We’re picking up where we left off on our first REAL family vacation. We’ve been to Cedar Point, National Museum of the US Air Force, and now we are going south some more. Friends told us about Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky and we knew we had to go there. I contacted the museum and they generously gave me 4 tickets to visit in exchange for sharing my experience. We loved it. It was definitely an exciting stop and I can’t wait to tell you all about here.
First things first though. We spent the night in an Ashley Quarters Hotel. Instead of going cheap, although it WAS a good deal, we spent a little more on the Family Night , package. We had a pizza party, Wii, movies, and all you can eat popcorn. The rooms were lovely and the kids were so excited to see this surprise. I highly recommend the hotel as it was clean and had personal touches. The housekeeper left a note for us, there was a package of Milanos and a nice note thanking us for our stay from the hotel, and I loved the toiletries. Best of all the bed and pillows were comfortable. The room came with a kitchenette so we could have cooked if we didn’t have the family package with dinner included. A continental breakfast was included in the stay with frozen breakfast sandwiches, cereal, juice, coffee, fruit and yogurt.
After breakfast we all piled into the van, excited about our visit to Creation Museum. We had checked the website multiple times, remembered things our friends said to check out, and looked at the workshop schedule. We were ready for a day of exploring our beliefs and looking at ways science evidences our beliefs and where faith plays into it. One of my favorite parts was seeing the results of the flood on our world and the way they compare evolutionary beliefs and creation beliefs. I’m not here to argue Creation/Evolution. If you believe in Creation the museum is an excellent place to explore why you believe what you believe. If you believe in Evolution then the museum is a great place to gain a better understanding of where Creationists are coming from. I would love if it was enough to change your world view but today I am here to simply review our family’s experience.
I love how they set up the tour as a journey in the background of the earth then you walk through a dark starry tunnel to arrive at the beginning of time. The workmanship of the displays is amazing with all the little details and the realistic scenes. It’s like walking through a 3D, real life journey of Genesis.
Another phenomenal display is of Noah’s Ark. They are working on the Ark Encounter which will be a full scale ark but for now the 2 rooms dedicated to Noah’s Ark are amazing in and of themselves. We definitely will need to go back when the Ark Encounter is unveiled.
We signed the kids up for a workshop and had an hour of quiet to ourselves so I suggested we eat a peaceful lunch. I loved Noah’s Cafe. The food was quality and we had the Pot Roast Sandwich. I need to make this at home. Imagine a fall apart beef roast with bits of carrots, peas, and onions piled onto a bun – talk about comfort food. It was gorgeous outside so we ate on the balcony, soaking in the late summer sun and watching people zip line high above the gardens.
All too soon that hour was over. We collected the kids and explored their favorite parts – Dr. Crawley’s Insectorium and The Dinosaur Den.
Dave and I loved the Verbum Domini, a room displaying many old Bible manuscripts and Bibles on loan from The Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC.
We finished the day with a walk through the Botanical Gardens and the petting zoo. They have a few really cool creatures like the zorse, who made it quite clear that while the kids could pet him I was to keep my hands OFF.
We had so much fun at the Creation Museum on our whirlwind tour and know we could have gone back another day to explore even more. The tickets are an excellent price as they are valid for 2 days so you can take your time and really enjoy everything they have to offer. As you can see from the list below there was so much more we could have explored. *Note some experiences are not included in the ticket price.
Creation Museum Attractions
- Exhibits
- Petting Zoo
- Camel Rides
- Botanical Gardens
- Planetarium
- Bookstore
- Christmastown
- Theater Shows
- Workshops for kids and adults
- Zip lines
Next stop on our vacation? An All Night Drive and a Battlefield, Fredericksburg, VA
Vacation so far:
National Museum of the US Air Force
About Heather McCurdy
Heather McCurdy writes at Real: The Kitchen and Beyond where she shows families how to slow down and savor life on any budget with tasty homemade recipes and family travel.
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Esther says
I enjoyed reading your review of the Creation Museum. It is a place I have heard of but never visited. Looks like it was well worth the drive! Thanks for sharing I have added it to my place to visit someday list.
Heather says
Thank you. You should go AFTER they finish the Ark Encounter. It looks like it will be amazing.