The Family Griffinski (Vikki, Sophia, Miles and Jeffrey) explored the Louisville, Kentucky area. Our familial galivanting was delayed more than a year due to the pandemic, but we finally made it.
Some families use designated vacation time to officially do nothing. That’s cool. Completely understandable.
Our vacations are packed. One adventure after another. They’re not for the weary.
The world is a big, wonderful place. Vikki and I believe part of our parental responsibility is to introduce Sophia and Miles to as much as we can so they can decide for themselves what they like and don’t like.
We do as much as we can in the time we have. Go big or don’t go.
Louisville.
The Ark Encounter wasn’t the only reason to visit Muhammad Ali’s hometown, but it was definitely the biggest.
Wow. I don’t know any other way to describe the structure. It’s huge. Gigantic. Mammoth. One could even reference the boat as “Biblically large.”
Parking was slow. Remember where you leave your vehicle. Signage is limited.
The line to have tickets scanned and receive admission wrist bands moved quickly. Everybody was super-polite. Again, directions and signage are limited. Keep your eyes open and use your common sense.
Transfer buses take everybody from the parking/ticketing area to the welcome center. The wait is minimal. Buses are constantly on the move.
For the most part, you’re on your own once you get to the welcome center. Signage is limited and not anything I’d call intuitive. People of all ages were running wildly about. Trying to figure out where to go and what to see was a proverbial crapshoot. Pick a direction and go.
Admittedly, there’s a lot to do: zoo, play area, zip lines, restaurant, retail store, performance/presentation area. And, of course, the ark.
We ventured outside and headed for a relatively small entrance on the far side on the welcome center marked with a rainbow arch.
Surprise! The rainbow arch is the only entrance to the ark. Fine. Off we go. I mean, you can see the ark. As I may have mentioned earlier, it is enormous. Seriously.
So you know, it’s a long walk. L.O.N.G. A few birds are caged in displays along the path, but little information is provided so it’s not always easy to know what you’re looking at.
The encounter is a confusing blend of Biblical fact and artistic license.
Is it a literal recreation or is this one man’s interpretation of Noah and the flood story? Hard to know…
Some elements of the story are presented as scientific fact. On the other hand… some elements of the flood story are unapologetically fictional. Names are assigned to Noah’s wife and his daughters-in-law. Those individuals are not named in the Bible and these identities are fictional. Just saying.
The lines intermittently move at a sloth’s pace. The first major stoppage is the line to board the vessel, which is delayed by the obligatory Ark Encounter photo opp. We did it. It was neat. We bought the photographs, but they are in desperate need of additional cameras and photographers.
Interior seating is plentiful throughout the encounter. Concessions and restrooms can be found on every level.
The displays.
They’re not bad. That said, it was not what we expected. Dinosaurs? On the ark? Where are the lions and tigers and elephants and giraffes? All the models were displayed behind bars and cages.
I appreciate the artistic freedom in any endeavor, and I’m especially forgiving with museums, but this didn’t work for me.
The Ark Encounter is not a literal recreation. Fine. Not a problem.
Facts are incorporated when they support the less-than-thinly-veiled evangelistic mission of the encounter while other facts are cast aside when they don’t support the vision of the institution.
Truth be told, nobody knows what happened on Noah’s ark.
Were the animals in cages or did God put every critter in hibernation-mode for the duration of the voyage?
Do the Biblical apologists have a monopoly on the truth? I don’t know.
I’ve long believed the heart of the story of Noah and the Ark is this: The Lord will save those who believe. The righteous will be lifted up. God’s grace is greater than His wrath.
But that’s just me and I am hardly an authority.
Exploring the ark is an all-day outing. We didn’t have the time nor the energy to visit the zoo nor any of the supplemental offerings associated with the Ark Encounter. It would take at least two days, if not three, to fully participate in everything.
The interior is dark and generating quality photographs is a challenge. The soundtrack is less-than-informative and leaves a lot to be desired.
We were tired and we finally gave up. We didn’t watch the movies. We missed the gospel music concert. We decided to find lunch on our own. (It’s not a complaint, but the Ark Encounter is so indescribably massive, fatigue is invariably the end result of the day’s activities.)
The retail store (gift shop) is extensive, but many of the shelves were empty. Perhaps it is an issue of supply, due to the lingering effects of the pandemic. We couldn’t purchase gifts for family and friends because so many items were unavailable. That was disappointing.
The line to view and purchase the official Ark Encounter photographs was ridiculously long and slow-moving. Oh, my goodness. That stretched my patience about as far as it could go.
One more thought…
I’m a Christian. I love Jesus. I treasure the story of Noah and the Ark.
Sometimes (too often) Christians carry an unreasonable and inappropriate sense of self-righteousness.
I was deeply troubled by the air of superiority that permeated every breath during our visit.
Christians should not – must not – traipse around the earth pretending to be better than everybody else. Not cool and woefully inaccurate.
I witnessed subtle finger pointing.
I heard whispered snickering.
I sensed the disdain that accompanies self-congratulatory eye rolling.
I wonder how Jesus feels about the modern-day Pharisees and Sadducees that so easily pass judgment upon those with whom they differ?
Life lesson: more compassion and less condemnation.
I’m on the home team and I felt surprisingly uncomfortable simply because I think differently.
I have news for the universe. Christians don’t have every answer and the notion we do is sorely misleading. We have Jesus. That is enough. We don’t have to know all the answers.
It was uncomfortably obvious that a great many on board the ark just outside Louisville, Kentucky wanted to share the moment only with those that believe exactly as they believe. That’s a shame. The world is full of endless variety. God loves the flowers and the weeds. Oh well, to each their own.
The Ark Encounter was not my favorite adventure. It is what it is. I think it is worth the visit, if for no other reason than to get some perspective on the shear size of the vessel God ordained for the survival of mankind.
I hope those who feel led to visit will be understanding and welcoming to every man, woman and child who desire to learn more about the story of Noah and the Ark.
Vikki and I have had a LOT of subsequent conversation about Noah and the Ark with Sophia and Miles.
We learned.
We remembered.
We were introduced to new ideas.
We were also reminded that God is big enough to handle whatever it might be.
Jeffrey Griffin 