Skip to main content

{March is well under way}

February days are now gone and March has officially kicked in.   I finally purchased a new monthly focus board.  We ventured out for a day date which included a movie. I love our day dates. I will give my honest review about the movie for those interested. I wanted to see this movie as it was based on a true story. I did enjoy the movie but oh my, it was a tear jerker from the get go! It ended good but mercy! Let's just say that I am thankful that no one was sitting close enough to see my tear stained face. I am glad that I saw it but I am good for a while on sad movies, even if they do end good!   My oldest daughter, her husband and their son participated in the Spartan race which is a series of obstacle courses that challenge. They done so well. As you can see from the pictures it gets pretty muddy!  My three daughters participate each year in the Gate River Run. I love it that they do this together. They have so much support & encouragement from all the onlookers. I am just

{The Ark Encounter In Kentucky}

Oh ME of little FAITH is all that I could say upon immediately arriving at The Ark Encounter in Williamstown Ky.
 The Ark is 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high. 

The size of this Ark is overwhelming enough to look at with the visual eye but when thinking about all the details that was put into this by God Himself with Noah being His lead man much less the craftsmanship it took to do a replica of it is unbelievable.  The closer I walked to the Ark the larger it was! It was a WOW moment for sure.   Let me say this, when we stepped onto the Ark and walked just a short distance, thunder came and then the Ark began to shake just a bit. SEE HERE....THIS BAPTICOSTAL GAL didn't know whether to fall flat on my face or to run! I had the Holy Bumps I tell ya!

I've had so many ask me to give a review on The Ark Encounter with pictures. Believe me, I wish I had the time to show you every single picture I have but I don't. But if you will bear with me I will show you many and these pictures in no way do the actual "seeing it for yourself" justice.      

First, let me say that I am a visual learner and I always have been. So for me to be able to put a visual to the words was like the icing on the cake for me.  I have walked with the Lord for many years now. Have taught His precious Word for years now. I've sat under many sermons on Noah and the Ark. I've heard the stories told over and and over but to be able to imagine...just simply imagine how it could have been blew me out of the water. I will never hear the name "Noah" from the Bible and think of him the same. Oh no! Noah has a whole new meaning for me. A MAN OF FAITH, TRUST, BELIEF, OBEDIENCE and HE WALKED WITH GOD! 



There were replicas of everything imaginable on the Ark that you have read in the Bible. A lot of things were viewed with "This is probably what it looked liked or how it appeared to be". So keep that in mind as I show you some pictures. There is a lot of pictures on the ark to look at but the neat thing was that before each picture you could read everything pertaining to the picture which brought it to life for us. Let me go ahead and say this, "There is a lot of reading".  My husband is a history man and loves to read anything pertaining to history  of any kind. For me, I love to read PERIOD so this was right up our alley. But get ready...it is very time consuming but for us there was no hurry so it worked out great.

First I want to share with you the mass construction on the inside of the ark. The pictures simply doesn't do justice to seeing it for yourself but they will give you an idea. 











I can't even begin to to tell you how massive the construction was and beautiful at that. The Ark had three decks.
  

Just to give you an idea on what I meant by having a picture and with the reading to go with it I will show you a few pictures.

  

This next picture shows storage for water.


Random pictures...

 
These pictures simply represent the way the animals must have been fed and watered. 











I loved reading this about gathering at the Dining room table.















Time for a New Beginning.......













 There are many more pictures but I do hope you've got somewhat of an idea of The Ark Encounter. They did have a few live animals on the ark but mainly replicas of animals. The reading that went along with the animals was very interesting. I learned QUICKLY that I didn't know as much as I thought I did! LOL! 

So much to read about "The World's View" versus "God's View".  

Illustration after illustration on every aspect of the Ark and Accepting Jesus or Rejecting Jesus. I still have the Holy Bumps! 

 So much to share about this. I might just need to teach a Bible Study on Noah and his faith!


I am going to give you a review of our Ark Trip and this is based on the many questions that I have received from friends. 


