Recently our family took a trip to the Answers in Genesis Creation Museum near Cincinnati, Ohio.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the museum far exceeding anything I had imagined!  If you can possibly swing a trip to Cincinnati the Creation Science museum is well worth your time.

In case you’ve heard of it and are on the fence about whether or not you should go, let me help you with that decision.  You should definitely go!  And if you’re not travelling in that direction, it’s still worth taking a peek at our pictures!  In the interest of complete disclosure, there are no affiliate links in this post and I am not receiving compensation of any kind for this post.  Our family just really enjoyed the museum and wanted to share it with you!  Also, there were signs throughout the museum saying that taking pictures was acceptable and not a breech of copyright.  So, with that legal stuff out of the way, let’s get started!

The Creation Museum is in Petersburg, Kentucky, in what’s known as the tri-state area.  We actually stayed in Ohio, drove through Indiana and arrived at the Museum in Kentucky, all within about 15 minutes!  Now you would expect a Museum about Creation and Noah’s ark to have a beautiful botanical garden and a petting zoo… and they deliver!  I can ramble on for a long time about all the incredible features of the museum, but I won’t.  Instead, I just want to tell you about my favorite part of the Museum… The walk through Genesis.

The Answers In Genesis Creation Museum

It begins at a tunnel.  You step into the tunnel after seeing some examples of what sin has done to our planet and reading a promise that there is a solution to the sin problem.  (The solution is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, of course.)  The tunnel is completely dark with little tiny lights.  It feels like you’re walking through space… travelling to a different time and place in the Universe.  And indeed, you are.  At the end of the tunnel you get to watch a panoramic video about creation.  Soon you step into the Garden of Eden.

As you walk along the pathway in front of you, you get a grand tour of the Garden of Eden.  The early chapters of Genesis are narrated over the speakers, directly from the Bible.  You see Adam and Eve together in the garden.  You see the animals.  You pass under the tree of Life.  Everything is quiet and peaceful and beautiful.

And then you meet this guy.  I don’t need to tell you that the serpent is bad news.

The serpent entices Adam and Eve to sin and everything changes… including the mood of the museum.  Now we are face to face with Adam and Eve outside the garden, facing death head-on when they have to sacrifice an innocent lamb to atone for their sins.  This is what sin has brought.

You go around the corner and see Adam hoeing his garden with his sons Cain and Abel.  Eve is expecting another baby.  They’re such a typical family and it’s fun to see them working.

And then a few steps later you are faced with this horror.  Cain has killed his brother.  And you can hear the voice of “God” over the speakers having a word with Cain about it.

So real. So lifelike.

 

Another story that is featured heavily at the museum is the story of Noah and the flood.  Again, the museum has done an incredible job of explaining how the ark might have looked and how the events of the flood might have occurred!  There is one room where you can see the workers building and even a display showing how wood can fit together to make a watertight fastener.  (My boys especially liked that!)  In another room, there is a video showing how the flood might have seemed to the people in Noah’s time.  In one scene there is a mother and child sitting at a window playing a game and all of a sudden you can see a huge wave headed towards the house in the background.  The water only takes a couple of seconds to come through the window and then the screen goes dark.  It must have been absolutely dreadful.

The photo above is a model of what the inside of the ark might have looked like.

This was one of the children’s favorite displays!  We stood in front of this display for ages!  The monitor in front of the display is a touch screen that allows you to select from a variety of questions you might like to ask Noah.  You select the question and “Noah” answers!  My children thought this was absolutely amazing!

Even the baby thought that talking to Noah was wonderful!

 

Have I convinced you to visit the Creation Museum?  I have only mentioned a few of the many, many features of the museum.  Our family spent a wonderful 2 days here!  It’s a great value for your dollar and it’s an incredibly impressive experience that I highly recommend!  Their regular prices compete with other state-of-the-art museums, but the difference is that here you don’t need to filter out what you don’t want your children to learn.  Everything is taught from a 7-literal-days-of-creation perspective.  If I ever have to move away from Texas, I hope we end up within driving distance to the Creation Museum!  (They have annual passes, too!)

A Bit of Creation Museum At Home

There is an amazing gift shop at the museum that carries everything from Creation Science Homeschool Curriculum to Noah’s Ark Coffee mugs, so be sure to budget some spending money for that!  Here are some fun books about the museum to help get your family excited if you’re planning a trip!

Journey Through the Creation Museum (Revised & Expanded Edition)Righting America at the Creation Museum (Medicine, Science, and Religion in Historical Context)The Complete Creation Museum Adventure: A Field Trip in a Book

If you decide to go visit the museum in person, have a wonderful time…. and send me a postcard.  Or at least send me picture of your family at the museum!

Have you been to the Creation Museum before?  What was your favorite part?  If not, what other family-friendly destinations do you like?  Tell me in the comments!