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Ark Encounter and Creation Museum offer Christmas programs at top religious themed attractions in U.S.


On select dates through December 30, Answers in Genesis will once again host its spectacular outdoor Christmas programs at the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum. This year’s events feature new ways to cherish the true meaning of Christmas and new procedures to ensure they are the safest, cleanest and most family friendly they can be.

ChristmasTown at the Creation Museum and ChristmasTime at the Ark will display tens of thousands of lights on the grounds. The museum will once again feature its popular outdoor live nativity. New this year (after December 13) is the showing of “The Christmas Star” planetarium program, with scenes in striking 4K; the show requires a paid ticket.

To ensure safety and cleanliness during ChristmasTown and ChristmasTime, the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter are following the procedures summarized on the website and in a detailed, robust 45-page “COVID-19 Preparedness Plan.” They are also adhering to the latest state guidelines regarding COVID. The attractions continue to conduct temperature tests of staff, regularly clean and sanitize their facilities, outfit their employees with masks and engage in other safety practices.

The Ark Encounter will showcase dazzling outdoor lights and the outside of the massive 510-foot-long ship will be illuminated with constantly changing bright lights. The Ark’s new Virtual Reality Experience, “Truth Traveler,” continues to take guests back to the time of Noah and is open during the Christmas season (a ticket purchase is needed).

As explained on the Ark and museum websites, most of the holiday activities are free.
From November 27 – December 20 at both locations, the Christmas programs will run Wednesdays through Sundays, starting at 5 p.m. From December 21–30, the events will be held each evening beginning at 5 p.m. (closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day).

Ken Ham, CEO and founder of the attractions, declared: “Our guests will love walking the grounds of both attractions as they view the thousands of stunning lights. Outside the Ark, visitors can watch the spectacular and changing colorful lights that illuminate the Ark. At the museum, guests will enjoy our traditional outdoor live nativity among the tens of thousands of lights.”

ChristmasTime at the Ark Encounter

In 2019, the Ark Encounter was voted by readers of USA Today as the number one faith-based attraction in America. The free ChristmasTime family friendly event features the following:

• A vast sea of bright multi-colored lights on the Ark’s expansive grounds.
• After December 13, the Ark Encounter will host fun live-animal encounters, with animals from the Ark’s zoo.
• The VR Experience “Truth Traveler” will take guests back to Noah’s time (paid ticket needed).
• Parking is $10.*

ChristmasTime can be upgraded for $32.99 (less for seniors and children) after 5 p.m. Price includes Christmas dinner (with the new state COVID guidelines being observed regarding the serving and eating of food) and access to the exhibits and videos inside the spacious Ark.

Take exit 154 off I-75 at Williamstown. 

Christmas Town at the Creation Museum

Continuing a 13-year tradition, ChristmasTown at the Creation Museum — the nation’s number two faith-based attraction as voted by readers of USA Today — invites families to enjoy free outdoor activities. Parking is only $10.*

Highlights include:

• The outdoor Garden of Lights with large steel dinosaurs all lit up — many guests say it’s one of the best light displays in the entire Midwest.
• New this year (starting December 14) is a free film on the life of Christ: “The Last Adam”
• The traditional outdoor live nativity in front of the museum will present the true meaning of Christmas, depicting Mary and Joseph with the baby Jesus.
• New at the museum: a large Glice® skating rink outdoors. (There is a skate rental fee.)
• Starting December 14, the “The Christmas Star” planetarium program with stunning scenes displayed in 4K will be shown, using a new laser-projection system (this is a timed-ticket purchase; social distancing will be observed).

Guests can upgrade their ChristmasTown experience and head inside the Creation Museum to see its stunning exhibits and purchase dinner on the outdoor heated patio, with exclusive holiday pricing after 5 p.m. ($24.99 for adults; less for seniors and children). Touring the large museum is free for children ages 10 and under. About 1/3 of the museum is new, including a striking pro-life exhibit.

Take exit 11 off 1-275 at Petersburg.

“We encourage everyone to make ChristmasTime and ChristmasTown a family tradition. It’s our gift to the community during this special time of year. Not only will visitors have a wonderful time together, but their hearts and thoughts will be directed toward Jesus and the special gift he gives to us as a result of his birth, death and resurrection,” said Ham. “At Christmas, it’s important we keep Jesus’ gift of coming to earth to offer peace and eternal life as our focus, especially during these challenging times. Invite your friends to our world-renowned attractions.”

More about the events can be found at www.ArkEncounter.com and www.CreationMuseum.org.

As a way of showing appreciation to its neighbors, AiG is offering free parking for residents in eight counties surrounding the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter — Kentucky’s counties of: Grant, Boone, Kenton, Campbell, Pendleton, Gallatin, and Owen, and Indiana’s Dearborn County. A valid driver’s license from one of these eight counties will ensure free parking. This offer to area residents is valid not only for ChristmasTime and ChristmasTown, but through all of 2021. It provides free access to the grounds, including the zoos, playgrounds, presentations and more. A paid admission is required to go inside the museum and the Ark; at the Ark and museum, children 10 and under are free to enter through 2021. 

Answers in Genesis is an apologetics (i.e., Bible-defending) ministry based in Northern Kentucky. AiG’s Ark Encounter is a one-of-a-kind historically themed attraction with a massive Noah’s Ark at the centerpiece. Built according to the biblical dimensions in Genesis chapter 6, the Ark is 510 feet in length, making it the largest freestanding, timber-frame structure in the world. The Creation Museum, located west of the Cincinnati Airport, has welcomed millions of visitors since opening in 2007.


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