show. A huge playground for kids on site also. Lots of places to grab a drink or s bite. We chose to lunch st the buffet. Good but not great. The hit of the buffet for us was the baked zesty Brussels Spouts. A great place to spend a day, and you need a full day to see it all. Highly recommended. read more

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1- if you stay at a hotel near the ark- stay at Hampton Inn & Suites in Williamstown, KY. You walk directly from their parking lot to the ark & save $10! Hotel includes continental bfast & is a practically brand new hotel. We stayed 2 days & used the very nice fitness center & pool. Breakfast was very crowded & ran out of food quickly being so close to the Ark but we didn't mind. 2- buy tickets to Ark Encounter online prior. We jumped right in line to board the bus & missed the ticket line. The ark itself is about a mile away but the transport was very quick & comfy. 3- the 4D Virtual experience is awesome & rivals Universal or Epcot. 10 min production where you actually go through the flood. Minimal bouncing and our kids (14 & 8) loved it. It's to the far left as you enter & we did it first thing & glad we did. We missed big lines at the end of the day. $16/adult I think & kids were cheaper. Worth the extra to preview the experience. Ken Hamm shares a quick gospel message too! 4- the Buffet at Enzaras is good. Really good. Home style food (pot roast, chicken tenders, General Two's chicken, mashed potatoes, roasted veggies, salad bar, dessert, drinks, etc.. think Lubby's or Furrs) & we were full through the whole day. We went on a Sunday & Ark didn't open until 1pm so we were pretty hungry. They also have hamburgers, tacos, ice cream, snacks, etc outside the ark on the left. Everything costs like an amusement park but was good and portions weren't stingy. 5- Enter Ark on right side. It's big! 500 ft & 3-4 levels. Wear really comfy shoes. They sell Guide books for $3 & worth just to reread & enjoy again. We got the ones completed (not the full-in as you go ones) to be able to refer to later. The ramps to each level are awesome & didn't feel overcrowded. Easy transitions between levels. The Ark Encounter really captures how they survived on the art with thousands of animals & critters. They took creative license on how they probably kept the animals, stored food, grew food, captured water, what the "animals of their kind" looked like, etc so it was neat to take it in. They also referenced scripture a lot & did a continual analysis of "Biblical world view vs Secular". The Ice Age, Interactive portions, & Museum of the Bible Exhibits were probably our favorites. 6- Gift shops, books, snacks, sweets, restrooms, water refills, etc all available on the Ark. It's laid out well for crowds but we didn't feel cramped except for a few times at places like the Ark Model or interactive sections. 7- There's a mini zoo, camel rides, animal encounters, zip-line etc. Playground too if you want. Camel rides & Zip-line are extra but were closed on the day we went. We were there for 6 hours & didn't feel like it at all!! We didn't do the camel ride or zip-line but we did enjoy the playground with some ice cream before we left. Next time we'll definitely try the camels & zip-line. 8- For dinner (or lunch) highly recommend El Jalisco. It's 1 minute from the Ark & Hampton Inn. Large portions, very quick service, & yummy Tex-Mex!! They don't have a large sign but don't need to. It was packed. We didn't get to the Creative Museum this time but we'll go back!! I wish we had another day but now that we know the trek, we'll go again!! read more

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Great Christian family place to spend the day. We went on a very nice day outside so it was very nice walking and seeing the animals and food stands. There is a little theater that does periodic presentations. The inside of the Ark was amazing! Temperature controlled. Snack stand everywhere. We were allowed to bring in snacks in our bag. The Bible stories and facts about the Ark were more than you could read in one trip. There is also an artist onsite with amazing work. They are adding some things to the attraction. I've heard the inside of Ark can get pretty crowded. We got there early and were on of the first ones in. It was great and spacious but did start becoming congested around lunch. Take a picture in front of the Ark on the way in for less crowds. One thing about the food. We ate the buffet. It was ok. Very busy and a long line. Two food lines. The food was similar to a Ryan's or Golden Corral. Nothing special. Small dessert bar, peach cobbler goes quick when it comes out in the rotation. I didn't score any. Bummer! I'd give the buffet 3 stars probably. Next time I come I'll do the taco stand or bbq. Speaking of coming back. $60 for an adult ticket is a lot for multiple trips because this is one of those "if you've seen it once" places. Maybe when they add the Tower of Babel it will be another family day for us. They do have a massive theater with good gospel singing mid-day. My family in the area does season passes to visit the different groups they love. There is some sort of 40 days of music with different artists. A few visits pays for the pass. read more