Cost: We thought it was a good price for all that we saw and the time that we spent. For us it was $40 a person. Senior Adults and prices for children are different as well as group rates.

How long did it take to see the Ark: We arrived at 10:18 am and were pulling out of the parking lot at 3:35 p.m. YES...we spent over 5 hours on the Ark.  When you arrive you park in a parking lot and then you walk up to purchase your tickets. This can be done online but we chose to purchase upon arrival. Apparently we went at a good time of the year as we did not wait in line for anything. We purchased our tickets and immediately stepped on to a bus to carry us to the Ark. 




After arriving at the Ark we went on board. 

Is there a fee to park?
Yes. For regular size vehicles it is $10 and for larger ones like buses I think it was $15. When we got ready to leave we purchased our parking ticket then through a Kiosk machine which takes debit or credit. Then you take that ticket and when you are leaving the parking lot there will be a machine that you insert the ticket in and then the gate opens for you to leave.  

Were the lines long and was there a lot of walking? We did not wait in line for anything. Once again, I know it's because of the time of the year we went. YES, lots of walking but there are benches all along the way to stop and rest. There were also three different theater areas that you could sit down and watch different previews of the Ark. There are restrooms on every deck and nice restrooms at that. They even have a designated room for nursing mothers.

What takes the longest to do on the ark?
READING. For you to totally understand it all and truly get the most out of the Ark you must take the time to read. I can see that if the lines are long, which I am sure they can be, that it would take a REALLY long time to read everything and still see everything. When you factor in walking, reading, bathroom breaks, resting and etc. be prepared to stay all day.

Any places to eat inside the ark? 
There were snack areas along the way with drink machines and coffee and etc. I think one place might have had pizza to purchase if you wanted too. There is one restaurant outside the Ark. You can eat before going into the ark or after you leave the ark. You can also go online to check the prices out and the menu for the restaurant. I will share what I did notice with people that had their children with them. They went in with back packs and looked as though they had their own snacks. I did not see or read anything that said that you could not do that. That would be a smart thing to do especially if you have children. A cup of coffee was around $2.25- $2.50 so that gives you an idea of prices. 

Is there a gift shop on the ark?
Yes and a nice one at that. You can also purchase fudge, peanut brittle and etc. PRICEY! Everything was expensive. But I did have to buy me a tee shirt and it came with an arm band. Marty lined up for the free samples of fudge! LOL!

Did you see lots of people with their children?  We did but we saw more senior adults than anything. Here is what we did notice: A lot of the older children seemed to take an interest in the reading as well as the looking. There seemed to be quite a few that we encountered that had young children that their parents would read everything to them and then explain it. I thought that was awesome but I am not so sure they could have done that if the lines had been long. 

Do you think it is kid friendly?
Yes by all means. I could see how young children could easily become bored or get cranky if the lines are long. It was somewhat easy to spot those kids that you could tell immediately was raised in church as they seem to take more of an interest and even excited. However we did see one poor daddy that was about at his wits end with his little one!!!! WHEW is all I can say! 

What was the most interesting thing to you?
For me, I'd have to say everything! I was overwhelmed with emotion at some points of the Ark Encounter, fascinated, intrigued, and blessed. For Marty: The massive building of the Ark itself and the way things was probably built and what made it all work and come together. Guess that's a man thing!

Why did you not go the Creations Museum and did you talk to anyone that had been while upon the Ark?
 For us, we choose to do other things as well as the Ark so we decided to only go to the Ark. I had been told by quite a few people before going that if we could only do one to do the Ark. If we could do both then to go to the Creations Museum first and then the Ark. I was told that for those in my age group that the Ark would be the number one place. I was also told by many that the Creations Museum truly draws a lot of parents with their children. I think we would have enjoyed both but since there were other things we wanted to do we chose the Ark. I did speak to a young woman that appeared to be in her 20's and she had been to the Creations Museum and loved it and now was visiting the Ark. I asked her if she was enjoying the Ark as much and she said yes absolutely. I also spoke to a lady that was there with her husband and three children and I asked her had they visited the Creations? She said yes they did and they enjoyed it but her children loved it more. If opportunity comes one day I would like to go to the Creations Museum. But I think I would be safe to say that you could not do both in the same day unless you rush. And...I am not about rushing these days if I can help it! For me, I would never attempt to do both in the same day. We are happy with our choice of visiting the Ark. We loved it! The Ark Encounter was one item on my list that if the Lord willed I wanted to do in 2017 and I did! I'm grateful for the opportunity.

