Ark Encounter
Ark Encounter is a Christian theme park that opened in Williamstown, Kentucky, United States, in 2016.
A theme park inside Williamstown
Open year-round
Ark Encounter is open year-round. When to go ↓
Places to stay about a mile away
Hampton Inn And Suites Williamstown Ark Encounter is 0.9 miles away; Americas Best Value Inn & Suites (0.9 mi) and Howard Johnson-Express (0.9 mi) are close too. 11 places to stay are within 4 miles. Hotels nearby ↓
One of the most looked-up attractions in the U.S.
About 135K people a year read its Wikipedia article, more than for 97% of the 7,799 attractions we track.
A day trip from Louisville
Louisville is about 65 miles southwest (straight-line). Hotels nearby ↓
Best months: Apr, May, Jun, Sep and Oct
April, May, June, September and October are the mild months, with highs of 66–83°. When to go ↓
Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia.
Weather, month by month
Typical highs and lows in Williamstown. Green months are the mild ones.
Ark Encounter
Ark Encounter is a Christian theme park that opened in Williamstown, Kentucky, United States, in 2016. The centerpiece of the park is a large representation of Noah's Ark, based on the Genesis flood narrative contained in the Bible. It is 510 feet (155.4 m) long, 85 feet (25.9 m) wide, and 51 feet (15.5 m) high.
Ark Encounter is operated by Answers in Genesis (AiG), a young Earth creationist organization that also operates the Creation Museum 45 miles (70 km) away in Petersburg, Kentucky. Australian creationist and CEO of AiG Ken Ham founded the park. The theme park promotes faith-based, pseudoscientific young Earth creationist beliefs about the age of the universe, age of the Earth, and co-existence of humans and non-avian dinosaurs.
- Type
- Theme park
- Season
- year-round
- Opened
- 2016
- Run by
- Answers in Genesis
- Wikipedia readers
- 135K a year
Hotels near Ark Encounter
11 places to stay within 4 miles. The closest is Hampton Inn And Suites Williamstown Ark Encounter, 0.9 miles away.
Closest places to stay
- 1Hampton Inn And Suites Williamstown Ark Encounterhotel · 0.9 mi eastDirections
- 2Americas Best Value Inn & Suiteshotel · 0.9 mi eastDirections
- 3Howard Johnson-Expresshotel · 0.9 mi eastDirections
- 4Sunrise Innmotel · 0.9 mi northeastDirections
- 5The Lodges at Eden Reservelodge or cabins · 1.6 mi northDirections
- 6Sunrise Inn Williamstownhotel · 1.8 mi southeastDirections
- 7Little White Cottagehotel · 2.6 mi northeastDirections
- 8Hogan House Suitesinn or B&B · 3.4 mi northDirections
- 9Galloping Goose Cottageshotel · 3.4 mi northDirections
- 10Holiday Inn Express and Suites Dry Ridge, an IHG Hotelhotel · 3.7 mi northDirections
Places to eat nearby
5 restaurants, cafés and bars within 1½ miles
Compare 8 towns to stay in
| Town | From Ark Encounter | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williamstown | in town | — | 7 5 hotels · 1 motel · 1 lodge or cabins | 4,030 | $210K | A |
| Dry Ridge | 4 mi north | 5 min | 15 10 hotels · 2 inns & B&Bs · 1 campground · 2 RV parks | 2,249 | $217K | B |
| Florence | 26 mi north | 40 min | 43 40 hotels · 2 motels · 1 inn or B&B | 34,018 | $211K | C− |
| Georgetown | 25 mi south | 40 min | 24 16 hotels · 3 motels · 3 inns & B&Bs · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 RV park | 40,883 | $265K | B− |
| Corinth | 9 mi south | 15 min | 2 1 inn or B&B · 1 campground | 237 | $150K | — |
| Falmouth | 15 mi east | 20 min | 3 1 inn or B&B · 2 campgrounds | 2,200 | $101K | B+ |
| Crittenden | 12 mi north | 15 min | 2 1 campground · 1 RV park | 4,185 | $224K | — |
| Covington | 29 mi north | 45 min | 17 14 hotels · 3 inns & B&Bs | 41,847 | $187K | C |
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service
Also near Ark Encounter
Other well-known places within 69 miles.
Big draw53 mi Theme parkKings Island3.5M visitors a year
33 mi Stadium & arenaPaycor Stadium
33 mi Stadium & arenaGreat American Ball Park
34 mi MuseumCreation Museum1.2M visitors a year
68 mi MountainSerpent Mound68 mi MuseumSons of the American Revolution
35 mi Stadium & arenaNippert Stadium
34 mi Stadium & arenaTQL StadiumPhoto credits
Kings Island: Eli Duke from Portland, OR, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Paycor Stadium: JonRidinger, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Great American Ball Park: Eric Kilby profile at Flickr website, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Creation Museum: Creashin at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Serpent Mound: The British Library, No restrictions · Nippert Stadium: Ben Levin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · TQL Stadium: Cornfield948, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Visiting Ark Encounter
When is Ark Encounter open?
Year-round.
Is Ark Encounter in Williamstown?
Yes. It’s inside Williamstown, KY.
When is the best time to visit Ark Encounter?
April, May, June, September and October, with highs of 66–83°.
How far is Ark Encounter from Cincinnati and Lexington?
About 36 miles north of Cincinnati and about 41 miles south of Lexington, as the crow flies.
What is the closest airport to Ark Encounter?
Cincinnati Northern Kentucky (CVG), about 30 miles away.
What hotels are near Ark Encounter?
Hampton Inn And Suites Williamstown Ark Encounter (0.9 mi), Americas Best Value Inn & Suites (0.9 mi) and Howard Johnson-Express (0.9 mi). 11 places to stay are within 4 miles.
Tips from people in Williamstown
No tips yet. Ask, or answer, in Williamstown’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.