USA Today has a poll series called 10Best, wherein top travel experts provide "users with original, unbiased and experiential travel content of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world." Then readers vote on the best. This includes religious museums.
And guess what? The two best religious museums IN AMERICA are in NORTHERN KENTUCKY! That's right: The Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum took the top two spots out of 20 nominees, according to a press release. Among those 20 other options were Jewish museums, religious art collections, heritage centers and more.
“We are so grateful to USA Today for considering our internationally recognized attractions in its contest. Indeed, people from around the world rave about the exhibits and features at the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum, and now these people have validated our exciting attractions from among an impressive list of museums. We’re very thankful to the thousands of people who went on-line to vote,” said Ken Ham, CEO and founder of the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum, in the release.
Ham then went on to add: “By the way, one could make the argument that USA Today should have included the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in its list. While most people would not consider the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. to be a religious museum, it too promotes a worldview: atheism. You see, there are no ‘non-religious’ positions for such museums. Each has a worldview to proclaim."
Sure!
If you don't know what the Ark Encounter is, it is a 500-foot-long replica of the biblical Noah’s massive wooden boat built far, far away from any significant body of water. Helmed by Answers in Genesis, it’s as much a theme park as it is an attempt by young Earth creationists to prove that one man really could build a giant boat and fill it with every type of animal out there. Bonus: There’s also a zipline, buffet dining and the Ararat Ridge Zoo, with camels and kangaroos.
The Ark Encounter has seen its fair share of controversy over the years, from tax-payers who have argued that a religiously-affiliated park should be privately funded to Bill Nye's criticisms of the attraction's scientific validity. Most recently, the theme park experienced rain damage to the road leading to the attraction and sued its insurers in federal district court.
The Creation Museum? It's a bit of a Christian theme park that takes a romp all over science and evolution to explore “answers in Genesis.” There’s also a planetarium, botanical garden, zip line and a petting zoo (with camel rides).
According to the press release, "The Ark Encounter welcomes well over one million guests annually. Its sister attraction, the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky., (45 minutes away) sees over 500,000 guests each year."
The Ark Encounter is located at 1 Ark Encounter Drive, Williamstown, arkencounter.com. The Creation Museum is located at 2800 Bullittsburg Church Road, Petersburg, creationmuseum.org. According to a press release, "Through March 9, 2020, both attractions are open Tuesday–Saturday (closed Sunday and Monday) from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Beginning March 10, 2020, the attractions will resume their seven-day-a-week operation, in time for the spring break crowds."