My summary: If you have never been then GO. As my motherinlove would have said, "You might not ever want to go back but at least you can say you went". 

For me, the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson sum it up. All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.  

I hope that you have enjoyed a little piece of the Ark with me today. Next week I will share and post a few pictures of our trip with other things that we done with a little sightseeing. 



 Hugs and blessings, Cindy  
Sorry ladies but once again Blogger has placed my comment section at the very bottom! GRR......... 


 





































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































Comments

  1. Dear Cindy...thank you so much for sharing your pictures and thoughts regarding the Ark. Our pastor is talking about possibly our church going together as a group to visit it. I appreciated your pictures and thoughts so much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dianna it is worth going . We loved it . The first hotel we stayed at for a couple of nights had two church groups there that they were going to the ark as well .

      Delete
  2. AWESOME SAUCE!!! I had wondered about that place...smiles...thank you for the smiles.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for sharing, Even only seeing this much is ; ;;;;makes is more real and mind blowing at the same time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by . The adventure was awesome .

      Delete
  4. Thank you so much for sharing your trip! One of the groups I'm in is planning to go to the Cincinnatt area and The Ark is on the list. I'm not sure we'll be going this year but I certainly do want to visit there sometime soon. Have a wonderful week, Cindy!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you for sharing this with us. My hubby has been saying he'd love to go and take a small group. I am glad to hear that it would be well worth it. Thank you again!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pam I went with an expectation of nothing less than what I got and I'm so glad that I did .

      Delete
  6. Wow, that is REALLY cool! Thank you so much for sharing! Amazing!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a great informative post on the Ark! Girl, you could do the tours for site! :-)
    I think you should teach a Bible class on Noah, especially after this trip and all that you gleaned from it. Actually, how about writing a few posts??
    Your photos were great too.

    Bless you~~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Debbie, we truly enjoyed it. I went expecting and I received. This was on my list to do in 2017 and now I have.

      Delete
  8. Oh, what awesome pics. I'm so glad that you all had this little getaway and enjoyed it so much. I hope to someday go there. They were just building it the year we visited The Creation Museum. I really liked it, but I think one of my favorite parts of it was the gardens....they were just gorgeous, but....I'm one to be more at home outdoors (not as much as you 'cause I'm not a hunter...LOL) HOPE you were able to get some rest and, of course, shopping! When we went, we actually found some thrift stores....you know me!!! Can't wait to see more pics.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deb, there is a new part on the Ark they are adding to the inside. I couldn't tell what it was going to be but you could tell there is something else going in. I heard too that the Gardens at the Creations was beautiful in late Spring and Summer. Yes girl, you know I found me a Thrift store while in KY! LOL! Yes, we went to bed when tired and got up when we weren't tired! LOL! Actually going to KY we drove straight on but coming back we stopped and just took our time. I will share more next week too.

      Delete
  9. Hey Cindy! What an AWESOME trip! You captured some great shots. One of my co-workers took a trip up there over the weekend and was blown away by it, too. I love the door to the ark -- I think that was my favorite of all. I'm going to have to get Todd to take a trip north, soon and very soon!! Thank you for sharing!! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Denise, the Door was massive! The Ark itself was massive. I am truly glad that we had the opportunity to go. Blessed, blessed and blessed.

