Ark Encounter
Ark Encounter is a Christian young Earth creationist (YEC) 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.
Noah's Ark at Ark Encounter (2021) | |
| Location | Williamstown, Kentucky, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38.6222°N 84.5923°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | July 7, 2016 |
| Owner | Ark Encounter, LLC |
| Operated by | Answers in Genesis |
| Theme | Noah's Ark |
| Slogan | "It's bigger than imagination" |
| Operating season | Year-round |
| Attendance | 862,471 – 1 million (July 2017–June 2018) |
| Website | arkencounter |
Ark Encounter is operated by Answers in Genesis (AiG), a YEC 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 pseudoscientific young Earth creationist beliefs about the age of the universe, age of the Earth, and co-existence of humans and non-avian dinosaurs.
After feasibility studies projected that the park would be a boon to the state's tourism industry, Ark Encounter received tax incentives from the city, county, and state to induce its construction. This drew criticism from groups concerned with the separation of church and state. A dispute over AiG's hiring practices was adjudicated in U.S. federal court, which found in 2016 that the organization could require Ark Encounter employees to sign a statement of faith as a condition of their employment, prompting criticism of the park's discriminatory hiring practices.