Creation Museum Family Trip: 2021 Review

Are you considering a visit to the Creation Museum in northern Kentucky? Here’s my 2021 review of our family trip. Of course, experiences vary for everyone, depending on the day and circumstance, but I hope you’ll find this information helpful.

Even though I’m sharing plenty of photos, I’ll not give detailed descriptions of the fascinating exhibits. This post focuses more on where we stayed, specific things we did at the museum, and even includes a wheelchair perspective.

Have you heard about the Creation Museum?

The Creation Museum

This 75,000-square-foot facility allows families to experience earth history as God has revealed it in the Bible. Nearly 150 exhibits feature fearsome animatronic dinosaurs, talking heroes of the faith, and professional displays that honor God´s Word. The museum also boasts a fun-filled, 200-seat special effects theater, a state-of-the-art planetarium, a petting zoo, nature trails, and lots more.

At the heart of the Creation Museum is a chronological retelling of biblical history in seven parts called the Seven C´s. Guests step back in time, beginning with Creation, and fast-forward to Christ´s return. Along the way, they see how God´s Word provides the big-picture answers for our most difficult questions, whether about science, the Bible, or our personal relationship with God.

The Creation Museum is a Christian evangelistic outreach of Answers in Genesis, as is our sister attraction, the Ark Encounter. Located 40 miles from the museum in Williamstown, Kentucky, the Ark Encounter brings to life the Ark of Noah’s day and equips visitors to understand the reality of the events recorded in the book of Genesis.”

Creation Museum

Hotels, Tickets, and Lines, Oh My!

Where We Stayed

Friends told us if we plan to spend the night, we should book early. They were right! I began my search one-month prior for a place centrally located between the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter. Each day of my online researching I saw rental homes and hotel rooms filling quickly.

The prices were a bit higher than we expected, but we finally chose the Hampton Inn in Walton, KY.

I give this Hampton Inn five stars for customer service, cleanliness, and comfort. We booked a king suite with a sleeper sofa. The room was huge. A room like this would be plenty of room for a family with two or three children. Plus, the variety of food they served for hot breakfast each morning was delicious.

Museum Tickets

Before our trip, I purchased combo tickets online for me and my son. My adult combo ticket cost $79.95, and his youth combo ticket (ages 11-17) cost $44.95.

I did not buy a combo ticket for my husband. I only purchased one adult ticket to the Ark Encounter for him for $39.95.

Originally, we were going to take advantage of the “Dads Get in Free on Father’s Day” promotion. However, our trip was delayed by a day, so we didn’t get to go on Father’s Day. Once we arrived, we purchased an additional ticket for the Creation Museum for him.

Nevertheless, we were glad we purchased the other tickets ahead of time since the lines were long at the Ark Encounter.

Lines

However, the lines at the Creation Museum entrance moved fairly quickly for us. We went on the Monday morning after Father’s Day.

On Tuesday, the lines at the Ark Encounter were vastly different from the Creation Museum. Even so, the Ark Encounter was our favorite of the two. I’ll post my review of the Ark Encounter soon.

But today, let’s talk about the Creation Museum.

Once inside the museum, we encountered hundreds of people. Most were not wearing masks. However, I perceived that the majority of the people were politely distancing.

In addition, the lunch lines at the restaurant later in the day moved at a quick pace because of the well organization and service of the staff.

What We Did This Time & Recommendations

Read & Viewed Exhibits

The exhibits were well done and progressed in a logical order. A theme you’ll see in some of the  Answers in Genesis curriculum is the 7 C’s- creation, corruption, catastrophe, confusion, Christ, cross, and the consummation. This is the order of the museum exhibits as well.

The Creation Museum offers many opportunities for reading. We read a lot but also skimmed a great amount. The only reason we did this was because our family has been reading Answers in Genesis books and curriculum for years. We were familiar with the content so we were able to move at a quicker pace.

If you have children, I’d borrow or buy some of those books before going, so you won’t have to stop and read all the placards. Plus, they’re wonderful books!

The Creation Museum website has super cool info about the exhibit areas. You could show this to your family prior to your visit to get them excited. And since some of that info is presented at the museum, you can remind them of what they viewed and heard before the trip rather than stopping to read at every informational stop.

At the very least, I suggest reading Genesis 6 – 9 before going to the museum.

Also, when at a museum, I find it helpful to snap photos of things I’d like to read later.

