Ark Encounter

The Ark Encounter is a Noah's Ark theme park which opened on July 7, 2016 at a cost of $100 million. Ark Encounter is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Crosswater Canyon, which is a nonprofit subsidiary of Answers in Genesis.

The center piece of the theme park is a full-scale Noah's Ark structure that is 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high, based on the dimensions given in the Bible. It is described as the largest timber-frame structure in America and the world.

Planning and building
After the completion and success of the Creation Museum, Ken Ham and AiG started focusing on building the Ark Encounter. The plans for constructing the Ark Encounter were announced by AiG, along with Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear on December 1, 2010.

By early 2014, AiG appeared to be struggling to get the necessary funds for starting construction. However, interest and support for the Ark Encounter returned and AiG was able to raise enough money so construction could begin in 2014, something said by the mainstream media to be because of a high-profile debate between AiG president Ken Ham and science educator and evolutionist Bill Nye, even though AiG has stated that this was not the case, as it was not reasonably possible to purchase a bond after the debate.

During the construction of the Ark Encounter, AiG sued the state of Kentucky after officials blocked AiG from receiving a sales tax tourism incentive worth up to $18 million because AiG would use the Ark Encounter to share the gospel. On January 25, 2016, Federal Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove ruled in AiG's favor, ruling that blocking the incentives from AiG was unconstitutional and violated their First Amendment protections.

Opening
On July 7, 2016, the Ark Encounter was opened to the general public in Williamstown, Kentucky. The opening date, 7/7, was intentionally chosen to coincide with Genesis 7:7. Roughly 50-120 atheist protestors protested along the exit ramp of I-75 on opening day, even though about half of those at the exit ramp were believed to be Christians who witnessed to the atheists.

For the first 40 days of operation to the general public, the Ark had extended hours, where is opened at 9 am and closed at midnight, which symbolized the biblical account of the rains for 40 days and 40 nights. In September 2016, it was reported that the Ark Encounter exceeded attendance projections. In the first three months, 350,000 people had visited the Ark Encounter, far exceeding one State of Kentucky estimate, which had estimated 325,000 people for the entire year. Despite false reports casting the Ark Encounter as a failing attraction, it has seen large crowds and attracted much tourism to the Northern Kentucky area. The Ark Encounter had a strong and successful first year, hosting 1 million visitors. Attendance at the Creation Museum was nearly triple the yearly average that year.

Notable occurrences
Soon after the opening, several notable people had already visited the Ark Encounter.

On July 8, 2016, one day after the grand opening, Bill Nye visited the Ark Encounter upon invitation from Ham. As they walked the Ark, they had an informal debate.

On October 22, 2016, the film The Atheist Delusion, by evangelist Ray Comfort who has a strong relationship with AiG, premiered at the Ark.

To celebrate the Christmas season in 2016, AiG decorated the Ark with rainbow lights in order to "take the rainbow back" from the homosexual agenda and show the true and undefiled meaning of the rainbow as recorded in Genesis 9:12-16. Like usual, the media and supporters of the homosexual agenda have circulated blatant misrepresentations and even lies concerning this action as well as the true meaning of the rainbow. Ken Ham announced in February 2017 that AiG would permanently light the Ark in rainbow colors, something achieved in July of that year.

Characteristics
The inspiring, family-oriented attraction is bringing much-needed jobs to Kentucky as well as a profound and beneficial Christian influence. The Ark Encounter is expected to have 1.6 million visitors the first year and could have up to 900 staff.

Attractions
The historically authentic Ark is designed to educate visitors about the various historical events that accompanied Noah's service and lifetime.

The project is seen by creationists like Answers in Genesis president Ken Ham as a very important undertaking. The Ark Encounter will provide a much-needed educational and spiritual center to remind people of the authenticity of the Bible and its historical events. It will remind people that "God is Holy and judges sin," but that "He is 'not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance' ." Finally, it will also remind visitors that "God is a gracious God, [who] provided an Ark of salvation" in Noah's day and "has provided an Ark of Salvation for us today: the Lord Jesus Christ."

In addition to the life-sized Ark itself, the attraction will include a 1st-century village, a petting zoo, a journey in history from Abraham to the parting of the Red Sea, and even a replica Tower of Babel. The additional plans will be built in several phases.

Tourism Incentives
The Ark Encounter expects to benefit from the Kentucky Tourism Act which allows them to reclaim up to 25% of the sales tax collected at the park, in the form of a rebate spread over up to ten years—this is contingent upon the park generating a large amount of business, and therefore taxes, to the state. Kentucky does not lose any money from this program: it gains money it wouldn't have had if the Ark Encounter were not built. If attendance and other goals are not met, the rebate is not given at all, and the total rebate is limited to 25% of the construction cost. No rebate will apply to sales taxes collected outside the park, such as at local hotels and restaurants.

Preliminary approval for the rebate was given by the Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority in late July 2014. As mentioned above, the state of Kentucky later blocked the rebate, AiG sued, went to court, and won, and the rebates were restored. The new governor of Kentucky, Matt Bevin, appears to be much more friendly to AiG than his predecessor and did not appeal the court decision.

Reception
The Ark Encounter has received positive reviews from both Christian creationists and non-creationists. There have been visitors from all across the nation, the world, and from diverse social and personal backgrounds.

The Ark Encounter has come under intense attack by atheists and others who oppose creation, but this is unsurprising and it has not affected the success of the attraction. Despite these attacks, numerous atheists have visited the Ark. There has also been a lot of misrepresentation of the Ark and its success by the media, but again, this is unsurprising.

It was reported in May 2017 that, according to the Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum were helping increase tourism in the Northern Kentucky region. According to the Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitor Bureau, 2017 was the best-ever year to date for Northern Kentucky tourism.