Gypsy Road Trip

Visitors are in awe at the immense size of the Ark.

Awesome! That word was frequently used by visitors to describe their first impression of The Ark Encounter. Its size impresses everyone.

Beautiful gardens appear throughout the grounds.

   The Ark Encounter fills the area. Noah’s Ark was much larger than most people realize. At 510 feet long, 51 feet high, and 85 feet wide, the numbers can’t really express the size of this immense biblical ship.

   Situated in Williamstown, Kentucky halfway between Cincinnati and Lexington, Ark Encounter is the largest timber-frame structure in the world. It was built in part by skilled Amish craftsmen from standing dead timber and opened in 2016. Since that time, hundreds of thousands of people have visited and up to 8000 in a day.

Ken Ham is president and founder of the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum.

   This all became possible due to a dream of Ken Ham, a science teacher from Australia. His desire was to found a Creation Museum based on the book of Genesis. In 1987, he moved his family to the United States to proclaim the accuracy of the scriptures. He came to the Cincinnati area in 1997 because of its location to a large portion of the country’s population and purchased the land in 2000. He formed the group Answers in Genesis and opened the Creation Museum in 2007. In 2010, the decision was made to build the Ark Encounter.

Bus transportation is provided between the parking lot and the Ark location.

   Friendly guides take people by bus from the entrance gate to the Answer Center. Here films about the Ark are shown throughout the day. “The Building of the Ark Encounter” provided an interesting view.

The Rainbow Gardens are near the entrance to the zoo.

   Then walk through sidewalks lined with beautiful flower gardens to arrive at the actual entrance to the Ark. As you exit the ark, there are Rainbow Gardens, which make you feel like you’re visiting a tropical paradise.

Meals were prepared in this possible kitchen area for Noah and his family.

They grew vegetables on board and followed a vegan diet.

   Drift back in time to meet Noah in his 600^th year and his seven family members, who lived on the Ark and cared for all the animals during the Flood. Visit all three decks to learn more about the story.

Noah answers interesting questions from a select list.

A son took care of the blacksmith’s repair chores.

   Look in their living quarters on deck three and see what they probably looked like. Find out how they cooked their food, where they slept, how they gardened, and what they did for fun. Here you can press questions for Noah to answer about their life.

The first deck contained water jugs and bags of grain to feed the animals.

Rows of cages contained the animals on the second deck of the Ark.

   Of course, you’ll want to meet the animals that were on the Ark to see what lived during that time. Learn what Noah and his sons fed the animals and how they fit them all on the Ark. Onboard the Ark, you’ll find exotic sculpted animals. When you exit, you’ll find live animals in their Ararat Ridge Zoo.

Enter these gates to view the Ararat Ridge Zoo.

   The petting zoo is a favorite of children and adults. A special kangaroo pen lets visitors have a close encounter with the roos. Make plans to see the Ararat Ridge Zoo earlier in the day as when 5:00 feeding time rolls around, the animals all disappear inside for their evening meal.

The kangaroo pen allowed visitors to come inside and pet the roos…if they were on the sidewalk.

The emus paced their cage area and watched visitors.

   Visiting the entire establishment will take at least three or four hours. Some people come back for a second day as there is so much to see. Stop by Emzara’s Buffet for a relaxing full meal or get some snacks of ice cream, pizza, or funnel cakes in the Village Market. Parents can relax while children enjoy an exceptionally nice playground.

Try the Screaming Eagle Zip Line for a fun adventure.

   They even have a Screaming Eagle Zip Line with speeds of 50 mph for the adventurous. Try a free fall jump or test your balance on the aerial adventure course. There’s something here for everyone.

The visitors in this picture give a good size comparison to the bow of the Ark.

   Set on 800 acres in western Kentucky, they have a lot of room to grow. Plans are already underway for the Tower of Babel and a Giraffe Safari.

   The Ark Encounter is a great Biblical adventure for the entire family.

The Ark Encounter is located in Williamstown, Kentucky west of Exit 154 off I-75.  It is approximately 40 miles south of Cincinnati, Ohio. 

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s that lived during Noah’s lifetime animals we see today.