Ark Encounter - Front of Ark you see upon entering - Museums Near Me - Williamstown, Kentucky

Really impressive site and beautifully constructed ark. There are lots of artistic interpretations but you'll see that posted throughout your visit. Be prepared to do a lot of reading about all the info they need to share. It's harder for the smaller kids to stay engaged but it was still well worth the trip. Be sure to visit the zoo and see the kangaroos. The kids love this. read more

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So much fun Everyone there was helpful and kind Food was very good Did the zip line alot of fun the guides were very nice and helpful read more

This was an awesome experience. More than we expected. Great details on explaining the story of Noah. Lots of walking took us 2 1/2 hrs to really take it all in. Would highly recommend! Also there's is food and a restaurant read more

Ark Encounter - One of the ends of the boat. Wow this is massive! - Museums Near Me - Williamstown, Kentucky

Seeing Noah's ark up close and in person is awesome! But not $65 awesome. They charge $15 just to PARK. Then turn around and charge $60 ($50 for veterans/active duty). The ark is HUGE but then there are TONS of people crowding the narrow ramps and spaces making it smaller. I'm not claustrophobic but I do have my limit to the amount of ppl in a space that I can take. The ark was past my limit. I had no choice but to breeze past pretty much everything worth looking at because trying to read anything or actually appreciate it wasn't going to happen. I got a few pictures. The animals ... you're telling me Noah had dinosaurs? I thought that to be funny. Majority of the animals I saw inside the ark were prehistoric... Going there in the offseason may be better but even if I could go I wouldn't go back. This is like a small, ghetto theme park more than a biblical story. Petting zoo (cost money), camel ride or pet it (cost money), zip line (cost money), theater (cost money). The end of the ark puts you into a room to buy souvenirs, cookies and fudge. I almost purchased fudge until I saw a fly land on it ... Hands down. I Do not recommend. read more

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I found this to be a good stop on a business trip. I spent a couple hours there after 5 pm and it was very impressive. Can't wait to go again when they have some new attractions. read more

Ark Encounter - Entrance - Museums Near Me - Williamstown, Kentucky

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Very interesting. Quite a bit of walking but we enjoyed our visit. It's a must see if you are passing through the area. The buffet was above average read more

Really neat experience. There is a lot of walking so be prepared. Lots to see with a lot of information. Staff was very friendly and welcoming. read more

Visiting the Ark Encounter was an amazing experience. The thought that the real ark was the actual size of the model ark is breathtaking upon seeing it. Not only is the so much educational material, there are animatronics that explain occurrences on the ark. I highly recommend visiting Emzara's Buffett located within the park. They have a fresh salad bar, a variety of home cooked meats and vegetables and a dessert bar. There is a carousel, zip line, and virtual reality experience of the ark. My daughter loved the zoo and the zoo keeper talk where you have the opportunity to ask questions about the animals. The staff are very friendly and very helpful with guiding guests to find their way around. You will not be disappointed with your visit. read more

The Ark encounter provided such a wonderful experience for our family. There were tons of real biblical artifacts. The ark has the same measurements as Noah's Ark as well. There's a VR ride that's a must try. Masks were worn by all staff and visitors. We missed many of the video presentations and it still took us about 3 hours to walk through the whole ark. If you don't believe that the flood actually happened, the Ark encounter will definitely change your perspective. I can tell that Lots of work and love went into the building of the Ark Encounter. Don't think twice about your visit. My kids were blown away (heck, we all were). read more