      Delete
  10. Cindy!
    Wow! Such an amazing and inspiring trip to be able to go on. Just seeing your excellent photos and reading your words set me right for the day ahead. I appreciate this post and being reminded that the door to Jesus is right here for us everyday!
    Blessings to you!
    Hugs,
    Jemma

    ReplyDelete
  11. I was looking for the comment section! lol!! Thank you for sharing your visit. Wow!! It sounds like an amazing place to visit!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I did not know this even existed! I would love to go to this. I love visual, hands on stuff. Not a big museum person but this seems more fun than that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ann Marie, it was really a great outing for us and we loved it.

      Delete
  13. What an amazing adventure. You did an amazing job of sharing your experience with us. It truly felt like we were walking through the Ark with you. It is absolutely incredible and amazing. How did they water and feed all those animals? How did they tolerate the smell? LOL... so many question you wonder about! Thank you for sharing the great photos and all that you read and saw. Truly an incredible place to visit. Glad you didn't have long lines either! Hugs to you today :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So many questions is right. Guess some of those questions for me will just have to wait until I see Noah. A lot of questions was answered to the best of their ability with the pictures and signs. I may have to share some of those facts as well in posts ahead. So glad you stopped by.

      Delete
  14. Cindy, all I can is WOW just looking at the picture of the Ark. One of my friends went in January and she carried her sister. They both enjoyed it so much. A group from my sister's church is going in May. It's on my list to do one day.
    Connie Royals

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hope you can go one day Connie. Maybe you could join up with your sister with the group in May. I am really glad we went the time of year we did as I have this gut feeling that come summer time...OH THE LINES would be long. And standing in line for long lengths of time ISN'T my thing. LOL! May might not be too bad though because school will still be in session.

      Delete
  15. Thank you for this interesting tour of the ark. Your pictures are awesome and you are one adorable woman! Your line about learning that you didn't know as much as you thought you knew cracked me up. That's me to a tee! I wish I could sit in your Bible Study about this. It is going to be outstanding! Love ya!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awe thanks Mary . Maybe one day I can teach on it . It works have a whole new meaning for me . Yep o found out quick Mary I really don't know a lot ! Ha .

      Delete
  16. Hi Cindy, this is incredible and what a wonderful place to visit. I loved all your pictures. It really puts it all in perspective doesn't it? My hubby and I would love to see this too. It may have to be something to plan.
    Thank you for sharing.
    Hope you are feeling good. You look great and your pics of you and hubby are beautiful.
    Blessings xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awe thanks for visiting . The trip was wonderful and you and your hubby should plan to go . God was good to allow us the opportunity to go . I'm truly grateful .

      Delete
  17. I so enjoyed reading about the Ark Encounter, Cindy! What an awesome experience, and I appreciate you taking the time to share your photos and writing the post. I would certainly love to experience this. I also loved seeing the pictures of you and your sweetie. Love and hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Cindy, I so enjoyed seeing the Ark through your eyes. I thinks we will go in the future and you gave good advice and Thanks for taking me along! Blessings ~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awe, I hope that you get to go Pam. You would love it!

      Delete
  19. Hi Cindy, I enjoyed the sharing of your day at the Ark. I can totally tell it was a blessing for you. At one time I collected Noah's arks. One of the first pages in my Bible journaling was the rainbow but I still want to add the ark. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Susan, it was a blessing. But I went expecting to hear from the Lord and my expectations was met in many different ways.

      Delete
  20. WoW, just WoW...from one Bapticostal to another, I would have fallen flat on my face when I heard that thunder! lol Seriously, I can only imagine how real Noah's story became as you walked thru this wonderful reproduction. Enjoyed the pictures, hope I get to go some day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL Miss Mary! Me and you would be SHOUTING together!

      Delete
  21. Thanks so much for your review and photos as well as a bit about what it was like. I got Holy Ghost goose bumps just reading about it! I really want to go someday and when I move to TN, I'll be even closer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are welcome Melanie. I hope you do get to go and yes you will be closer in Tennessee.

      Delete
  22. Such a giant ark.. it is very beautiful.. it is depicting the total history...

