Review: Ark Encounter, Williamstown, KY The real (most…read moreemphatic) "Ark Encounter" isn't about ancient naval engineering or historic veracity --it's an encounter of visceral exposure and violent death. In light of 1 Peter 3 and Romans 6, the Ark represents baptism, and baptism is where your curated self goes to die. You don't walk through this exhibit to marvel at Noah the faithful hero; you walk through it to be exposed. Like the Samaritan woman in John IV, you leave feeling as though God has just laid bare every dark, hidden thing you've ever done--the buried shame, the secret motives, the precise things you are desperate to keep hidden. The climax of the experience is the immediate, inescapable exposure of humanity's true condition. God REFUSES to give you a comfortable consumeristic experience. Instead, you are confronted with the raw, scandalous reality of Noah passed out, naked, and drunk in his tent (the ultimate icon of unmasked shame) followed by the immediate, ugly fracturing of the family, relational dysfunction, melodramatic curses, and gut wrenching estrangement. Thank you to whoever decided to provide this disgusting (but extremely biblical/candid) portrayal of Noah in Kentucky! That is some RARE & REFRESHING brutal honesty; a shockingly truthful scene to include in the "Ark Encounter." I really felt it for what it was - HIGHLY OFFENSIVE and "inappropriate!" The true Ark Encounter. It strips away my "righteous illusions," and forces me into the terrifying mortality of exposure; and it drowns my ego in the tide. John 12:24

Crazy big boat - but should be bigger b/c it's based on our modern arm length & humans were overall…read moretaller 4K yrs ago. Shuttle there was pretty fast. Many of the extra exhibits around the ark are extra money of course. The little zoo was nice. The inside was loaded w/ things to see. If you read it all it would take all day. The photo op at the beginning comes out to about $35. Also, many of the prices in the gift shop was very high. One aspect I thought was kind of odd was the unusual number of dinosaurs displayed in the ark. You would think there were more dinosaurs back then then most of the animals we are familiar with. Maybe it's just a way to attract the kids attention. It would be cool if they had a time-lapse video of the construction, and maybe I missed it. The buffet was definitely worth hitting up. All the food was actually good. I had no complaints and the staff kept most things very fresh. There was plenty of options and many drinks to choose from as well. The desserts were all tasty as well. Donut holes were a kid fave. Tons of seating too.

This is not as big as other children's museums but is still fun and well kept. There were a range…read moreof activities for different ages and it's conveniently located to lunch places.

This is a wonderful place to bring your children. My 2.5 year old grand]daughter loved it. A hidden…read moregem in Lexington.

Very interesting, craft artists are informative. Prices for entrance and souvenirs reasonableread more

Interesting site with lots of actors, most of which are friendly and all of which are…read moreknowledgeable. The orientation video is informative and sets up the experience nicely. Enjoyed the blacksmith demonstration, and the numerous artifacts and posters combine to form an intimate narrative of the place. The fort itself seems a little run down, and a few of the employees seemed standoffish and irritable on the day that we visited, especially the woman in the first cabin with a person. I didn't really understand why she seemed so agitated at another person near us asking a very simple question. Bizarre. We got the heck out there. The monument in front of the fort easily had a hundred bees buzzing around it, so beware if you have bee sting allergies.

This is a very nice FREE MUSEUM. It is located on the main street, downtown Easy to find near…read morecollege. The building is a old bank or post office. Full of memorial items from the history of the area Very informative and educational I enjoyed it tremendously If you are in the area you should stop in definitely while it fee

My family and I really enjoyed learning about the history of the area. The kids liked the…read moreinteractive displays.

The Kentucky Historical Society in Frankfort is an amazing modern facility that preserves the…read morehistory of Kentucky. Admission is included with ($8) admission to the Old State Capitol building. We spent about an hour walking through the exhibits and learning. Many of the exhibits are hands-on and educational. The path through starts with the history of indigenous people of Kentucky through modern day. I found the many artifacts displayed very interesting. Information and additional artifacts about the early settlers of Kentucky were interesting as well. A separate area in the museum houses portraits of all the governors of Kentucky. Upstairs is a research library. The gift shop offers various souvenirs, books and locally crafted items for sale. The center is worth a visit if you love history and especially good for kids. There is a dedicated parking lot for the museum, but we found free street parking down the street.

