Visitors pass outside the front of a replica Noah’s Ark at the Ark Encounter theme park during a media preview day, in Williamstown, Kentucky, July 5, 2016. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
On the fifth anniversary of the Ark Encounter, which features a 510-foot-long wooden Noah’s ark, founder Ken Ham has announced the expansion of the Bible-themed attraction in Kentucky, USA by building a Tower of Babel attraction on the park’s grounds.
“Next year, we will start fundraising for a Tower of Babel attraction that we hope to open in three or four years, where among other things we will help people understand what genetics research and the Bible say about the origin of all the people groups around the world,” Ham, the CEO and founder of the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum, says on the website of the Answers in Genesis ministry.
“I can assure you: it will be a fascinating, eye-opening attraction,” he continues.
Ham says the expansion of the theme park’s grounds in Northern Kentucky will also include “an exceptionally well-done scale model of what Jerusalem may have looked like at the time of Christ,” which should be ready sometime in 2022.
He adds, “Also, for children we’ll create a themed carousel for them to ride, hopefully to open by next summer. These are just a few of the things we will be adding to our 800-acre property.”
The $100 million Ark Encounter is seeing record crowds. The attendance is returning to pre-pandemic levels with up to 7,000 visitors on Saturdays.
“Our research shows that over 92% of those who visit our attractions are coming from outside Kentucky,” Ham shared. “These guests of ours are bringing dollars that would not normally be spent in this state. What an opportunity for local businesses to capitalize on this phenomenon.”
Previously, the Ark Encounter said on its website that it would use Babel to explain the origin of the different languages and people groups.
“We will have an excellent teaching tool in the form of a very detailed Babel diorama. All of these figures and designs were meticulously designed, 3D printed, and hand-painted in order to present a realistic view of what it might have looked like as these people went about ignoring God’s command and building a tower that reached into the heavens,” it said.
“The impact of their rebellion can be seen all around us today and we can use this historical event to teach the truth about humanity — that we are all related and are descended from Noah, as described in Genesis,” it added.
In June 2019, Answers in Genesis announced they would add new facilities, partly in response to a growth in annual attendance at the time.
This included the creation of a 2,500-seat auditorium with a 70-foot-long LED screen, expanding the size of the Ararat Ridge Zoo, and opening a larger family play space.
“Built by Playground Equipment Services, this family play area is accessible by all children and adults,” said Answers in Genesis at the time. “Parents and grandparents are encouraged to have fun with their kids as a family activity. This cutting-edge playground has been specially designed for children of all abilities.”
Courtesy of The Christian Post
