How much time should we plan to spend at the Ark Encounter?
Plan For A 4- To 6-Hour VisitPlan to spend at least a half-day at the Ark Encounter. There is much to see and do with various galleries and exhibits, plus an outdoor area. You don't want to rush through and miss things.
People Also Ask
Plan For A 4- To 6-Hour VisitPlan to spend at least a half-day at the Ark Encounter. There is much to see and do with various galleries and exhibits, plus an outdoor area. You don't want to rush through and miss things.
The Ark Encounter opens at 9:00 am and closes between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm, depending on the season. The duration of your visit will largely depend on your level of interest and the amount of time you want to spend exploring the exhibits. On average, visitors spend around 3-4 hours at the Ark Encounter.
You could do the Ark in about 4-5 hours without doing their petting zoo and other outdoor things. The Creation Museum definitely takes a day--again, lots to do outside and crowds can slow things down. I would recommend two days.
The two locations are just under an hour away from each other so it would be tricky to do both in one day. Seeing the actually size of the ark in person is really impressive and awe inspiring.
You will be doing a lot of walking both inside the ark and outside. The Ark Encounter is wheelchair accessible. There are wheelchairs, scooters, and strollers available for rent.
The Ark Encounter takes very seriously its responsibility to ensure that its attractions are family friendly. Due to this, we require all guests to wear clothing that is appropriate. Inappropriate clothing at our locations includes, but is not limited to: Clothing with obscene language or graphics.
Before planning your visit to the Ark Encounter, it's important to consider ticket options and pricing. The Ark Encounter offers a variety of ticket packages to suit different needs and budgets. General admission tickets include access to all exhibits, the Ark itself, and various outdoor attractions.
Is there free parking at the Ark Encounter? No parking is not free but they have a large parking lot and nice buses to drive you to the park. It is $15 for standard vehicles.
“IT'S BIGGER THAN IMAGINATION”The theme park sits on 800 acres of land—that's 300 more acres than California's Disneyland—although not all of it is developed yet. The website says visitors can easily spend a whole day visiting the attraction or at least 5-6 hours “to take in the entire experience at a leisurely pace.”
The Ark Encounter like many attractions is more busy during the weekends. If possible visit during the weekdays. But if you cannot weekends are fine. We visited on Memorial Day weekend 2023 and although it was busy in some areas the crowds were able to spread out to the many attractions.
Making the Drive to the ArkThe Ark Encounter is roughly 40 minutes from the Creation Museum in Williamstown, Kentucky. While I would typically eat at the museum (museums have excellent food these days), I needed more content about the area, so we went to a local eatery.
The shuttle buses are one of the first things you will encounter during your visit. The buses pick you up at our ticket booths, which are located in our 4,000-space parking lot, and take you to the drop-off circle in front of the guest services building and the lake upon arrival at the Ark site.