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Loved this whole complex and I need another weekend. There is so much to see and do. Zip line gals were great teachers and fun. The whole experience was awesome read more

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This place was pretty cool. It really puts the size to life. It's hard to look around when there's large crowds accumulating but it's easy to get away and check things out. It's crazy this place is in the middle of no where in Kentucky. You have to take a tram from the parking lot. It was pretty quick getting in and out. It's also a little walk up the ark. There's a few little shops inside and you can also get food and drinks although it's a little pricey. The best shop was the gift shop at the end. It had the most things plus snacks and goodies. The ark seemed to be for all ages, saw more older people than young. It really is something to check out at least once. Outside they have a little zoo. You can ride a camel and per some animals. There's also more food stands and places to sit or use the restroom. There's tons of little things for kids to do and even a zip line. We actually only spent about 2-3 hours total at the park but I can imagine you could spend all day. read more

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My wife and I did the Ark Encounter late in September 2024. While we were there I did my fist Zip-line (age 75) and did more walking than I had done in years. The overall experience was more than I ad hoped for. All of the Encounter employees were frienly and helpful. We spent the next day at the Creation Museum, which was just as impressive. Between the two I came out with a much greater understanding of the Old Testiment. read more

Truly an eye-opening experience. This 'museum' debunks certain myths eg earth isn't millions of years old and how the flood and Noah's ark are real and part of history. Pretty neat assumptions made about the 'technological' methods to ventilate, feed animals, waste management. read more

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I was very impressed by the size and the woodworking. It is beautifully done. Taking my 6 year old son expecting to see ALL the animals and not was disappointing. If you want to see yet another dinosaur exhibit, then there are plenty of those. Once inside I was not impressed by the multiple exhibits of abundant information. We definitely would have liked to see how the animals all fit and that such thing. There was a very small zoo outside the Ark with some sleeping Kangaroos and a few lemurs. I was not impressed by the hype of this place. read more

Ark Encounter - The Ark itself and lots of walking to get there - Museums Near Me - Williamstown, Kentucky

Dec 28, 2023 We arrived at about 10:45 am. The parking area is quite far from the actual event. You will board a full size tour bus to be driven to the top of a hill for the Ark. I am not sure why they designed it this way. The amount of diesel being used, drivers, wear and tear on the roads from the busses has to be significant. They drop you off at the lobby. It is of course another full size shopping area. Inside is also a theater for shows, restrooms, drinks and snacks, guide books, maps. You will go through yet another winding roped area to corral people as they enter the ark. They do have some overhead heaters enroute to the ark if it's deemed cold enough to use them. Once on board you are immediately greeted by a person trying to sell you a $3.00 guidebook of the ark. It is really designed for children. You can buy one that is about $17 (Ark Signs, That Teach a Flood of Answers) in the bottom floor gift shop with all the signs in the whole ark. I heard some individuals say when they boarded, they immediately went to the gift shop and bought the book before actually going through each floor. I would say, this is an extremely smart idea. You will guaranteed skip sections due to how crowded it is. That book will be an invaluable resource during your visit. I looked online, and the book at various websites is the same price as at the ark. The ark is arm length, shoulder to shoulder crowded in most of the actual exhibits. The center walking areas aren't as crowded due to their openness. There is plenty of benches to rest at. The lighting inside is very dim in all of the areas where the animals would be caged, which is a substantial section of one floor. They say it's to mimic the lighting the ark would have had. You are at a tourist spot with people paying huge amounts of money. Turn the freaking lights on, and more importantly make signs large enough for people to actually be able to read them more than 2-3 feet away from each exhibit. Why? Because people will have to try and see it from up to 6-8 feet away. I have fantastic vision. The very dim lights made it near impossible to read many of the caged areas and it's animal contents unless you were less than 2-3 feet away. There were sections of pre-flood, a 23 minute interview of Noah by a local newspaper..., flood event area, an area showing what the global flooding after effects would have caused, a section on missionaries in more modern times, plenty of restrooms, elevators, refreshments to buy as well as other exhibits. If you are very well studied in the Bible, evolution, creationism, you are not going to learn anything at the ark which you likely haven't already studied or researched. It will simply be for the experience of seeing how large the ark is, and visualizing the potential scenario. Due to how crowded it was at each exhibit area, I didn't feel it was worth the expense. If I had time to go through at a slow pace and actually be able to read everything up close, I might feel a little bit different. I truly can't stress to you enough how important having that book from the gift shop in the bottom floor would have made the experience so much different. Kids, who can read or are old enough to understand, adults who haven't studied extensively the above mentioned items, will definitely learn many things. We were going to go to the buffet, $16.99 but the wait time at 2:15 pm was already about 1-1.5 hours long. We did not visit the other areas. The exhibit is wheel chair accessible in all areas. They also offer electric wheel chairs for rental, as well as very large stroller rentals. Put on your most comfortable walking shoes, you are going to need them. According to my Garmin Fenix, and my wifes Garmin we walked over 6 miles. Keep in mind, we did not take in the outside exhibits and other areas to explore. The craftsmanship of the woodwork inside is absolutely top notch. The Amish builders are amazing in their skillset. read more