    Please visit: http://from-a-girls-mind.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  23. What a truly spectacular place Cindy. I can only imagine at the size of the ark. I don't think I'll going to Kentucky any time soon so I'm grateful for the opportunity to visit the ark thru your eyes! Blessing to you.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Wow, your post is awesome. Thank you for writing this. I have a friend going soon so she will want to read this. Cindy, I hope to visit there one day and you have blessed me with your pictures and commentary.
    The size of the ark is amazing. Seeing the life size replica really gives a greater prospective. God certainly had a plan for all of us so long ago.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awe be sure Bonnie that she does read this. It helps me when others give me a review of something. Looking forward to seeing your bloghop next week.

      Delete
  25. This is absolutely amazing!! Thanks so much for sharing it with all of us!! Thanks so much for stopping by!! Yes, we did get buried with snow. I just did another post on the dig out...
    Hugs,
    Deb

    ReplyDelete
  26. GREAT POST!!!
    You answered every question that I had!
    I'm going to have others read your views on the Ark because it was well written and full of information.
    Thank you!!

    ReplyDelete
  27. A perfect visualization. Just amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Wow! What an amazing experience Cindy! Thank you so much for sharing with us. This would be a nice place to see on our way to Georgia and Florida to visit family :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a great place to visit . But then I loved the Kentucky hills and beautiful land too .

      Delete
  29. That is the first time I have seen the inside of the Ark. Great pics showing me the inside. Love it.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

So glad you stopped by to visit.
Hugs and blessings, Cindy

Popular posts from this blog

Hiding the Ugly Hot Water Heater

 I shared that I wanted to hide my ugly hot water heater in my laundry room with you a few weeks ago. It just stuck out like a sore thumb. But after all it is a hot water heater right? So my man took a piece of wood (not real wood) but it worked and built a frame for me. So now to see if it would fit and it did. I painted it white and did not like the texture it had even after two coats of white. (rule of thumb...you get what you pay for and the wood was cheap) But I wasn't going to let it whip me!  Found some contact paper at Walmart in the gray and white. Covered the front with the contact paper and loved the look. The top was covered with a piece of painted wood as well and worked perfect to place this on top... And this.... Added a clothes basket in the corner and here was the top.... Yep, no longer an eye sore to me! Went perfect with my gray walls and gray and white floor. Remember the wood tray I bought at a yard

{Another Fun Filled Weekend}

I hope you all are doing well. I am trying to wind down for the night and thought I would try and get a post out. Girls, by this time I am in my fat clothes and recliner smashing that remote control!   Marty and I kicked off our weekend by having a little fun food as I call it,  "charcuterie" style out by the pond. Of course I always fix more than we need or eat but it sure was good.  Two of our granddaughters had dance recitals over the weekend so we got to watch them perform and oh my! They were just the cutest things ever.  We were blessed to be able to see them perform. Then we celebrated a birthday for this sweet grandgirl! She was excited about being double digits . And besides all the fun from the weekend I was able to see some of my pretties in bloom.  Now to enjoy a cup of coffee.... I hope that you all have a wonderful, blessed week.  Hugs and blessings, Cindy

{Happy 46th Wedding Anniversary To Us}

  Happy October everyone! I wanted to pop in today and share a few pictures. Marty and I celebrated our 46th wedding anniversary on September 23.  Oh it seems so long ago that we said "I Do". We started dating when I was 16. Married at 18 and began a family at 20. Needless to say we have surely grown up together. Praise the Lord that we are growing "Older" together.  We decided since it had been about 8-9 years since we had been to Savannah, Ga. that we would take a weekend there and just enjoy a scenic luncheon cruise.  We enjoyed walking River street and sightseeing, shopping and eating of course! It was a nice get away and perfect for us as we are simply two imperfect people that fit perfectly together.  I did spot Santa while in Savannah though! YES, I love Christmas so I had to stop at several Christmas shops! We've had outings that have kept us quite busy and we have surely been blessed to be able to attend our grands functions and our little outings toget