The Ark Encounter - Williamstown, Kentucky

Everyone knows the story of Noah’s Ark, the animals coming in two by two, the big flood and the rainbow afterwards. Children’s storybooks depict a tiny boat filled to overflowing with animals, floating along on the water. But at The Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky, the true story comes to life. Here one can walk through a replica of the ark built to the dimensions specified in the Bible. Throughout the exhibits, factual details are provided about the construction of the ark, the provisions for the care of the animals and people, and the scientific evidence that ties the account to other documents and cultures.

We entered the park and were directed to the parking for RV’s. A tram picked us up and transported us to the ticket center. After purchasing our tickets, a large bus transported us to the ark exhibit, which is a mile away from the ticket center. The ark rests on a hill and can be seen as the bus approaches the area. The landscaping around the ark is just beautiful with lots of flowers, and ponds. Along the approach to the ark, topiary animals are depicted walking in pairs. There were also some large exhibits with birds along the pathway.

When seeing the ark for the first time, the size is almost unimaginable. The ark is as long as one and a half football fields, half as wide as a football field, and stands 7 stories high in places. It’s actual measurements are 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high, containing 3.3 million board feet of timber. The structure is the largest all-timber structure in the world.

After a few minutes of just admiring the sight and trying to grasp the magnitude of the project, we walked into the main ark. Just as specified in the Bible, it is 3 stories high, with all sorts of compartments to house various animals. As we walked along the exhibits, we saw areas sets aside for containment of water and supplies, as well as areas to grow plants and to house the family. The creators of the Ark Encounter make it very clear that some artistic license has been taken to provide details not specified in the Bible, such as the appearance of the people and the names of the females (the Bible specifies the names of Noah’s sons but only notes that they had wives and Noah had a wife). Ramps connect the 3 floors and we had the option to walk through all of the exhibits, or only part of them, and to view a number of movies along the way. We watched one which was an interview of Noah by a tabloid. Obviously, this is an interpretation of our modern culture, but the main point was that the people in the surrounding area mocked Noah for his work, which we know is true.

When we were through touring the ark (it’s a lot of walking), we headed outside. We opted not to visit the petting zoo, although we heard some children saying they really had fun there. We were looking for lunch, and decided to visit the on-site restaurant which was in an air-conditioned building (which we appreciated in the 93 degree humidity), but there were several casual offerings with outside seating (pizza, tacos, etc). The main restaurant is a buffet and frankly, I wasn’t expecting much because I usually find buffets to be much more about convenience and quantity than good food. I have to tell you that I was wrong. The food here was excellent – just good Southern cooking. Jim tried most of the entrees and liked them all, particularly the fried chicken, pot roast and riblets. I had the chicken tenders and they were very delicious with a corn-flake breading that I’ve had in a number of wonderful southern kitchens. The salads were really good, too. Jim particularly liked the pea salad and my favorite was the kale superfoods salad with a light raspberry vinaigrette dressing. Iced tea and ice cream rounding out the meal. Just delicious.

After we left the Ark Encounter, we drove another 6 hours to our last stop, New Martinsville, WV the home of my sister, Janie and her husband, Steve. More about that next time.