As a preface to this review I want to state that the Ark encounter is a faith based Christian endeavor to promote the gospel through the accurate retelling of the Ark and with all the attractions on site that are associated with it. I was looking forward to visiting the Ark having seen the Creation Museum the day before. Once you park your car you are transported on large buses the 1 mile journey to the Ark itself and it's attractions. Note-parking is $15.00. At the entrance there is a building called "The answer center" that houses live presentations, an expansive book shop and souvenir shops along with guest services. From there head under the rainbow arch and you are on your way to the Ark itself. Built exactly the size of written in the Bible the Ark appears with a outside fake boarding plank leading to the main door for where the animals would have boarded. Before you enter the ark there are stones with carved out images of the early events in the book of Genesis followed by 12 hewn stones on a pile as written in the book of Joshua. Each of these items have symbolic meaning to them. Once inside you can either take the elevator up to any of the three floors or walk up and down the ramps. My husband and I were smart to start off with the Ark itself because we got there when it opened and by the time we were more than halfway though it the place was packed with people. There is much reading aboard. They have recreated scenes on how they housed large and small animals, how these animals were cared for, rare types of animals including small dinosaurs housed in their proper cages. Again these are replicas, two of every kind. There was some interactive displays but one learns not only how life was like on the ark but also how Noah and his family managed to survive the long time they stayed aboard. You'll see his quarters as well as the families, and the types of lives they lived. Each floor has a small theater with short videos which are for sale in the gift shop. You also can learn about life before the ark and the world following the flood. The Museum of the Bible in Washington DC has a small display here on the various Bibles found throughout the world. There is so much to learn about the polar ice caps, global warming, who Noah was. The Ark ends with a timeline of all history from Creation to the present time. Throughout the Ark are various gift shops and some fast food places. There are restrooms on every floor. It took us a little over 3 hours to do the Ark alone. Once we completed the Ark we checked out the zoo, watched a talk on the car of lemurs and they went to animal encounters theater to watch a show on snakes. All were very interesting. In the zoo area they offer camel rides for children and beautiful garden paths. Making our way through Noah's village where most of the food stands are we stumbled upon the "Truth Traveler" which was a virtual reality ride back to experience the Ark in the time of Noah. This show was an add on feature but we thought it well worth the money. It really wasn't as harsh as I thought it would be after signing the waivers. They have zip lines here for a fee and a children's playground. We finally made it back to the answer center where we watched the finale of a presentation and got to meet the author afterward. We spent pretty much a full day here and again had to wait in line for one of the buses to take us back to our car. This visit was well worth the money and has a lot of great photo opportunities. A great place to visit for the entire family! read more

