Ark Encounter recognized as the most popular attraction in Kentucky

The Ark Encounter, a life-sized replica of Noah’s Ark as described in the biblical book of Genesis, has topped a list of the most popular tourist attractions.

The website Bet Kentucky recently listed the top 10 “most popular Kentucky attractions in 2023,” with the Williamstown-based, Answers in Genesis-affiliated attraction topping the list.

Bet Kentucky organized the list on the basis of rankings on Trip Advisor’s 25 best things to do in Kentucky, then combined it with Google search volume data from AhRefs.com over the last 12 months.

The Ark Encounter got first place with around 60,000 searches on Google, followed by Churchill Downs of Louisville in second place with about 50,000 searches, and Mammoth Cave of Brownsville coming in third with 36,000 in search volume.

The remaining entrants on the top 10 list were, in descending order, Keeneland of Lexington (24,000 searches), Louisville Slugger Museum (17,000), Kentucky Horse Park of Lexington (13,000), Louisville Mega Cavern (8,200), National Corvette Museum of Bowling Green (7,300), Lost River Cave of Bowling Green (5,600), and the Muhammad Ali Center of Louisville (5,300).

Additionally, according to rankings accessed Tuesday, the Ark Encounter tops Trip Advisor’s list of “Things to Do in Williamstown,” beating out seven other local attractions with a rating of 4.5 out of 5, based on more than 4,500 reviews.

Standing 10 stories tall and 510 feet long, the Ark Encounter attraction is overseen by Answers in Genesis, a Christian apologetics ministry that professes a Young Earth Creationist view of life’s origins.

Considered a “sister attraction” of the Creation Museum, the Ark Encounter was officially opened in July 2016, with a reported 1.1 million people visiting the giant replica within a year of its launch.

In early 2020, the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum were voted by readers of USA Today as the top religious museums in the United States out of 20 options chosen by travel experts.

“We are so grateful to USA Today for considering our internationally recognized attractions in its contest,” said Answers in Genesis’ Ken Ham in a statement released at the time.

“Indeed, people from around the world rave about the exhibits and features at the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum, and now these people have validated our exciting attractions from among an impressive list of museums.”

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