Best Things to Do Near the Ark Encounter

The Ark Encounter draws families to Williamstown from all over the country — and most of them are surprised how much else is within an easy drive. The Creation Museum, a quiet lake, a state park with a bison herd, and one of the best zoo-and-aquarium combinations in the country all sit within 45 minutes. Here is how to turn an Ark visit into a full trip.

The Ark Encounter Itself

Plan most of a day for the Ark. The structure is 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high — the largest timber-frame building in the world — with three decks of exhibits on the story of Noah, the animals, and the flood. Around it: the Ararat Ridge Zoo (kangaroos, camels, a petting area), playgrounds, a zip line course in season, and Emzara's Kitchen, a two-story restaurant that seats over a thousand.

A few things that make the day go better:

• Buy timed tickets online before you travel. Combo tickets that include the Creation Museum are the better value if you plan to do both.
• Arrive early. Gates open at 9 most of the year; the first two hours are cooler and the ship is less crowded.
• Take the elevator up and walk down. Start on Deck 3 and work your way down to avoid the bottleneck at the entrance ramp.
• Break the day up. From a house five minutes away, a mid-day nap or pool hour and a return for the zoo and the evening lights is easy — and the way most of our families with small kids do it.

The Creation Museum

The Ark's sister attraction sits in Petersburg, about 45 minutes north near the Cincinnati airport, with botanical gardens, a petting zoo, a planetarium, and a full day of indoor exhibits of its own. Most families split the two attractions across two days rather than rushing both into one, with a pool or Cincinnati day in between.

Around Williamstown

Williamstown itself is a small lake town, and that is exactly why families stay here rather than in a highway hotel corridor. Williamstown Lake has pontoon rentals, fishing, and a swimming area in summer. The historic Main Street is a short walk with a coffee shop and a couple of antique stores. Dry Ridge, ten minutes north, has the grocery store, the pharmacy, and the outlet mall.

Twenty minutes south, Big Bone Lick State Historic Site (yes, really) is the birthplace of American paleontology — mammoth and mastodon bones were pulled from the salt springs here in the 1700s. Today it has walking trails, a bison herd you can see from the path, a small museum, and a playground. It is a good two-hour outing for kids who need to run.

Day Trips: Northern Kentucky & Cincinnati

Thirty-five minutes north, the Cincinnati riverfront opens up a full second act for your trip:

• Newport Aquarium — underwater tunnels, a shark bridge, and a stingray touch pool. Half a day.
• Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden — one of the best zoos in the country, across the river in Cincinnati. A full day.
• Newport on the Levee — restaurants and entertainment next to the aquarium, with the skyline across the water.
• BB Riverboats — sightseeing and dinner cruises on the Ohio from the Newport landing.
• Florence Y'alls baseball — a minor-league night with fireworks, 20 minutes from Williamstown, in summer.
• Mainstrasse Village, Covington — the region's best evening out for the adults in the group.

We covered all of it in our Northern Kentucky guide.

Where to Eat

Williamstown and nearby Dry Ridge cover the family basics — pizza, barbecue, diner breakfasts, a Mexican place or two — and the Ark's Emzara's Kitchen is easier at lunch than at dinner. For a bigger night out, Covington's Mainstrasse Village is 35 minutes up I-75. With a full kitchen at the house, most of our guests do big family breakfasts at home, eat lunch at the attraction, and save restaurants for one or two dinners.

A Four-Day Ark Trip

Day one: arrive, groceries in Dry Ridge, pool afternoon, dinner at the house.

Day two: the Ark Encounter, morning through early afternoon; rest; back for the zoo and the evening.

Day three: Cincinnati — aquarium or zoo — with dinner on the Levee, or a Florence Y'alls game.

Day four: the Creation Museum, or Big Bone Lick and the lake for a slower day.

Where to Stay

This is where staying in Williamstown beats commuting from Cincinnati: our Williamstown vacation homes are minutes from the Ark's gates and built for exactly the families who visit it — pools, playgrounds, game rooms, and room for 12 to 30 people. See Ark Encounter: Where to Stay With a Large Family or Group for the full rundown of which home fits your crew.