The Ark of Williamstown, Kentucky

WILLIAMSTOWN, Ky. — You can’t see it from the road. That would be silly.

Because the majority of visitors are primarily interested in simply seeing it, the structure has been constructed well beyond the interstate, situated in the midst of a field. You pay for a ticket, and then you hop on a bus for a one-mile ride just to get to its location.

You wind your way up a hill and—as if part of some sort of dream—it appears, out in the distance. When you first see it, you think, ‘Wow. That sucker is BIG.’

Welcome to The Ark Encounter. As in, Noah’s Ark. From the Bible.

The 510-foot-long structure rests on a hilltop in a rural Kentucky county, about 40 minutes south of Cincinnati, Ohio. It is so large, and its building must have been such a massive undertaking, that you cannot come away anything but impressed.

Even though the entire setup is rather odd. But, more on that in a minute.

Lions and Tigers and Dinos

The Ark Encounter is an amusement park built by Ken Ham, an Australian creationist who is the CEO of Answers in Genesis, a Christian ministry that also operates the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky., about 45 miles north of the Ark.

In the Creationist rendition of the tale, God assigned Noah the responsibility of bringing two of every living creature—be it elephants, giraffes, or, intriguingly, triceratops and velociraptors—onto a substantial boat that Noah and his family constructed to evade the Great Flood, which essentially purged the world of all other living beings.

Must have been an interesting scene below deck, right? I know what dinosaurs can do (I’ve seen all the Jurassic Park movies). Seems like the boat would have been the dinosaurs’ version of a Golden Corral buffet. But, not to worry. According to Creationists, the belief is that all dinosaurs are herbivores, ensuring a scenario where no creature falls victim to carnivorous predation.

‘There’s Nothing Here’

The entire grounds of the Encounter are impressive. The site includes the boat, which is as tall as a seven-story building, at the center of the park. Around it, you’ll find one of the world’s largest restaurants (the 1,500-seat Emzara’s Kitchen, named for Noah’s wife—get the “Two by Two” bacon double cheeseburger for $9), a petting zoo (with goats, ponies, kangaroos, and camel rides), zip lines, a 2,500-seat theater, snack huts, and gift shops.

Built in 2014, Ham got more than $18 million in tax incentives (including 78 acres of land for $1) from the city and state to bring the $120 million attraction to Williamstown. He did so by promising hundreds of new jobs to this town of about 4,000 people. He stated that countless new hotels and restaurants would benefit the region, as they would be constructed to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of visitors expected to make their pilgrimage to the site.

The catch? The jobs were exclusively available for individuals professing the Creationist faith, and those selected for employment would need to sign a waiver as proof of their affiliation. On top of that, six years later, townspeople say they have seen little added development in this rural county, and few, if any, new customers in their city—because people don’t stay in Williamstown when they see the Ark.

They stay in other nearby towns and drive to and from the area. Simply, the promised riches have not come.

In a recent documentary about the Ark, the Grant County Judge-Executive stated that only “maybe a few cars a day” pass through downtown Williamstown. “But there’s nothing here.”

Still, Ham built it. And the people have flocked to it.

‘This is Sacred Ground’

When I visited the Encounter early this spring, I was amazed at how many people were also there. Large numbers of families, both young and old. Many had traveled from several states away to see the sights. There were folks from different countries speaking different languages.

And it wasn’t difficult to see why. It’s hard not to just bolt straight for the ship when you get off the bus, so that’s what I did. I’d paid a pretty hefty price for an adult ticket , so I wanted to see what the fuss was all about.

Inside the Ark are three decks, each with dozens of dioramas, models, videos, and learning stations. There’s also a food garden and, of course, a gift shop. Visitors can observe illustrations detailing Noah’s construction of the ship, interact with a few real animals such as llamas brought in from the park’s petting zoo, and watch a video (produced by Answers in Genesis) explaining the media’s approach to covering the topic. (It shows a stressed-out TV reporter, looking for a story and not believing in the Ark, who then visits the park. After the visit, she embraces belief, and her life changes for the better.

Check out exhibits showcasing Noah’s living quarters, another on flood geology, and yet another on the Ice Age. I learned the Ark Encounter says Noah brought 1,398 kinds of animals on the ship—6,744 animals in all. And they explain how they got to these numbers.

You can literally buy anything with an Ark on it in the main gift shop at the end of your tour. There are stuffed animals. Books. Action figures. Fudge. No opportunity was missed.

Overall, as an entertainment venue, the Ark is second to none. It was an enjoyable way to spend about four hours if you want to learn about the Creationist view of this iconic Biblical event. Just bring your walking shoes, your camera, and a coat if it’s chilly.

Near the end of the tour on deck three, one of the last things I saw was a cutaway of the Ark, a 1:48 scale model, and it was really interesting. In fact, two older women were so eager to see it, they fought for position to take pictures, and they ended up pushing one another and shouting—all in front of other families and children.

“Excuse me!” one yelled.

“Excuse you!” the other replied.

After a bit more yelling back and forth, one uttered my favorite line.