A Day at the Creation Museum

Last year we took a trip out to The Creation Museum because of our own interest and to do a little research for A Light in the World Museum. The Creation Museum is located in Petersburg, Kentucky just outside of Cincinnati Ohio.  Per their website it is a “state-of-the-art 70,000 square foot museum [that] brings the pages of the Bible to life, casting its characters and animals in dynamic form and placing them in familiar settings.”

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During our concept development stage for A Light in the World Museum I did (and continue to do) research on current and planned biblical museums. I was surprised to find that few exist and even fewer that try to provide an experience or interactivity.  The Creation Museum is a recent addition to the mix having opened in June 2007. 

The Creation Museum supports the biblical account of creation and Noah’s flood with vast amount of scientific theory and evidence. One of the main purposes is to provide an alternative to the natural history museum found in many cities. Typical natural history museums purport ideas of evolution only giving no credence to the biblical account of creation.

I was very excited to see The Creation Museum and to see if their exhibits were anything like what we have planned for our A Light in the World Museum.  They have done an outstanding job of combining education and experience. The Creation Museum provides a variety of activities and dynamic displays. They use all of the various technologies and encompassing scenes to tantalize all of the senses. Recently, they have added camel rides as a part of their petting zoo.

The exhibits that I enjoyed the most were walking through the Garden of Eden and through a replica of Noah’s ark.  These were most like the ideas we have planned.

There were definitely a couple specific things that I came away thinking about concerning the building of A Light in the World Museum after seeing The Creation Museum. First was crowd management. The Creation Museum has done an awesome job with being able to handle the vast crowd that was there the day I visited. This is not something well planned for in our concept of A Light in the World Museum.  It will be something that we will have to makes some adjustments for. 

Secondly, I couldn’t help but think about the 25 years it took to get The Creation Museum built.  I don’t know how long it will take to build A Light in the World Museum, but I doubt we have the luxury of 25 years to take.

I hope that one day A Light in the World Museum and The Creation Museum will be sisters working together in some way. They are different in specific purposes, but both point to Jesus as savior.  If you are looking for an interesting destination to take your family this summer that will spark conversation about the bible and provide a unique experience, I suggest that you consider The Creation Museum.