It’s been a minute since I’ve last posted! Life with three kiddos is a whole new ballgame, and I’m just trying to catch it all! Life has been crazy, but also crazy good 😊 We’ve been soaking in the sweetness that Lilybelle Louise has brought to our lives…she is an absolute gem of a baby!
Additionally, I’m trying to be present for my other two kiddos, making sure I spend one-on-one time with each of them. It’s gotten a little harder to focus on myself and my own dreams and passions, but as Beau recently started saying, “I don’t give up!”, so I’ll start pumping out more posts…in time…because I don’t give up 🙂
I find myself right now with an unusual four hours of free time, as my hubby drives and 2 out of 3 of my kiddos are asleep in the backseat 😊 We are traveling back from The Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky. If you haven’t heard about it yet, let me fill you in! The Ark Encounter is an exact size replica of Noah’s Ark and is designed to showcase what life was like on the Ark.
Y’all, there was SO much information! I’m still processing it all, but I can soundly say that it was an amazing experience I can highly recommend!
Let me start at the beginning…we had heard about The Ark Encounter awhile back and always said we’d go on one of our road trips back to Pittsburgh, but just haven’t been able to carve out the time for it on those trips. Fast forward to this week when our next door neighbor, Cindy, told us her sister, Pam, had some extra passes to go on a special behind the scenes guided tour…we were all game for the trip and thankful for the special invitation!
We kicked off the day at the zoo portion of the exhibit…I didn’t even know there was a zoo prior to this invitation! One of the zookeepers, Johnny, took us around to meet some of the animals up close! First we got to go into the Kangaroo exhibit…
Because it was so hot, we headed indoors to see some reptiles….
We then got to feed some donkeys, cows and camels… 
We capped our special animal excursion off with a camel ride!
*This up-close animal experience isn’t the norm – we had some special treatment due to the fact that Pam and her husband Stan are friends with one of the founders of the Ark Encounter and got us some special treatment* I can however say that ALL of the staff we came in contact with were so polite, helpful and accommodating! And there is a petting zoo! And you can also ride a camel or a donkey for $8/ride…so still plenty of opportunity to get up close to some animals!
After our camel rides, we grabbed lunch at the on-site cafe…y’all, you’d think the food came with the price of the ticket…it was a mad house in there! Granted, they offered so many different options of food at their buffet for a reasonable price ($15.00/per adult $7.00/child over 4 years old) but I kid you not, I’ve never seen an eatery at a place you have to buy a ticket to enter (ex: amusement park, museum, zoo, exc…) so packed with people! The dining hall was lined with replicas of wild animals, playing to the theme of the Ark, which made for something fun to look at as we waited in the line to eat.
After our meal, we finally headed to the Ark! It was hard to gage how huge it would be since it was measured in cubits in the Bible. Obviously, you imagine it has to be pretty large to accommodate Noah and his family and two of every animal…but seeing it in person gives you a whole new perspective! It’s very gigantic!
Each floor of the arc is longer than a football field and a half, and taller than a four-story home! The bottom floor was a replica of all of the cages the animals would have been kept in. The walls were lined with pots and bags. The bags would have been filled with seeds, nuts and dried fruits and vegetables, while the clay pots would have held liquids such as oils to be used as a fuel source.
The second floor was a walk through the Bible leading up to the flood…lots of great teachable moments here with wonderful visuals to put to your words!
One of the most striking parts of the encounter were the lifelike models showcasing what life would have been like on the Ark. Most were still, wax figures, but some were interactive which was totally cool! My personal favorite was of a moving and talking Noah answering a list of questions selected from a computer screen.
Everything about the Ark was so realistic, down to the walls filled with supplies they would have needed!
The third floor featured lifelike replicas of Noah and his families living quarters. This was very fun to see…
The Ark Encounter offers an overnight experience…though I’m not so sure you actually get to sleep in the replica of Noah and his families living quarters 😉
I will warn, the Ark part was a little hard to go through with young children. It’s a lot of information for an adult to take in, let alone a child. There is just so much to see and learn in the countless exhibits they have to offer! That being said, I wouldn’t not recommend you take young children. There were plenty of young kids there, I didn’t feel at all out of place…I just think you could get a lot more out of the total experience without having to share your attention with young kids.
Any information needed for visiting The Ark Experience can be found here. Do allow a full day for the total experience! We spent 8 hours exploring and didn’t even do any of the Zip Lines – Yes – they also offer Zip Lining packages which I think would be perfect for older kids and teens! Note: The Package Tickets include admission to The Creation Museum, a separate, sister-museum located about 15 minutes away from The Ark Experience.
Everything about The Ark Experience was extremely well done! The grounds were pristine…
The gift shop offered thoughtful, hand-made, fair trade goods, and as mentioned prior, the staff were so friendly and willing to help! If you have ever considered a visit, make it a priority to go! You won’t regret it!
Be Blessed + Be A Blessing
Special Thank You to Pam + Stan for inviting us to tag along with our three children…we know they can be a bit “extra” at times 😉
And CeCe for being our kids favorite hand holder! I love that they love you so big!
