What time zone is the ark encounter in

10 Travel Tips For Your Ark Encounter Visit

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We loved our visit to the life sized Noah’s Ark in Williamstown, Kentucky, known as the Ark Encounter. (You can read more about why YOU will love it here.) We arrived early and excited for the day. Be prepared for a fun, faith-building visit with these Ark Encounter tips!

Tips for your Ark Encounter visit

1. Plan! When purchasing tickets, decide if you want to go to the Creation Museum (45 miles away), too. We did both in one weekend and definitely recommend visiting both places! The Ark Encounter takes at least 4-5 hours. There is a 20% military discount for active and retired members of the the United States Armed Forces. Follow the Ark Encounter’s blog or Facebook page for occasional discounts.

2. Read the story of Noah’s Ark before you go. I recommend starting at Genesis chapter 5 to get a better understanding of the setting.

3. Get to the Ark Encounter early. Like, 15 minutes before opening time. When we arrived a few minutes before opening time, there was already a long line! There is a bus that will take you from the parking lot (after admission) to the ark. As the day progressed, the lines got longer and longer. We all agreed we made a good decision getting there early to avoid the long lines at some of the exhibits.

The bus that takes you to the ark.

You are dropped off by the bus with the Ark in the distance for photo opportunities. You then walk the length of the ark to the front to enter. Don’t forget to stand in front of the ark to see how wide it was!

4. Take your time. To get the most out of your visit, don’t be rushed by others. Take the time to read the signs and enjoy the literature. There is a lot of reading! I took pictures of the signs I wanted to read later with my cell phone.

5. Check out the amenities offered. Lockers, strollers, wheelchairs, and electric wheelchairs are available for a fee. There is parking for RVs and motor coaches. There is even someone to help you if you lock your keys in your car or the vehicle battery is dead. Also, this ark has a heating and cooling system to keep you comfortable year round!

6. There are plenty of bathrooms. I feel like all the bathrooms inside the ark were on one side in the middle of the ark. They were easy to find.

7. Food is available onsite. There are snacks available for purchase in and around the ark or you can have a meal at the onsite restaurant, Emzara’s Kitchen. The restaurant is located to the left of the ark when you are dropped off by the bus.

Emzara’s Kitchen

8. There is free wi-fi. If you HAVE to use the internet during your visit, you can connect for free.

The boys taking a break for their games on their phone at one of the many benches to rest on.

9. Be prepared to take your picture when you board the ark. You can purchase your family picture when you exit the ark through the gift shop. Take a look at the items in the gift shop. I loved the gift shop!

10. Don’t forget the extra activities outside of the ark! Kids will love the Ararat Ridge Zoo that is free with admission. See and learn about animals from around the world, such as yaks, emus, kangaroos, and lizards. Some are available for petting. You can also pay extra for donkey or camel rides. If that isn’t your thing, soar 17 stories high at speeds up to 50mph on the zip lines!

Hotels near Ark Encounter

If you are looking for the best place to stay near the Ark Encounter, I suggest staying in either Florence or Georgetown depending on which direction you are coming from. If your plans are to stay the night and go to the Creation Museum (highly suggested!), then go to Florence where there are a number of hotels and restaurants to choose from. Click here for hotels near the Ark Encounter.

We actually went a little further north and checked out the city of Cincinnati so we could check off staying in another state to our bucket list! 🙂

If you are heading south, then I suggest staying in Georgetown as it has a number of restaurants and hotels before hitting the hustle and bustle of Lexington. If you want to check out hotel rates from booking.com (where I usually book my rooms), click here.

Let us know if these travel tips helped and if you enjoyed the Ark Encounter as much as we did! Read more about the Ark Encounter here.

Here’s a video from our trip to the Ark Encounter.

Do you have any Ark Encounter tips? Comment below!

7 Comments

1. Can you purchase group tickets in advance for both places? Really good information for getting a group together

   • I would call them to see if you qualify for a group discount in advance depending on how big the group is…but yes, you can preorder for the combo tickets.

2. Thank you so much for this valuable information! We are looking forward to going this weekend!

3. We had such a great time! Fun for every age! We are a family of 4 including a 16 and 19 year old. My 16 year old son LOVED LOVED LOVED it. We all did, but him especially. Clean, well kept places with tons of friendly staff. Shows were great, exhibits were amazing and full of information, handicapped accessible, lots of resting areas and restrooms and they don’t money gouge. Most importantly for us? Air conditioning! I highly recommend both the Creation Museum and the Ark Exhibition. Thank you again for your valuable information. It really encouraged us to go!

4. Thanks for all of this info! We’re heading there in a week and a half, and my husband charged ME with finding info on each site. YaY! This info was/is fabulous! I’ll post again after our visit!

   • I hope you enjoyed your time!

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