The Ark and Creation Museum

Our decision to change our route and include these two places was last minute and made us feel like major tourist considering the amount of money we spent but we're so glad we did! We purchased the combo tickets which gave us 1 day at the Ark and 2 at the Creation Museum. 

We chose to visit the Ark on the first day. We didn't know what to expect but we did thoroughly enjoy our day even though it did cost a bundle, we nearly walked our legs off, and there was so many people that everywhere we went was a slow moving line. There was lots and lots of reading but enough pictures and statues to hold the children's interest well. History has always been a love of mine (Monica) and with being to so many National Parks this summer, it was especially fascinating to learn about how canyons and mountains were formed. Even though we've heard the story of Noah's Ark all our lives, there was multiple things that were new to us:

-It was much bigger then imagination. Noah had no problem getting over 6000 animals on board.

- The animals looked a lot different then now.

- Only 1650 years after creation, the world was so evil that God destroyed it all except one family. 

- Dinosaurs were a lot smaller then typically depicted. 

- Noah and his family were almost certain to be vegetarian. 

- How intelligent Noah and his sons must have been. No cavemen could have built that massive ark.

- How many animals have gone extinct.

- OUR GOD IS EVEN MORE POWERFUL AND AWESOME THEN WE REALIZED.

The next 2 days we went to the Creation Museum. Again, a huge highlight for Eldon and I was getting so many childhood questions answered with a solid, Biblical answer. There was indeed dinosaurs, an ice age, and a reason why so many animals went extinct. We're feeling as though our brains may explode as we continue to process all the information we received and make sense of it all. We've come to see that today there is evolution taught everywhere and our children WILL be exposed to it even by visiting zoos and natural places so it's very important that we make an active effort to teach the truth and give them answers to their questions. 

We got through most of the Museum on the first day but the crowds were so bad that the children couldn't see much after the first hour. We spent a lot of time outside walking in the gorgeous Botanical Garden and playing in the petting zoo. Ethan giggled and giggled while he fed the goats and sheep! The older three were tickled pink to have a camel ride. The littlest man was pretty mad when he realized he wasn't getting a ride! We made sure to get in on the Dino-mite story time at 2:00 for the children. After this Ethan was an exhausted mess so we headed home.

The second day we were there a few min after 9. With a little wiggling we were soon ahead of anyone else and walked through all but the first exhibit alone! It was so enjoyable and we were able to explain and talk to the children so much better. It felt so real to walk through the peaceful Garden of Eden, the fall, and then see the very vivid effects of sin. It continued on with exhibits about life after the fall, the flood, life after the flood, and God's plan for our redemption. 

People keep asking if it's worth the money and I've got to say, it depends what it's worth to YOU. For us, yes. We would do it again in a heartbeat, and probably will in a few years. 

We'd recommend getting there early though, and beating the crowds if possible. We got in the lunch line at 11:30 and waited only a few min but 30 minutes later the line was literally 20 times longer. By the second day we knew a few shortcuts and had an awesome day since we could avoid a lot of crowds and lines!

Also, I'm going to link the blog post of a friend who visited last week and did a fabulous job of writing a review. Definitely read it if you plan to visit!

Heather's take on the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum