The exterior of Answers in Genesis’ Creation Museum in 2007
The Creation Museum opened its doors in May of 2007. The purpose of the facility, is to provide an alternative view of the history of man and the earth. The site can be found in Petersburg, Kentucky which is in Boone County and is located just 45 miles from Ark Encounter, whose founders share a similar belief in creation. It is the 16th stop in the ongoing series, Off The Beaten Path.
The Creation Museum is operated by Answers in Genesis (AiG), which promotes a young Earth creationist explanation of the Universe. The message of the museum, is to promote a literal interpretation of the Genesis creation narrative, according to the Christian Bible.
The original financing of the museum was done through private donations. The total cost of the site, came to $27 million USD (United States Dollar).
The front of the Creation Museum.
In addition to the main collection, there is a 200-seat special effects theater, a 78-seat planetarium, an Allosaurus skeleton and an insect collection. This is spread out over the 75,000 square foot (7000m2) facility.
There are over 140 state of the art exhibits throughout the museum.
The site includes a restaurant and a medieval themed gift shop. Outside the main building there are walking trails nearby a 5-acre lake.
Included in your visit is a botanical garden,a petting zoo, camel rides and a zip line adventure tour.
In April of 2016, it was announced that will add an additional three-level, 210,000 square feet (19,500 m2) museum building. This structure among other expansions, will cost between $15 to $20 million USD.
In the planetarium, visitors are provided a presentation written by AiG’s staff astrophysicist, that presents creationist cosmologies, as alternatives to the Big Bang theory of the origins of the universe.
Ken Ham, founder and executive director of Answers in Genesis
The theater is designed to allow visitors to experience a number of special effects, that include seats that vibrate and jets that spray the audience with mist. The film that tourists view, depicts two angelic beings who explain that God loves Science.
The exhibits of the Creation Museum were designed by Patrick Marsh, who is credited with the King Kong and Jaws attractions at Universal Studios in Florida.
The academic Kurt Wise, was hired by the museum as a scientific consultant. He has made a major contribution, to the the design of the exhibits and the 52 accompanying professional quality videos.
An exhibit added in 2009 about natural selection, features models of finches. It is designed to contradict the conclusions made by Charles Darwin, who proposed his theory of evolution in 1859, by observing different varieties of this species.
The naturalist Charles Darwin 1809 – 1882
Another exhibit placed in the lobby as of 2013, makes the suggestion that ancient stories of dragons and other such monsters, are actually based on human encounters with dinosaurs.
Travelers to the museum will also find an animatronic being depicted as a professor in a lab, that artfully explains that the complexity and variation of the earth’s insect population, provides evidence of the existence of God, rather than simple natural evolution.
Dinosaurs are to be found in several locations throughout the museum. Some of then are animatronic, others are sculpted by a taxidermist through use of fiberglass. In contradiction to the mainstream accepted view of history, a diorama near the lobby, displays two ancient children playing near a stream, with dinosaurs located nearby.
“Ebenezer”, the Allosaurus skeleton represents AiG’s mission to “take the dinosaurs back from the evolutionists.
As of 2014, the Creation Museum actually has a partial real dinosaur skeleton, recovered from a site in northern Colorado. It was purchased by a foundation and later donated to the museum. An anonymous expert, was hired in its reconstruction. This is the Allosaurus exhibit that was referenced above.
The Creation Museum founders also do not give credence, to the idea that birds evolved from dinosaurs. On display is a model of a prehistoric Utahraptor. The exhibit puts forth the premise, that since the species was featherless, it cannot be a possible originator of birds.
Visitors to the Creation museum are directed through a sequential series of rooms. Argument constructs form a chain, where claims from previous exhibits, provide support for subsequent claims.
A collection of butterflies and moths is an example of real specimens on display, as opposed to the animatronic “Dr. Crawley” character that accompanies the butterfly display.
The first room contains an exhibit of skeletal remains of a dinosaur. The argument is presented whether this occurred millions of years ago, or during the Great Flood about 4,300 years earlier.
The following room then continues forward, explaining natural phenomena using the two different starting points. These are the biblical accounts or instead what is considered mainstream science.
From there visitors will see a diorama of mannequins representing the Old Testament prophets David, Isaiah and Moses.
Further on, travelers will see the modern social results (according to the presenters) that were caused by the abandonment of the literal interpretation of the Bible.
Exhibit showing Adam naming the animals
In another series of rooms, creation exhibits show the biblical Adam, naming animals in the Garden of Eden. Also shown, is how Eve was created according to Holy Scripture. It provides support for the belief in the traditional family concept.
In addition, Adam and Eve can be seen eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, resulting in the Fall of Man.
Cain and Abel Exhibit
Further exhibits, show Cain killing Abel, and Methuselah warning of God’s coming judgment through destruction.
There is an attempt by the museum to correlate these original sins, to the more modern disasters like the atomic bomb and the Holocaust.
After that, there are more animatronic figures constructing Noah’s Ark. Here visitors are able to select frequently asked questions about the Ark. These are answered by the animatronic Noah, that remains remarkably human like, in features and expression.
Interior of Noah’s ark Exhibit
There are other computer generated images (CGI) animations of the Great Flood, even one showing what it would look like from outer space.
The next room deals with the Post-Flood World, where human reasoning has led to mass confusion. One diorama deals with the Tower of Babel, the biblical explanation for the dispersal of people and the rapid divergence of languages.
Tower of Babel Exhibit
Visitors are then asked to view a film where actors representing Mary, the mother of Jesus and a Roman soldier, describe their experiences, during the crucifixion of Jesus.
The next section of the museum, displays fossils, purported to have been the result of the Great Flood. After that there is the Dinosaur Den, with various models of the now extinct creatures.
Visitors will exit through the museum’s gift shop.
Location
The Creation Museum is located in northern Kentucky.
2800 Bullittsburg Church Road Petersburg, KY 41080
Phone Number: (888) 582-4253
Website: creationmuseum.org
Admission
Adults $30.00 USD (United States Dollar) Annual Pass $175.00
Seniors (age 60+) $24.00 USD Annual Pass $175.00
Children (ages 5-12) $16.00 USD Annual Pass $175.00
Children (under the age of 5) Free
Combination tickets are available for both the Ark and the Creation Museum.
Adults $60.00 USD Unlimited 7-Day Ark Tickets $99.00 Annual Pass $175.00
Seniors (age 60+) $45.00 USD Unlimited 7-Day Ark Tickets $99.00 Annual Pass $175.00
Children (ages 5-12) $34.00 USD Unlimited 7-Day Ark Tickets $99.00 Annual Pass $175.00
Children (under the age of 5) Free
Tickets made be purchased online or upon arrival for the same price. When buying online, your tickets will be e-mailed to you, prior to your arrival.
There is a $5.00 USD parking fee for all vehicles. It is $10.00 USD for any oversized ones.
Planetarium showings require separate timed tickets (purchased on site at the front desk). Single show tickets are $7.95 USD and additional shows are $4.00 USD.
There is a daily printed schedule provided, for show times at the Creation Museum.
Reservations for the Zip Line Attraction can be made at (800) 721-2298. Availability varies throughout the year.
How To Get There
The Creation Museum is located just 7 miles from the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), right off Interstate 275.
Days and Hours of Operations
Creation Museum is open:
November to the end of December
Monday to Friday from 10:00 AM. to 6:00 PM
Saturday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Sunday 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM
There will be special extended hours for Lights and Live Nativity during Christmas Town. Program hours are from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM from December 15 – 23, 2017 and December 26 – December 30, 2017.
The Creation Museum is closed for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
January to March 11
Monday to Friday from 10:00 AM. to 6:00 PM
Saturday from 9:00 AM. to 6:00 PM
Sunday 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM
March 12 to May 31
Monday to Saturday from 9:00 AM. to 6:00 PM
Sunday 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM
June 01 to August 31
Monday to Saturday from 9:00 AM. to 8:00 PM
Sunday 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM
September 01 to October 31
Monday to Saturday from 9:00 AM. to 6:00 PM
Sunday 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Last admission is one hour before closing
To avoid crowds, arrive before 9:30 AM or after 1:00 PM
Lodging
Is readily available in the nearby cities of Cincinnati, Ohio and Lexington, Kentucky. There is a wide range of accommodations, to fit the needs of all travelers.
