Ark Encounter
Christian creationist theme park located in Kentucky
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| 2023 | Reaffirmed as the Best Religious Museum in the USA Today/10Best.com Readers Choice Awards. |
| July 2021 | Ark Encounter announced expansion plans including a Tower of Babel attraction, an indoor scale model of Jerusalem, and a themed carousel, with the Tower of Babel attraction intended to address racism by emphasizing human common ancestry. |
| April 2021 | Ark Encounter and Creation Museum were preparing to welcome their 10 millionth visitor altogether, with the attraction returning to 2019 attendance numbers and setting record attendance for certain summer days. |
| 2020 | Ark Encounter changed its pricing to allow free admission to children under 10 who visit with a paying adult. |
| 2020 | Williamstown Mayor Rick Skinner noted Ark Encounter's attendance was about ten percent higher than forecast before its temporary COVID-19 closure, with revenue falling twenty percent short of projections. |
| 2020 | Chosen as the Best Religious Museum in the USA Today/10Best.com Readers Choice Awards. |
| August 2020 | The insurance lawsuit was settled, with lawyers for both sides requesting the case be dismissed. |
| August 2020 | Ark Encounter announced plans to host a Christian music festival lasting '40 days and 40 nights' and opened a new $3 million virtual reality experience called the 'Truth Traveler'. |
| June 8 2020 | Ark Encounter reopened with limited visitor capacity (one-third) and social distancing guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| March 17 2020 | Ark Encounter was temporarily closed due to Kentucky governor Andy Beshear's executive order during the COVID-19 pandemic, with staff conducting events on Facebook Live. |
| February 17 2020 | PBS aired the documentary 'We Believe in Dinosaurs' about the Ark Encounter, which Ken Ham criticized as propaganda. |
| May 2019 | Ark Encounter filed a federal lawsuit against five insurance carriers for not covering nearly $1 million in damages from roadway failure caused by heavy rains in 2017 and 2018. |
| November 2 2018 | Road improvement project near Ark Encounter projected to be completed, with the second phase of park construction expected to commence around this time. |
| July 2018 | Athena Hospitality Group broke ground on a hotel and restaurant development in Dry Ridge to accommodate Ark Encounter visitors, with plans for three hotels and three restaurants. |
| January 1 2018 | Designated 'Sight of the Week' by RoadsideAmerica.com, receiving their highest rating of 'The Best'. |
| 2017 | Footage from Bill Nye's Ark Encounter visit was included in the documentary film 'Bill Nye: Science Guy'. |
| December 2017 | Kentucky Department of Transportation awarded a $3.5 million contract for road improvements near the Ark Encounter. |
| November 2017 | Construction began on a 2,500-seat theater on the Ark Encounter's grounds, originally planned to host the 'Equipping Families to Stand' conference in July 2018. |
| November 29 2017 | The episode 'Kentucky Fried Osbournes' featuring the Ark Encounter aired on A&E. |
| July 2017 | Permanent rainbow lights were installed at the Ark Encounter. |
| July 25 2017 | Ark Encounter announced they would pay the safety assessment and had been collecting it on tickets sold since July 1. |
| July 18 2017 | The state of Kentucky notified Ark Encounter that selling property to Crosswater Canyon breached their $18 million tax incentives agreement. |
| June 2017 | Dry Ridge Mayor Jim Wells reported a significant increase in hotel occupancy rates from 60% to 98% since the Ark Encounter's opening. |
| April 2017 | The city of Williamstown implemented a 50-cent safety assessment per ticket sold at the Ark Encounter and other local attractions to upgrade emergency equipment. |
| April 2017 | Ozzy Osbourne and his son Jack visited the Ark Encounter to film an episode of their reality TV series 'Ozzy & Jack's World Detour'. |
| March 2017 | The Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau presented the Ark Encounter with its Star of Tourism award for 2016. |
| February 2017 | Ken Ham announced AiG would permanently continue the rainbow lighting for the Ark Encounter. |
| February 24 2017 | Jamie Baker from the Grant County Chamber of Commerce stated that the Ark Encounter had drawn additional tourism to the area, highlighting the need to expand local accommodations and amenities. |
| 2016 | The Kentucky General Assembly allocated $10 million to create a new interchange between Kentucky Route 36 and Interstate 75 to support Ark Encounter's infrastructure. |