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The Ark is breathtaking. We went as a family of 5. We loved the entire exhibit. They did an amazing job recreating the Biblical Noah's Ark. I highly recommend going. read more

Ark Encounter - Museums Near Me - Williamstown, Kentucky

I loved the engineering and other details they made come to life. It's one thing to read about the Ark..it's a whole other thing to actually visualize what it might have been like. read more

Ark Encounter - Ark - Museums Near Me - Williamstown, Kentucky

Amazing! Wish I had budgeted more time here. Vastly underestimated all the things to see and do. So impressed with the detail and information about how the ark was constructed and operated. Learned information that I was never taught in catholic school about the ark! Loved the Christmas lights. So beautiful! Throughly enjoyed the large fire pits throughout the grounds to warm up with a hot cocoa. Such a nice touch. Such a wonderful attraction for the Christmas Season. read more

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Spent most of day here with my family. Very interesting experience. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone. read more

Ark Encounter - Museums Near Me - Williamstown, Kentucky

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We've spent a full day at both the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum twice now. A 3day pass would be awesome in order to spend a day at the Ark and still take in all the information at the Creation Museum. Not a penny spared on displays at either site and they have to be seen in person to really appreciate the scale and detail. These exhibits are some of the best I've experienced ANYWHERE and absolutely awe inspiring! Several hotels nearby give great discounts for Ark visitors. Our family can't wait for our next visit! read more

Hmm...I was a bit disappointed. We wanted to take my 70 year old parents on a vacation so we thought this place would be interesting. I'd always been curious about the exact size of Noah's Ark so I was intrigued when I heard about the Ark Encounter being built a few years ago. Right before I was about to book our flights, I decided to Google any discounts online that might be out there. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was a Groupon that was available for the dates we would be going. Normal pricing for the combo ticket (Ark Encounter and Creation Museum) is $79.95. The Groupon was $64. For seniors, normal combo price is $69.95. The Groupon for seniors was $56. (Expiration for the Groupon is March 31, 2020). So as you can see, we saved quite a bit with Groupon. We got to The Ark Encounter around 10:05am on a Wednesday morning during the first week of March. (They open at 10am). Plenty of parking. Redeeming our Groupon took a little longer than we were used to, but we finally got our wristband and was escorted onto a shuttle bus with an enthusiastic and friendly driver. Drove a few minutes to the location of the ark with majestic music playing in the background. I thought, "This is going to be great!" They dropped us off at the "Answers" building, which is like a secondary gift shop (not to be confused with the OTHER gift shop inside the ark). There we used the restroom and noticed a "making of the ark" movie that was playing, so we went inside to watch. The documentary was quite interesting and we got to hear from the founders of the Ark Encounter. It was quite enlightening and I even got teared up a few times. I was really looking forward to checking out the ark itself soon! So we walk up to the ark and it's big, for sure, but for some reason I thought it'd be even bigger and awe-inspiring. We walked inside and admired the woodwork, which was quite impressive. And it's amazing to think about how one man, Noah, could build such a huge ark on his own in biblical times. I figured the inside of this Ark Encounter would be fascinating since they put so much thought into building it. Well, we walked around and saw a bunch of wooden boxes with sound effects of animals, a bunch of animal replicas, a bunch of rooms where an artist imagined how Noah and his family lived, and a bunch of boards on the wall with words to read. As previous Yelpers have commented, it was not very interactive. If I were a kid, I'd be bored out of my mind. After probably the first 10 minutes, I was starting to feel a little impatient and thinking "This is it?!" We went through the four floors and looked at all the exhibits but it's hard to really get excited about something that's based on a biblical character/story when they have to take so many "ark-tistic licenses." Like how they made up names for Noah's wife and his son's wives. I just thought that was weird. Instead of just referring to her as "Noah's wife," they decided to call her "Emzara." I was confused because I had never read about this person in the Bible. Then I realized they had given her a name. Anyways, I feel kinda bad giving only 3 stars because I really do want to support Christian endeavors like this. The founders really do want to spread the gospel and share as much as they can, but it was just a little too much reading and words. Maybe if they had something more interactive like movies, live plays or musicals, or something, it might have held my attention longer. But I get it. There isn't a ton of details in the Bible about Noah and the ark, so they had to come up with something to fill up the exhibit rooms. But after a while of just walking and reading words on the wall, I actually thought it might be better just to build an empty ark and let me run around inside so I could just experienced the sheer vastness of the building instead of just walking around and seeing artists' theories of what it MIGHT have looked like back in Noah's time. If the ticket prices weren't that high, I might have given more stars. But given how expensive the tickets were, I think it wasn't worth it. And then they charge $10 for parking?! Come on. Maybe charge people $20 to walk around, but $50? Ridiculous. Charge $20 and ask for free-will offerings instead. The buffet was good. Seniors are only $10.99. Adults were $14.99. Includes drinks too. They need a soft serve machine. Meh. I told my husband it's like we're walking in line for a Disneyland ride and seeing the scenery on the way to the ride...only to find out there is no ride. But a positive--it got us talking about some verses we saw posted (like the one about not eating meat before the flood, and some stuff about the Tower of Babel). And it's inspired me to go back and read about Noah in the Bible. I guess for that, I'm grateful. Just wish it wasn't such an expensive form of inspiration. read more

