Rising out of the Kentucky hills sits a jaw-dropping, full-scale replica of Noah’s Ark — built to the exact specifications found in the Old Testament Book of Genesis.
The builders raised over $100 million for its construction, and today it is the centerpiece of an 800-acre theme park that remains a work in progress. Organizers hope to raise another $50 million to add a “Tower of Babel and a Middle Eastern village.” Ken Ham, who heads up the non-profit “Answers in Genesis” and is the man behind the Ark project, believes it will be “one of the greatest Christian outreaches of our era,” attracting millions of visitors each year.
The project has endured criticism from some individuals in the scientific community, who contend that the Biblical narrative of the global flood and the timeline presented in the exhibit — which pegs the Earth at about 6,000 years old — are unrealistic.
But Christians from around the world have flocked to the Ark Encounter to experience what many of them describe as a faith-strengthening trip that puts them inside one of the most iconic stories of their religion.
Here’s how the organizers of the Ark Encounter describe it:
Ark Encounter features a full-size Noah’s Ark, built according to the dimensions given in the Bible. Spanning 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high, this modern engineering marvel amazes visitors young and old. Ark Encounter is situated in the beautiful Williamstown, Kentucky, halfway between Cincinnati and Lexington on I-75. From the moment you turn the corner and the towering Ark comes into view, to the friendly animals in the zoo, to the jaw-dropping exhibits inside the Ark, you’ll experience the pages of the Bible like never before.
Rose Landrum of Jemison, Alabama, recently visited the Ark Encounter with her family.
“My first thought when we arrived was ‘wow, so many people!’ Then when I saw the Ark from the parking lot it was ‘wow, it’s really big!’ There is so much information that you really need to plan to stay all day to take it all in. The size of the Ark in real life is pretty cool, and how Noah and his family took care of and maintained the animals on the Ark was cool. To just think, ‘How in the world did they do that?’ Only with the help of God! Everything is presented in such detail that the common person like myself can understand.”
Ms. Landrum said the trip was well worth it for her family, particularly “with all the stuff going on in the world today.”
“It strengthened my faith, helped me remember who is in control,” she said. “We tend to forget that sometimes and try to do it all on our own.”
The price is a little steep for some — $42.50 per person — but Ms. Landrum said she would recommend it to everyone, whether they are Christians or not.
“I would recommend anyone — believer, or non- believer,” she said. “It’s places like this we should really be advertising. It’s hard for me to understand how anyone could doubt, but I know they are many who do. I pray the Ark Encounter will be enough to change their mind.”
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