The exhibits cover topics such as the history of the Bible, evolution, the sanctity of life, dinosaurs and dragons, Noah and the flood, and more.

While there is a vast amount of reading, several exhibits are intriguing, and some offer auditory experiences. Plus, the beautiful grounds outside let you engage your other senses.

Toured Outside the Creation Museum

We toured the botanical gardens, koi pond, rain forest, and Eden Animal Experience.

We thought the animal experience was a little small, but the one at the Ark Encounter did not disappoint. It makes sense, though, that the outdoor experiences at the Creation Museum focus more on plant life, while the Ark Encounter includes more animals.

There was a playground where we could hear the squeals and laughter of children, but we did not visit it. We did relax under one of the three pavilions provided. The instrumental music over the sound system, combined with a gentle breeze and the beauty of our surroundings, refreshed us.

The trails were immaculately maintained, and everything was colorful and beautiful. One thing to note: not all of the trails are wheelchair accessible, but most are.

Perspective from a Wheelchair

Wheelchairs are on a first-come, first-serve basis ($12 for manual, $38 for electric). They seemed plentiful that day.

Wheelchair usage is fairly new to me. I’m still trying to get comfortable and less awkward using one in public.

The CRPS I have in my feet flares with overuse. So I rented a wheelchair at the Creation Museum, hoping I would be able to walk the next day at the Ark Encounter. I’m glad I did because it did help tremendously and I was able to walk through the Ark.

Almost everything at the Creation Museum was easy to see and access from a wheelchair. There were a few exhibits where I did stand up to get a closer look, such as the case depicting the flood using miniature figures and the exhibit showing the nine months of pregnancy.

The only occasion that caused me to pause was when we went to the 4D Special Effects Theater. I fully understood the staff asking me to step out of the wheelchair to stow it out of the way. However, I was a little surprised when they told me to follow the guide and navigate several stairs when several seats were available near the entrance. The lights had already half-dimmed, and the show was about to begin. I felt a little unsteady and awkward. It seemed odd that they didn’t at least ask what would be easiest for me as I stepped out of a wheelchair. Nonetheless, we managed, and it was all good.

Viewed Free Shows

This was one of our favorite activities. Using the glasses provided at the 4D Special Effects Theater, we watched the movie, In Six Days. Phenomenal!

You won’t want to miss this unless you have visual motion sensitivity or are bothered by flashing lights. Usually, bright flashing lights trigger migraines for me, but I closed my eyes once the “lightning” began and didn’t get a headache.

Another free viewing of a film without special effects, The Last Adam, was offered in a different part of the museum, but we didn’t make it to that one.

Enjoyed Delicious Food

Three or four dining options were available. Noah’s Café did not disappoint. The line moved quickly and the food was fresh. My husband and I enjoyed delicious BBQ sandwiches and our son had a tasty hamburger. The prices were comparable to most museums.

Gathered Photos & Presents

There’s a multitude of photo ops throughout the museum and the surrounding outside areas. I think the only places you’re not allowed to take photos are inside the Insectorium and the theaters.

With three gift shops available, we found plenty of opportunities to buy little gifts for the grandchildren. I admired several beautiful items at the Fair Trade Marketplace, but I didn’t buy anything for myself this time.

What We Hope to Do Next Time

Yes, we hope to go again! There’s so much to see and do.

In the past, we’ve enjoyed hearing the founder, Ken Ham, speak at homeschool conferences. We’d love to listen to him again, as well as others, at the free, live speaking events held at the Creation Museum.

The Planetarium costs extra ($3.00- $9.00) but I’ve heard they present fantastic shows so we hope to view one or more next time.

New exhibits are in the works, so we look forward to seeing those, too.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Creation Museum. I think it’s worth the time and travel to take your family.

In my opinion, it is a bit expensive. So, if you have kids, I’d wait until they’re at least seven or eight years old before taking them. You may not enjoy the experience as much until their attention spans are a bit longer.

However, at least for 2021, children age ten and under get in free. So, I’d definitely take advantage of that and take those older kids now!

Have you been to the Creation Museum or are you hoping to go sometime?

A freelance writer, Sally Matheny’s writing is published in worldwide, national, regional, online and print publications including Appleseeds, Clubhouse Jr., Homeschooling Today, Practical Homeschooling, and The Old Schoolhouse. Sally also writes curriculum, inspirational articles, and has several children’s books in progress. Blogging at SallyMatheny.com, Sally encourages parents to live victorious and to courageously tell the next generation wondrous things.