My husband, our two kids (ages 4 and 8), and I had the most wonderful time celebrating the 4th of…read moreJuly at the Kentucky Historical Society. There were so many fun activities for the children, and it was the perfect place to stay cool out of the summer heat. The absolute highlight of our day was visiting the gift shop and meeting Delaney. She was incredibly sweet, answered all of our questions, and even put a beautiful red ribbon in my daughter's hair. She chatted with us throughout the day and truly made us feel so welcome--she is an absolute gem in the middle of downtown Frankfort! My kids are absolutely in love with their new toys, and I will cherish the gorgeous Ginkgo leaf earrings my husband bought me. Thank you for making our holiday weekend so special! Much love, the Blair family from Lexington

Different learning experience here as you view all displays in the miniature gallery that are exact…read morereplication in a remarkable 1/12th scale with extraordinary attention to detail to every thing. If it is electric it lights up, it is an instrument it plays, if it is a diamond it is a diamond....well you get the point that it is a big deal to be a small deal. They have the historical info about the town and details on interesting local lore. Come and see what you can learn as I have no spoiler alerts. If you know history your knowlegeably ahead of the game and still much more to learn all the time. Discount is only for students, none for seniors or military. Current cost is $10 per person. They do also have a Pouge experience next door and you can sample the DSP 3 rye and bourbon for an extra $5. This not the distillery site. A must do on a hot day or cold day. Find out why hush puppies are called that name. Time to learn and appreciate craftsmanship.

You have to visit this place…read more A week ago a group of us drove up to Maysville to visit the museum specifically to see the miniatures collection. We were overwhelmed with the quality and size of the museums displays. It's like you were giants in a Twilight Zone movie looking into real tiny houses that's how lifelike they were. The Spencer's House was fantastic. They have a movie playing about the creation of it. There are several rooms full of all sorts of displays. More will be added in the spring of 2024. This is a must see collection. We were also impressed with the other displays in the museum. These were focused on the major historic milestones of Maysville. Also displays of major products produced in that region. I would say we never expected this level of quality and size in a small town museum.

The Kentucky Military History Museum admission is included with admission to the Old State Capitol…read morebuilding. Our family visited last week. The building, complete with turrets, served as the second state arsenal after fire destroyed the first building near the Old State Capitol. Architect Nathaniel Cooke designed the arsenal in the 1850s. The arsenal was captured by the Confederates during the Civil War but later reclaimed by Union troops. Today, the building serves as a museum of weapons, artillery and memorabilia from early U.S. wars through present. I found, of most interest, the stories and memorabilia of Kentucky residents that served in various wars. There are two floors of museum, which are accessible by elevator or stairs. The museum is immaculate. A curator is available to answer questions. Free parking is available in their dedicated lot. The museum is worth a visit if you like military history.

Was in town exploring a couple of distilleries and decided to stop in the museum on the way out of…read moretown. Wish we would have stopped in earlier so we could have checked out the other museums in the area. There are lots of weapons in the museum and lots of stories told in the artifacts. We will have to come back to explore the other museums.

Fun tour on a hot day! We did the Ultimate Queen City Underground Tour with Eric B.. and he was…read moreawesome! Eric B did a great job in trying to keep us in the shade. Much appreciated. He was VERY knowledgeable and very easy to get along with. The length of the tour was perfect and ended with the best part - the underground. I won't spoil it .... but it was VERY COOL.. if you are nerdy like that. Would I go back? Yes, but for a different tour with, hopefully, the same guide.

What a great time! We did the Queen Tour with Harrison-he was so engaging and very nice to…read moreentertain the kiddos! It was perfect weather-hot outside and a perfect cool down refrigerator temp in the "caves". Wear tennis shoes and it does last the full 90 minutes-time does fly though! Again-Harrison was just great! Great work!

I went to the International Museum of the Horse to see the current exhibit on the history of the…read morehorse in Japan. It would be of interest especially to horse people as much of it honors Japan's great thoroughbred racehorses, including Kentucky bred Sunday Silence who became a sire of note in their breeding industry. There is memorabilia as well as replays of memorable races. This is a temporary exhibit and will be available until year end. 77

Went here on a field trip and it was pretty fun.It was pretty empty the day we went but still…read moreenjoyable. The real winning race horses that they brought out and showed us were cool. Overall an 8/10 would go again

MaryBeth is was AMAZING!!! So informative!!! The ABSOLUTE need to keep talking about our history. I…read morecannot wait to bring other people on our next visit!!!

This place is a must see. The tour was 5 dollars in cash. When i went it was only 3 people on the…read moretour. the tour guide was very knowledgeable and very friendly and answered all the questions we had. We walked around the house that was once used as a safe house for the underground railroad. So much history the house had. The house was turned into a musuem that included artifacts and exhibits. From upstairs you can see the ohio river where people would cross. even though the tour was just the house, the tour guide gave us pointers on where to go next. If you have time and are in the area continue by going to the rankin house which was also a safe house, you can take a tour their as well. Make sure you do the stairway to freedom!