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We visited The Ark Encounter mid- June and it was beyond busy! We were waiting in lines for no reason, there was not enough staff to help with guiding people through. This place is a very expensive christian amusement park. Food was really expensive, the gift shop items (which they have you exit through) were overpriced. We thought the tickets were pretty expensive for what we received. It was so packed that we there wasn't room to get close to the exhibits to read much of anything. Really, the only thing we truly thought was neat is the outside of the Ark. Although we don't really have true dimensions, it was is really impressive to stand near it and get an idea of how big it could have been. If you're in the area, I'd go but plan to spend hours there to fight lines and the mass amount of people flowing through. We went about 4 hours out of our way and spent about $300 for a couple of hours. Not worth it for our family. Would not go back. read more

Let me start off by saying if you are wanting to visit here, you should plan on making it a day trip, setting aside a good 4-6 hours if you're wanting to truly engage in everything. I would get there just after opening ($15-$20 parking fee) and if you are planning on doing the virtual reality tour, I suggest going there first. There is an additional charge for this. Most everyone wants to get to the Ark and the lines build up pretty significantly for the virtual adventure a little later. This is a 10min adventure and cost extra to experience but it is fun and enlightening. There is also a small zoo with a dozen or so animals that you can walk through. You can interact with the kangaroos which seem more like wallabies and there is a $10 cost to ride a camel. I didn't do the ride and never seen any adults riding so I'm not sure if it's only for kids or not. There's also a petting section with goats and such. Other items before I get to the Ark itself. There's a restaurant, 2-3 grills, hamburger stand, playground, 2-3 gift shops, theater for speakers, shows, concerts (TruSong is their wonderful house group) and a couple other things. The Ark was a wonderful delight and it only gets 4 stars simply because as a Bible scholar and pastor, I found a couple inaccuracies and felt some things could have been done differently or better. However, most people would never realize this. There are three floors so there's a lot of walking involved. It is possible to rent mobility carts for the elderly or handicapped. There's great explanations and visuals and I absolutely loved the first floor. It explains the food, holding areas, animal quarters and such which a lot people don't understand and question. The second and third floors bring in the bigger animals and more exhibits that take you on a trip through time including a story of salvation. All in all it is a great place and I recommend everyone visit at least once. I also suggest going in the off season because I can only imagine the crowd during the on season. read more

