The incredible life-size Noah’s Ark at The Ark Encounter in Petersburg, Kentucky is open for the holiday season, lighting up the night with lasers and Christmas lights. Guests of all ages are invited to celebrate the reason for the season this year at both the Ark Encounter and ChristmasTime. The Creation Museum is a 75,000-square-foot facility featuring 150 exhibits detailing the timeline of Biblical history and the life of Jesus. The museum is also home to a 200-seat special effects theater, a planetarium, zoo, nature trails, ziplines, and more.
Back in 2016, The Creation Museum opened their Ark Encounter, a full-size Noah’s Ark, built according to the dimensions given in the Bible. The Ark spans 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high with three decks. Deck 1 takes guests through a storage area of the Ark where the types of animals that lived on the ark are detailed. Deck 2 features the history of the pre-flood world and how Noah and God prepared for the incredible task of building an Ark. The final deck covers the living quarters for Noah and his family as well as a walk-through of post-flood events and a Museum of the Bible exhibit.
Every night of ChristmasTime, a 5-minute laser light show called Light in the Darkness is projected onto the side of the Ark that tells the story of Christmas. Lights shoot across the pond that sits beside the Ark as colorful images dance across the side of the Ark. In Noah’s Village, the gardens surrounding the Ark, rainbow Christmas lights cover the shrubbery and bring life to the night.
At the Ark, guests can engage in free carousel rides on Biblical animals, Zoo programs, $10.00 camel rides, $15.00 virtual reality experiences, and even indulge in a holiday buffet meal inside Emzara’s Buffet or Zofar’s and grab candied roasted nuts and a cup of hot cocoa from an outdoor vendor. On select days, concerts and Bible reenactments for the whole family are held in Noah’s Village.
ChristmasTime at the Ark is an entirely free event aside from the cost of parking which is discounted to $10 after 4:00 p.m. To view the exhibits inside the Ark and the Creation Museum, you can purchase tickets online or on site. The Ark and its ChristmasTime wonders are open now through January 4, 2025, Monday to Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and closed on Sundays.
Words by Emily Cigan @emily.cigan and Amy Harris @thetraveladdictig