Tips for Visiting the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum
Ark Encounter and Creation Museum from a family of 6
Our family was finally able to go visit the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum in Kentucky. We have been wanting to go since the Ark opened and were thrilled to finally have the time and ability to go visit. If you missed in Part 1, we talked about the Biblical accuracy on the Ark.
The Ark Encounter has been on our list of places to visit since it opened. We have planned to go a few times, but it never worked out. We are so thankful that God’s time is the best, and we were able to visit when we did. It ended up being the best time of year, and the best time for our family. At the time of our visit, our children were ages 12, 8.5, 6 and 3.5.
Tips for Visiting the Ark Encounter
Go During the Off-Season
If you are able, visit the ark during the winter season. The lack of crowds is worth it! We went on a Friday in February and walked right on the Ark. There weren’t many people at all, especially in the outside areas. We were able to read and see everything we wanted to in the Ark, due to the lack of crowds. There were still PLENTY of people, but nowhere near the crowds in the summer. The best way to explain it is when we walked to the Ark we were able to walk on and bypass the line which was as long as a line for a ride at Disney World.
Another benefit was that our children basically had the playground to themselves. They were truly able to enjoy playing without a bunch of other kids around. On the allergy front, going during the offseason meant that their outside food stands were closed! Yay for allergy families! The worries about allergies on the playground were drastically decreased because of that.
2. Bring Lunch
The Ark does have a restaurant on site, but I found it to be expensive for our family of 6, and with food allergies. We debated purchasing food for our nonallergy kids but even with fewer people, the price was still more than we wanted to spend. We packed a cooler and left it in our van. You are allowed to leave on the bus go back to your vehicle and come back inside. You must pick up a wristband from the check-in desk when you leave in order to get back in. We preferred the convenience of our own food and had a little rest in the warm van before heading back.
3. Carousel
Riding the carousel is a MUST! This was a highlight of the trip for many of us. The carousel is built into the ground, so there is NO step to get onto it, which is great for those with disabilities, but also those with young children. The speed is a bit slower, which honestly I prefer. The older I get, the more riding carousels bother me, but this one was perfect. It didn’t bother me at all to stand next to my toddler while riding or to ride myself. I would suggest, if you have kids, to ride this at least twice. We were able to ride 3 or 4 times and often time with just our family.
4. Look for Deals
This year, the Ark is offering free admission for children under 10. This can be a HUGE benefit for many families and allow you to visit when otherwise it wouldn't be affordable. The other expense is of course lodging. There aren't many options near the Ark but if you are willing to travel 20-30minutes you can find lots of hotels, air bnbs and even camping options.
5. Stay in Florence
Staying in Florence was a great decision we made. It was about a 25minute drive to the Ark and 20minute drive to the Creation Museum. The area was full of any amenity you could need. There were multiple hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, shopping and more. Bonus is that it is next to the Cincinnati airport so it makes flying in and out of the area super simple.
6. Bring a Stroller
We are past the age were we use a stroller on a daily basis. Our 3 year old walks for most things that we attend, but we did bring the stroller this time. It was a great choice! There was a ton of walking and it was easier to have a child in the stroller then carrying. Our 6 year old even used the stroller at times to sit and take a rest.
7. Start Early
I had read many posts about spending a full day at the Ark but honestly, didn't think our family would make it that long. Since we have younger children, and wouldn't be eating at a restaurant, I thought we would spend less time there, but I was wrong. We got there 30min after it opened and left about 30minutes before they closed. Our kids would have stayed longer to play if we let them. You definitely need an entire day to visit everything the Ark Encounter has to offer.
Visiting the Creation Museum with Young Kids
The Creation Museum is often grouped with the Ark, although you should know they are about 40 minutes away from each other. Each member of our family had very different views on the Creation Museum. The information and presentation of creation, fall, rebellion, redemption, restoration, or as they call them: creation, corruption, catastrophe, confusion, Christ, cross, consummation. Jacob loved the creation museum. He thought they did a wonderful job displaying all the information of the beginning of Genesis. Our oldest daughter also enjoyed the creation museum for all the additional information, and maps. Our other children, however, did not enjoy it at all. There were two areas they did enjoy, the Garden of Eden room and the Dinosaur room. The creation museum has a TON of information and is more of a stepping stone to the Art Encounter. Many of their exhibits point you to visiting the Ark to learn even more.
We were bummed when we went to find out that the zoo was closed. The kids were excited about seeing the animals, so maybe if the zoo was open they would have enjoyed it more. We did visit in the off season, but it still seemed weird that the zoo would be closed on a Saturday. Overall, the Creation Museum is a great place to visit if you have the time, but I would prioritize visiting the Ark before the Creation Museum, especially if you have younger children.
Tips for People with Food Allergies
One of the hardest things about traveling is finding safe food for our family with food allergies. There were a few things I did before this trip to make sure I was prepared to fuel our family. The first thing was to check online and see if food was allowed to be brought into the Ark. It wasn’t, so I proceeded to email customer service and figure out a plan for our family. The Ark Encounter did a great job emailing me about working with our family on food allergies. Due to the issue of cross-contamination, we were not comfortable eating there. They were aware of allergies, and willing to have the chef work with you if your allergies are not as severe. They did say we could bring in food to the Ark due to the extreme sensitivity of our daughter’s allergies. This was very comforting and although we didn’t bring food into the Ark, we did bring our food with us. Since we visited the Ark in February, we decided to take a bus back to our van and eat in our van. It was a good way to warm up and give the kids a bit of a break before returning.
The second thing I did, was find a hotel that would accommodate our family. When we travel, we either bring all our own food or bring some and purchase some. On this trip, I chose to pre-make many of our meals before we left home and bring them to the hotel in a cooler. Staying in a hotel with a full fridge, took a lot of the pressure off of me and allowed me to relax during this trip. I knew that we had safe foods for every meal in a normal-sized fridge. It was such a blessing.
The third thing to be aware of is that the Creation Museums is NOT friendly for those with food allergies. Thankfully, during our visit, the food area was closed due to being off-season. In order to see 4 exhibits (dinosaurs, insects, fully formed, and special) you need to walk through the food court. The food court is the center and all the exhibits come off of the food court. There is no other way to get to these exhibits. If there would have been food there, we would have skipped that entire area. There is no way I would feel safe with our children touching all the surfaces with the allergens being so close. But you know what is best for your family. This was something I was surprised by and wanted to make sure other food allergies families were made aware of.
The Ark was a great family vacation and one that I would take again when our children are older. It would be a better fit if you have young babies (who can sleep) or school-aged children who are able to read. Although our younger kids (3 and 6) enjoyed the trip they mostly enjoyed the playground and caresoul.
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