NORTHERN VIRGINIA, June 23, 2011 – The Bible says Noah’s ark came to rest after the great flood on Mount Ararat in what is now eastern Turkey. And some have claimed they’ve found ark remains on that peak.
Others just re-create the ark experience and its biblical message in their own way. Kentucky state tourism officials have given the green light recently to the creation of “The Ark Encounter,” a biblical theme park backed in part by the people who built Kentucky’s 70,000 square-foot Creation Museum, which has drawn a million visitors a year since it opened.
Noah’s Ark on Ma Wan Island
The new ark theme park will include a replica of the Tower of Babel, theaters, a petting zoo, and live shows. The Kentucky version of the ark is planned to be longer than 35 tennis courts and big enough to fit 600 cars inside its walls.
In Branson, MO, Noah – the Musical is running through October at the Sight & Sound Theatre, where audiences thrill to 40-foot tall sets, toe-tapping songs, hundreds of live and animatronic animals, and the message of hope and salvation Noah’s story brings.
What may be the most eye-popping ark experience in the world since the real one got lost in antiquity is in Hong Kong. The Kwok brothers, who are Christian billionaire real estate businessmen, built their 450-foot long biblically proportioned Noah’s Ark on Ma Wan Island, overlooking the Rambler Channel and Tsing Ma Bridge. The top floor of the ark is home to Noah’s Ark Resort, with its lux guest and meeting/event rooms, and a restaurant.
Fiberglass pairs of animals draw visitors into the park’s scene, which also has a garden, obstacle course and playground, and high-tech displays inside the ark that analyze its engineering. Other exhibits provoke thoughts about the meaning of life.
Which ark experience would you – and maybe your family - like to have?
Read more of Ruth Hill’s travel columns at Contemporary Christian Travel in The Communities at the Washington Times
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