21.8.17

Our Big Kentucky Road Trip Part 3: The Creation Museum

After spending the majority of the day in Louisville, we headed north to our next hotel.  We stayed right across the Ohio River from Cincinnati.  The next morning we went to The Creation Museum in the top corner of Kentucky.

The museum is owned and operated by Answers in Genesis, a Christian apologetics parachurch organization.  They advocate a literal interpretation of the book of Genesis in regards to creation and reject all theories of evolution.  If you have questions about creation, science, evolution or the age of the earth (and even dinosaurs!), Answers in Genesis has the answer for you!

The Creation Museum basically takes you on a journey through Biblical history and God's plan for the world.  I knew a little about the museum before we went, but I really had no idea what to expect.  I can honestly say it wasn't quite what I expected.  I don't mean that in a bad way at all!  This is not a kids' museum.  That doesn't mean it isn't for kids.  There is just so much more to it than I originally thought.  It is in depth, it is thought provoking, it makes no apologies.  Using the Bible, the museum basically explains the creation of the world and God's plan for His creation from beginning to end.  All of the questions that science leaves us with . . . the Bible answers and explains!  

You know what I would love to do?  I would love to experience this museum with someone who questions and doubts Biblical creation . . . someone who holds to evolutionary science . . . someone who doesn't believe in the God of the Bible . . . someone who has never accept Christ as Savior and Lord.  I would love to walk beside them through this museum.   

The museum was stunning!  There are exhibits, a planetarium, botanical gardens, a petting zoo, camel rides.  The very first thing we did was watch one of the planetarium shows.  And then we made our way through the museum.  It takes you through seven key events beginning with creation and then ending in consummation (which hasn't happened yet).  So you can understand now what I meant by this not being a "kids' museum."   Kid friendly?  Yes, absolutely!  But let's just say I had to do a lot of explaining and clarifying, too. 

They use so many different means and modes of information as you travel through the exhibits.  There is a LOT of reading to do.  Seth and I read most of it, and then I would basically summarize some of the harder things for the kids, especially Ellie.  We spent just over two hours going through the exhibits, but we definitely could've spent more time.  Towards the end, we didn't read everything.

I was born and raised in church.  I made a profession of faith in Christ Jesus as my Savior and Lord as a child.  So I have lived and breathed this stuff my whole entire life.  I've never questioned God's Word.  And, yet, there were times I was just speechless.

There were times when I felt like I was reading something or seeing something or understanding something for the very first time.

The kids really enjoyed the Garden of Eden exhibit.  The amount of research that went into this really is amazing.  I learned some things that I've never even thought about before!

Once we finished inside the museum, we spent the next hour touring the gardens.

I've never seen anything more beautiful!  I didn't get an up-close picture, but the hibiscus flowers behind Hannah Kate were the biggest I've ever seen.  The blooms were twice the size of my hand.

Honestly, by this point, the kids were tired and hungry.  There is a restaurant (think fast food) at the museum, but we didn't eat there.

Hannah Kate and Ellie wanted to take advantage of the petting zoo.  Mason, on the other hand, is too cool for school these days.

As a matter of fact, he was even too cool for a camel ride (which kind of surprised me).  Ellie and Hannah Kate were going to ride together, but Ellie chickened out (which didn't surprise me at all).  I was expecting Hannah Kate to back out, too, but she didn't (which, again, surprised me).

I can honestly say that doing this was way out of Hannah Kate's comfort zone.  She told me afterwards that she was really scared at first but that she wanted to do it so badly that she did it anyway and was glad she did because it wasn't that bad once the camel started walking.  I know it seems a small thing, but I was very proud of her.  It's not often that she steps out of her comfort zone.  So this was a huge deal for her.  And now she can say she rode a camel!

There was more walking.  And by this time, even though it was overcast, it was very hot and humid.

They obliged one more picture.

And then we left.  We were all hungry by this point so we used Yelp (one of our "must have" apps for road trips) to take us to the nearest town for lunch.  Because believe me when I say The Creation Museum is out in the middle of nowhere!  We didn't even realize it at first, but we crossed over the Ohio River into Indiana and ended up eating at a Mexican restaurant.  That's so random!  A Mexican restaurant in Indiana.  I don't know why.  That just makes me laugh.  (It really was very good, too!)  And then we decided to stay on that side of the river and drive into Cincinnati before crossing the river back into Kentucky.

I know I've not done a great job telling you about our day here, but it really is hard to find the words to describe it.  It's just something you have to experience for yourself (of course, it doesn't help that I'm just bone tired right now either).  It might sound like I don't necessarily recommend this museum for kids, but I do.  It definitely meant more to my older kids than to Ellie, and that's okay.  I think there are things about this experience that she'll definitely remember.  Her favorite part was actually walking around and following along with the map in her hand.  And all of us enjoyed the time we spent here.

The home page of the website states, "Prepare to Believe."   I think that's the best way to summarize The Creation Museum.  If you doubt . . . any at all . . . first of all, go to God's Word (it's living and breathing and active and alive and reveals God Himself) . . . and then go to The Creation Museum!