Our Creation Museum Visit {review}

We were recently in Kentucky to visit with family there and were invited to spend a day at the Creation Museum in Petersburg before heading home.  We had a wonderful time there! Allow me to "show you around".

We arrived just before the museum opened. The kiddos loved following the dinosaur footprints from our car to the museum. :) They also enjoyed seeing the large dinosaur standing in front of the museum but I couldn't get them to look at me when I took their picture. lol 

The main lobby of the museum took us away to a world of dinosaurs. Alex was in awe of the Mastodon skeleton he saw and continued to look around the lobby with wide and wondering eyes. He spotted other robotic dinosaurs, some fish and turtles in a tank, and even a few birds he wanted to take home. Eliana, being 2 1/2 years old, was a little scared of the long neck dinosaur moving overhead. Once I explained that it wasn't real, she began to "ROAR" back when she saw them. 

I noticed from the museum's lobby that there were beautiful gardens just across a bridge on the property. They looked so inviting and peaceful. I made a note to head out there after looking around the museum. I'll share more about those in a bit. 

Back inside the museum, we began our day with a visit to the planetarium. There, we watched an amazing show about just how expansive and intricate our universe is. Eliana wasn't a big fan of the dark at all so the hubster had to take her out of the room. Mikayla {6 months}, however, didn't mind any of it and Alex {5 years} thought the whole show was pretty cool. Myself? I was just in awe of the things I saw in the show. It's humbling to know I live on this tiny speck of a planet in a vast universe and still, God loves me enough to give me all I have and design a purpose for my life. Wow.

Our first lessons in the museum were about the paleontologists who work to find dinosaur remains so we can learn more about them and their time on this earth. As I was explaining their job to Alex, he began to ask a lot of questions. In fact, the entire walk through the museum raised many questions, as a good museum should. There is so much to learn about "Creation" and how we came to be...and why...and what now. The Creation Museum did  a wonderful job at explaining these answers with a Biblical foundation. 

 To introduce the idea of Creation, the museum started with the Bible itself. It speaks to how the Bible came to be and why it's a valid and relevant resource. It also shares information on the opposition the Bible has faced in years past and how some of those scenarios panned out. They define the idea of sin and how that effects the world today.  Only after creating that foundation, does the Creation Museum speak on Creation itself.  

One room of the museum has TV's on the walls playing 15 different videos on the different elements of Creation. These speak to the things that happened on each of the 6 days. Following some time gleaning information from the videos, the museum is set up to place each visitor back in the Bible's Old Testament to walk through some of the "big events" in those books.

A tunnel of stars leads to a theater room and just beyond that is the Garden of Eden. The journey begins as Adam is brought the different kinds of animals to name. 

Exhibits are also made to share on how Eve was created...

and how Adam and Eve made one choice that would change the world forever. 

Through the exhibits, visitors will come to meet Noah and his Ark. The museum has a lot to see and do in this area. There's also information posted on The Ark Encounter; a life-sized Ark that is being constructed for people to visit and walk through about 40 miles from the Creation Museum.

I enjoyed studying these scale models of the Ark and the flood. Seeing something like this just makes me shake my head and say, "Wow" as I consider all that this one Bible story means.

As I was looking those things over, Eliana was doing puzzles with the hubster and Alex was playing on the touch screen computer.

Something interesting to note in this room was an example of animal cages that would  be used inside the Ark. The sign on the cage said something to the effect of "If you've ever had a pet, you understand how much work they take" and then goes on to make the point that Noah and his family had MANY animals to care for on the Ark. That was a little overwhelming of a thought for me since I don't even really want my kids to have something small like a hamster yet. {LOL}

After finishing our walk through the museum, we did a little shopping in the bookstore and then headed outside to the botanical gardens and petting zoo.

back of the museum from across the lake

petting zoo

The day we went, the Camel rides were closed but they sounded like a fun idea for the kiddos had they been open. The rest of the petting zoo was fun and the garden was absolutely beautiful to see. There are also three large pavilions with restrooms nearby for larger groups to use.

Our overall experience at the museum was great. The little ones said they really enjoyed it and they were very well behaved.  I'll admit it was a little tough on us with a 2 1/2 year old on board but we're so grateful for the opportunity to visit and share this experience as a family. Had we brought our tandem double stroller with us on our trip, we would have been all set.

I would recommend this museum to anyone interested in Creation, whether a believer or doubter. The museum is very well put together and it's very rich with information. Obviously, there is more to see than what I am able to share in this small space so I encourage you to visit and see it for yourself. Personally, I'm excited to hear about when The Ark Encounter opens. We would definitely make a trip back down to visit for that!

Keep up with the Creation Museum and their Ark Encounter on their website, facebook, and twitter.

** Thanks to the Creation Museum, who gave us a complimentary entry in exchange for an honest post. I received no other compensation. My opinion is mine and mind alone. Others may not have the same experience or agree with my opinion. **