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The family and I went here awhile back and we have talked about it ever since. It was an excellent experience and really helped us to find answers we had been looking for, along with answering question we didn't know that we had. And the cost is more than acceptable, I have no issue paying money that goes to support the people and business that is helping so many understand Christianity and the Ark. Also, the buffet is well worth having while you're there. read more

Ark Encounter - Ark - Museums Near Me - Williamstown, Kentucky

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I managed to surprise my wife with this one!!! (See her review right before this one) This has been on our bucket lists since they first started building it. When she mentioned wanting to hit Cincinnati after we hit Nashville, I knew it was perfect timing. Four hours later. We get into the parking lot and she sees the giraffes on the building and asks... are we someplace with animals? I said... well, yeah it definitely involved animals. She looked around and the look of pure excitement, joy and probably a bunch of others came over her. Honestly, had we just left, I may have still said 5 star just for her giving a reaction like that! When you arrive you check-in or buy tickets, scan in, and hop on a shuttle to head to the park. Coming around the corner and seeing the Ark up close can be quite an amazing experience, even if you're not religious. The park was very clean, Emzara's buffet was priced well and tasted great, the zoo area was well kept, gift shops had lots of reasonably priced memorabilia and the staff was super friendly and helpful... oh, and then there is an Ark to walk through! The Ark was well kept, clean, and looked very much like I would have imagined it to. The exhibits through the tour are laid out beautifully and the artwork and craftsmanship of them was top quality! There are a couple of video presentations that give you a break from all the walking, and there are restrooms and refreshments along the way, which was nice. Overall, I'm very happy we made it here and checked another one of the list! read more

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Giving this place four stars. Family enjoyed our time here but it was very expensive. We've been to other amusement places that have had more to offer for the price we paid here. It's such a shame when they have a "kids free" discount and your 11 year old doesn't qualify. Instead of doing a "kids free" discount they should spread this discount out to help families who have older children. The Ark itself is breathtaking, and the layout flows very well. We spent two hours exploring the inside of the Ark and about six hours seeing the rest of the exhibits. The kids enjoyed the camel ride and the virtual reality show, though the show for me was not that great because the video was a tad fuzzy. That could have just been my individual screen though. I ate lunch at the smokehouse grill and ordered two sides - potato salad and baked beans. Portions were tiny little cups. It was the worst potato salad I've ever had and the "homemade" baked beans taste exactly like a can of baked beans you can buy in the store. So my advice would be to eat somewhere else. The kids and husband enjoyed the buffet and they report that they loved it, so go there for lunch. ;) We loved the BJU drama presentation "Unbelievable" and the animal encounter. We had an overall great day here, arriving at 8:30 and leaving at 5:45. Tip for fellow Ark visitors: get there early and head straight to the virtual reality show and then the camel rides if those are things you want to do. The lines for both of these was at least 45 minutes (and that was on a Tuesday). If we had known, we would have taken the kids straight to the virtual show and beaten some of the crowds instead of heading to the Ark first. read more

A lot of work was put into the planning and construction of this wonderful representation of history. The atmosphere is quiet and it includes a small "zoo-like" area with kangaroos, Lemurs etc. there are places to eat, rest from walking, power scooter and wheelchair rentals as well. You can take advantage of the $20 all you can drink for a year cups, and there are plenty of spots to eat and drink everywhere on site. If you take the trip to The Ark Encounter, why not go up the road just a bit further and visit the Creation Museum as well! read more

Ark Encounter - The Ark from the walkway approach - Museums Near Me - Williamstown, Kentucky

My wife has been asking for months to go see it. So for valentines date we went & checked it out. In February the crowd is small, Line was short for shuttle is short. We was here in September with our 2 year old grandson. Admission is free for petty zoo & to see the gardens. You have a $15 parking fee. You can pay one price & see Creation museum too. (If you like) The Ark is amazing, The pure size is just hard to imagine. You could spend up to 4 hours taking your time to see the whole Ark. Place is well worth the visit.. read more

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