| 2016 | U.S. federal court ruled that Answers in Genesis (AiG) could require Ark Encounter employees to sign a statement of faith as a condition of employment, which drew criticism for discriminatory hiring practices. |
| December 2016 | Answers in Genesis (AiG) lit the Ark Encounter with rainbow colors during the holiday season, aiming to 'reclaim the symbol from the gay rights movement' and remind viewers of the Noahic covenant. |
| October 22 2016 | Hosted the premiere of evangelist Ray Comfort's film 'The Atheist Delusion'. |
| July 8 2016 | Bill Nye toured the Ark Encounter with Ken Ham, engaging in an informal debate about the park's educational approach and its portrayal of Earth's history. |
| July 7 2016 | Ark Encounter officially opened to the public, with a strategically chosen date of 7/7 to correspond with Genesis 7:7. The park extended its hours for the first 40 days and 40 nights, referencing the biblical flood period. |
| July 5 2016 | Answers in Genesis (AiG) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Ark Encounter, providing an early tour to media members and an estimated 7,000 project donors. |
| April 2016 | Ark Encounter began advertising 300-400 job openings, requiring applicants to sign a statement of faith. Two weeks later, the Tourism Development Finance Authority approved the tax incentives. |
| January 25 2016 | Federal Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove ruled in favor of AiG, ordering Kentucky to process tax rebate incentives for Ark Encounter. Governor Bevin announced the state would not appeal and replaced four Tourism Development Finance Authority members. |
| November 2015 | Conservative Matt Bevin was elected governor, succeeding Steve Beshear. Kentucky Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer suggested restoring tax incentives, but Ken Ham insisted on pursuing the legal case. |
| February 2015 | Ark Encounter LLC filed a religious discrimination lawsuit against Kentucky, alleging violation of First Amendment free speech rights by denying tax incentives. Freedom Guard chief counsel Mike Johnson represented AiG pro bono. |
| December 2014 | Stewart announced the withdrawal of tax incentives for Ark Encounter, citing religious indoctrination and hiring discrimination. During the Christmas holidays, AiG launched a billboard PR campaign in Kentucky and New York City's Times Square in support of the project. |
| October 2014 | Kentucky Tourism Arts and Heritage Cabinet Secretary Bob Stewart requested written assurance from Ark Encounter that they would not discriminate in hiring. AiG refused, citing the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Supreme Court decision. |
| August 2014 | Americans United for the Separation of Church and State petitioned the Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority to withdraw tax incentives for Ark Encounter due to discriminatory hiring practices that required applicants to profess Christianity and sign a statement of faith. |
| July 2014 | Ark Encounter withdrew and refiled a new tax incentive application, with a feasibility study projecting 400,000 annual visitors, 787 new jobs, and a $40 million economic impact. |
| February 27 2014 | Ken Ham announced that enough money had been raised to begin construction of the Ark Encounter, with total costs expected to exceed $100 million. |
| February 4 2014 | Ken Ham debated Bill Nye 'the Science Guy' on the viability of creationism, which reportedly spurred bond sales for the Ark Encounter project. |
| January 2014 | Only $26.5 million in bonds had been sold, with a deadline of February 6 to sell at least $55 million to avoid automatic redemption. |
| December 2013 | The city of Williamstown offered $62 million in tax increment financing bonds to support Ark Encounter's construction, with Ark Encounter, LLC having raised approximately $14 million at that time. |
| 2012 | Cary Summers, former head of Herschend Family Entertainment, was hired as the lead consultant for the Ark Encounter project. |
| 2012 | Construction crews began clearing timber from the site to remove shagbark hickory trees before endangered Indiana bats could migrate and nest, preparing for the Ark Encounter construction. |
| February 2012 | Ark Encounter, LLC finalized the purchase of the entire Ark Encounter site, announcing plans to construct the park in phases with an initial $5 million raised towards the $24 million needed for construction. |
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