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We just got home from a quick, two night getaway to Kentucky to visit the Ark Encounter. Before travel, I had lots of questions regarding the experience and I thought I’d share a bit of ours.
Where did you stay? We found a nearby Airbnb that was about a 5 minute drive away from the ark. It was perfect to have a place to unwind at the end of the day with friends.
When is a good time to go? We decided ark day was going to be on a weekday during the school year and planned on a 9:30 arrival (they open at 9:00). The lines were really short and we were able to get our pre-purchased tickets scanned quickly and queue for the bus that takes you from the parking lot to the ark itself. It was still busy, but I feel like we were there on a fairly slow day.
Do I need to dress for the weather? There was a threat of rain, but I’m so thankful that it held off for us. With most of the exhibit being inside, I would still recommend dressing for the weather and to wear comfortable shoes. There is going to be lots of outside time in the ticket line, as you are waiting to get on the bus, and then walking from the bus drop off to the ark. Before making your way back, there is a great area for photos with a pond in front of the boat.
Is it kid friendly? The ark is HUGE, beautifully crafted, and an amazing structure that brings the Biblical account of the flood to life. I thought it would be perfect for our kids (4 & 7), but while my son absolutely loved it, my daughter was frightened for a good portion of the time we were inside. It’s pretty dark (both literally and the subject matter on the exhibits) as you first get on. There is the sound of wind, thunder, and crashing waves, and the animal exhibits look incredibly lifelike and are intimidating to a tender-hearted 4 year old. That being said, in the end, we all loved the experience and it was a great way to visualize what life could have been like on that incredible boat.
What kind of food options are there? If you are looking for food, there are lots of little areas with drinks / snacks inside and out and there is a restaurant on the property that was crowded, but had a great buffet, and we easily found seating. I assume that if you eat either early or late, it would be much less busy. There is also a nearby Mexican restaurant that we ate at the night before and it was really good if you wanted to leave the property.
How long does it take to go through the ark? The whole experience took us around three hours with three little people. We tried to soak up as much information as we could along the way, but it was hard with kids and we kept things moving. There are so many areas to read and learn more and if you wanted to, I think you could easily spend five to six hours taking it all in. Since we fast forwarded through some of the exhibits and complementary reading about them, I picked up a book at the gift shop that contained much of the same information on our way out.
Are there other activities? As we were wrapping up our visit, we made our way back to the Ararat Ridge Zoo, which the kids loved. There were other activities that you could participate in for a fee as well like camel rides and zip lines and there is a large gift shop on the way out of the ark.
We had such a great time exploring the Ark and would definitely recommend it as a great getaway with kids / as a couple / with friends.
1st time we went to Ark, Clete was standing outside looking at actitechure. Of course! He is a builder. A distinguished man came up and asked if he had any questions.He asked a few, then the man said follow me.
He called security and made clearance for us to go into areas where public was not allowed. We got to ask construction questions,see inner structure, areas unfinished, and hear about future plans .
What a treat for Clete!!
That sounds awesome! It’s such an impressive structure and getting a behind the scenes tour would be amazing!