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I'm so grateful that our family was finally able to visit the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter! It was an amazing experience for our family of nine and well worth the time and effort to travel to Kentucky. It's something we wanted to do a long time ago but it finally worked out for us to visit.
Our oldest is graduating from homeschool this year and while my momma heart is still in shock about how this is possible, I really wanted to be able to commemorate the end of his homeschooling with a special trip for the family.
While praying about where to go and how to make this all happen, God clearly laid out our trip for us when I asked Him about where to go and what to do. I thought I knew where I wanted to go, but our first plans for a different location fell through. So back to prayer I went. My son that is graduating suggested the Creation Museum and Ark so I began pursuing that. Our biggest hurdle was finding an affordable place to stay for our large family.
My husband started looking up some Airbnb places to stay and it was hard to find one that wasn't super expensive! We finally settled on one that we thought looked good and no sooner did we decide to reserve it, someone else took it (literally within minutes!!) Well, ok, I guess that's not where God wants us to stay so back to prayer I went asking the Holy Spirit to please provide and direct.
The next morning my husband said he found a place he thought we'd like. It was cheaper (further away from the museum and ark) AND it was a 100+ year old farmhouse with 275 acres! Sounded perfect for us city dwellers who long to be in the country! We booked it (with a discount) and now we were set to go!
I was soooo blessed by the beauty of the area where we stayed and so grateful to God that He made it clear that the other place wasn't for us and that He had something WAY better! (Thanks, Haymark Farmhouse for giving us such an amazing experience in the country!) It was so peaceful waking up each morning to rolling green hills and cows grazing and closing out the day with gorgeous sunsets over the farm. We highly recommend this experience!
Our location was around 1 1/2 hours to each location we wanted to visit: The Creation Museum, The Ark Encounter, Carter Caves, Red River Gorge and the Natural Bridge. We HIGHLY recommend that you see each of these if you visit Ewing, Kentucky! We also loved the historic feel to the area with its covered bridges and old buildings.
So, after a full day of travel to Kentucky, our first stop the next morning was the Creation Museum. If you've never been before, you are in for quite an experience. There is so much to see and do there that you really must plan on being there at least one full day. The Museum and Ark offer Bouncer passes that allow unlimited visits back and forth between the two over the course of three days within one week. Our family did the one day pass at each location because of the ages of our children and while we spent quite a bit of time there we still could have experienced more! In addition to the museum, there's a free petting zoo and beautiful botanical gardens as well as the opportunity to purchase zip line tickets. The other activity that our family really enjoyed was the free 4D movie experience about the Days of Creation. It is a fabulous way to visually see how our earth came to be in 6 incredible days. Having it 4D made the experience even more memorable! Be sure to add it to your list of "must do at the museum"!
Most people don't realize the enormity of the museum so plan on walking a lot while you're there! It's a two story building with a lot to see, read and do. While it does cost extra, the planetarium truly is a must. It's my favorite thing about the museum and you will be amazed at the grandeur of the creation of God and how, in spite of how large creation truly is, He still cares about you! He knows the number of hairs on your head (which we all know changes daily!)😉
The museum is designed for you to wind your way through it and while doing so, let you experience the world from the beginning to current times. I loved how everything truly supports God as Creator but one thing that stood out to me the most was the accuracy and trustworthiness of God's Word as well as its preservation through time. The following may not be the most exciting pictures but I wanted a way to remember what I learned and I hope they bless you as well.
The newer exhibit, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made does an incredible job of documenting the incredible detail that goes into the miracle of life. It was one of our children's favorite exhibits and he thought it was pretty amazing. Sadly, I missed this part because I was nursing the baby, but my husband took the kids through it and said it was excellent. However, there is an area that covers the topic of abortion and due to the ages of our kids he had them skip that part.
Another favorite exhibit for a few of our kids was the Borderlands. They loved seeing the old coins (both replicas and originals) and period dress from biblical times. They thought it was very interesting! And of course our younger children loved the dinosaurs! This museum is SO well done!!
And at some point in your visit, be sure to stop by the Creation Museum bookstore. It is an excellent resource with lots of books for both children and adults. They also have curriculum from Answers in Genesis which was also founded by Ken Ham. We have used this curriculum before and I also suggest you subscribe to their newsletter. I have found it to be very interesting and quite helpful in navigating some of the topics that come up in our day and age.
We give the museum experience a 10/10! The museum is very well laid out, clean, the staff is friendly and engaging, and it does an excellent job of conveying what the Bible teaches us. I feel like it was the perfect way to commemorate our son's homeschooling experience because it reinforced the truths we've been teaching him over the years. Ken Ham, the founder, has poured his life into this ministry and the hand of God is truly on it. If at all possible, I strongly encourage you to take your family there because it visually shows your children what you've most likely been teaching them in your home.
I'll be sharing more about our experience at some other local attractions as well as the Ark Encounter so stay tuned! If you have any questions about our experience please comment below or message me and I'd be happy to help you out!
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Be sure to check out my "Bee Kind" nature based character development unit and my ebooks as well: A Wife's Guide to Studying Proverbs, Topical Devotions for Pregnancy and Early Potty Teaching. Or, if you're looking for a way to get 30 raw fruits and vegetables in your diet every day, contact me here.
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