Creation Museum: Everything You Need to Know [2023]

Creation Museum: Top Questions

Where is the Creation Museum located?

The Creation Museum is located in Petersburg, Kentucky. Located in Northern Kentucky very close to the border with Indiana, this museum is approximately 15 minutes southwest of Cincinnati, Ohio. The closest hotels are about five miles away.

What are the hours for the Creation Museum?

Monday-Friday 10 AM to 6 PM; Saturday 9 AM to 6 PM; Sunday 1 PM to 6 PM
Check online if you are visiting over holiday as they do change during the holidays.

How long to go through the Creation Museum?

Plan for an all day experience to see the Creation Museum. If you have smaller kids and know you won’t make it all the way through, I suggest you come after lunch for fewer crowds. There is a lot to see here including more fabulous presentations and movies than you will have time to see. Expect to leave some parts for your next visit.

What time of day should I arrive at the Creation Museum?

On the day of our visit, the morning hallways were very crowded. It appeared as if most people arrived early when it opened. This made it very difficult to even get through to turn around and head out. Plan to head to a performance or lecture earlier and hope the crowds have spread out when you get out of the theater.

If you don’t like to be in crowds, pick the day and time of your visit well. This museum feels like it has outgrown the crowd in some places with tight hallways and lots of standing people packed together. A visit to the Creation Museum will definitely take longer on a crowded day as much of the information requires up close reading of placards and signs.

How much is parking at the Creation Museum?

$10 parking in their large parking lot easily accessed off the road. There is a portion set aside for oversized vehicles and RVs. There is about a ten minute walk into the creation museum through the garden once you buy tickets at the entrance next to the parking lot.

How much walking will I do at the Creation Museum?

The Creation Museum is a much smaller museum campus that that at its sister site with the Ark Encounter, but there is still a lot of walking and standing. You will walk from the parking lot to the front doors of the Creation Museum through their gardens with different areas to wander through including themed areas like the woodlands and rainforest as well as a small zoo. You can also opt to take a more direct path to the front door on a smooth concrete path.

Once inside the museum, there are different options. The exhibit rooms flow from one to the next. If you choose to leave halfway through, you may have to reroute your path which will add lots of extra walking. The flow of traffic is mostly one direction.

Can I visit the Creation Museum if I have difficulty with mobility?

If you have mobility difficulties, there are some benches scattered if you need to rest. If you can’t walk far or have difficulty standing for periods reading or waiting in line, you might need to consider how you will handle this. Wheelchairs, both manual and electric, are available for rental through the Creation Museum.

Additionally, quite a bit of your time at the Creation Museum will be spend sitting in a cushioned theater for one of the many shows or speakers. There will be time standing in line in the hall to get into the theater, but if needed, Grandma could always go find a resting area and meet up at the front door.

How Much Does a Ticket to the Creation Museum Cost?

General Admission Ticket

Consider purchasing your Ark Encounter and Creation Museum tickets ahead of time to save some money. They are valid for one year from purchase, so if difficulties arise, you haven’t lost the value of your ticket. 2023 is a great time to come because all kids are still free for all of 2023 without a limit to the number of children.

While you can purchase tickets online and show them digitally, the line for buying tickets was actually shorter the day we were there. This might save time on a very busy day. These tickets don’t include the cost of parking.

General admission 2023 ticket prices online to the Creation Museum are

• Adults $49.95
• Youth (11-17) $29.95
• kids under 10 free

How can I save money on Creation Museum tickets?

With combo tickets for the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum, you will be allowed one admission to each location within a week. As an adult ticket to the Ark is $59.95, you will save $15 with the combo ticket if are are planning to go to both places anyway. Additionally, you save another $15 with each additional youth ticket.

• Adults $94.95
• Youth (11-17) $54.95
• kids under 10 free

Additionally there are 3 day bouncer tickets which let you have unlimited visits to both attractions within one week. For only $15 more (which ends up costing the same as full price for each ticket), you can return unlimited times to each within a week. Honestly, if I had small children and other things to do in the area, this is what I would choose…. if you plan on fully seeing each place. Their attention will wane. I didn’t get to read about the last 1/3 of the Creation Museum because my two littler kids were done. If you have two parents and more than three youth, check out the Ultimate Bouncer Family Pass!

Check online for discount days at the Creation Museum including special prices for residents and military. Sometimes there are homeschool days with much reduced ticket prices.

What is Included in the Creation Museum Ticket?

• Creation Museum – Two floors including the Walk through Biblical History, Insectorium, Dino Den
• 4D Special Effects Theater movies
• Animal Experience
• Special speakers on various topics – don’t miss Corrie Ten Boom!
• Botanical garden and outside playground

What’s Not Included in the Ticket?

Prepare yourself. There are plenty of extra opportunities to spend extra money. Although is non-profit, the merchandise and books and extra spending opportunities abound. While the prices for food and extras aren’t as high as Disney World, extra events and spending opportunities will be advertised everywhere.

Additional experiences include the planetarium, outdoor zip lines, snacks, meals, fudge shop, coffee shop, ice cream… The bookshop conveniently located right at the end of the museum, so you have to pass through it to exit. Additionally, before you enter the museum, you go through a market of fair-trade products. This is not the museum bookshop, but another opportunity to spend even more money.

What Can I Eat at the Creation Museum?

Food purchased in the museum is allowed throughout as you walk around. There is a coffee and drink bar as well as an ice cream station. Full meals are available in the restaurant inside the museum, and the food seemed to be reasonably priced. If you are willing to take ten minutes to go back out to your car, it would be very easy to meet the rest of your group in the garden to have a picnic. Additionally, with your wristband, you can get back in the museum if you want to take a break and drive somewhere for lunch.

If you have member of your group with food allergies, the museum kitchens state that they try to avoid cross-contamination and be accommodating. However, they do admit that an exposure to an allergen is possible including shellfish and peanuts. Severe allergies are suggested to bring outside food.

While the museum site states no outside food, our bags were not checked, and you could easily bring in a granola bar for a mid-afternoon snack to tide over a kid; I saw some doing this. We took in refillable water bottles in our bags without difficulty.

Things to Do at the Creation Museum

There are more things to do at the Creation Museum than you will have time to see. Use the exhibit descriptions below to help you guide the interests of the members of your group. The creation museum feels like multiple separately-themed museums; they are all connected as you go from one to another. Each section has a different appearance and theme – all beautifully set up. Check out the Roman decorations. They really are exquisit with high tech videos and screens mixed in.

From human evolution to the authenticity of the Bible, you will be bombarded with so much information. If you aren’t interested in one section, just keep moving on. One of them will interest you. Don’t worry about taking pictures of all the signs to read later – grab the book in the bookstore that has all the signs. You will want to go back and reread and discuss and discuss some more.

The Garden of Eden (Main floor)

This animatronic, life-sized colorful garden area tells the story of life in the Garden leading up to the Fall. Walk through with your kids and admire the details put into the setting and examine early life as imagined with Adam and Eve and their growing family. This is great for animals lovers and little kids who need something to look at – and are tired of placards.

The Theater (Main Floor)

While the schedule for this changes daily, you can familiarize yourself with the main video showings online to figure out which ones your want to prioritize. The 4D videos include 3D glasses, sounds, wind, vibrating chairs, and lights. Great for little kids!
This is also the location of the guest speakers depending on theater availability. Compare the daily schedules online as this may help you pick what day to visit with different presentations. We went to several, and they were all excellent.

Don’t overlook the back hall where you line up to go into the theater. There are great exhibits here to read while you wait including seeing rock collection and extra videos to watch.

Fearfully & Wonderfully Made (Main Floor)

Hidden within the bookstore, this section highlights the beauty of the developing baby. I assume it’s in it’s own enclosed section for sensitive eyes and kids who aren’t ready for such. There are model scales of all stages of the developing child which would be amazing for your teenagers to see.

Botanical Garden (Outside)

During you walk to the museum, you will experience five minutes of the garden, but make sure you leave about an hour to explore the other areas. During the winter after Thanksgiving, this area is lit up to beome a winter wonderland. The rest of the year it boasts woodlands, rainforest area, a koi pond, and other beautifully planted areas. The ids will love walking across the bridges and exporing what is around the next corner.

Animal Encounter and Shows (Outside, Bottom floor)

Meet some animals up-close at the Legacy Hall on the bottom level of the Creation Museum – down the stairs from the 4D theater. These are held in a smaller size room, so line up early to get a seat. Additionally, stop at the animal zoo in the botanical garden to see the rest of the animals.

Dinosaurs (Bottom floor)

You could miss this small section if you don’t head downstairs. It’s a little offshoot, and holds more dinosaurs than you will see during the visit. It’s definitely worth the visit – don’t overlook the fossilized dinosaur eggs and the fossil for touching. There are other dinosaurs and skeletons scatered throughout the rest of the museum, but this is a dedicated section.

Dr. Crawley’s Insectorium (Bottom floor)

To show the variety of God’s beautiful insect designs, this small section of insect collections has hundreds of specimens arranged according to their kind. I’ve never seen a more thorough display in all the zoos we have visited. Allow about 15 minutes and prepare to ooh and aah at the sizes and colors of these insects and bugs from around the world. This is on the lower level past the 4D theater entrance. It’s a small opening, but you don’t want to miss it.

Biblical History (Bottom floor)

Honestly, this was my favorite section learning about the Romans and the culture at the time of Jesus. This is a small section, but the timeline leading up to Jesus and his world is worth a study just in itself. Students of classical and Biblical history, both kids and adults, need to plan for an hour in this overlooked section. Of note, this section is not in the book you can purchase with the placards of the rest of the museum.

• See coins from Jesus’ time.
• See the models of the Temple at Jerusalem.
• Learn about the time of the Maccabean Revolt and the origins of Hanukkah.
• Show the kids the dress of the soldier, tradesmen, and families of the first century.

What’s the Best Schedule to See the Creation Museum?

• Check the schedule online to have an overview of scheduled videos, speakers, and events – mark these and plan around these. Plan to be at the theater at least 15 minutes ahead of time; earlier if you want to go to an animal experience as it will be a smaller room.
• Get to the parking lot at after a big sit down breakfast to minimize time spent eating.
• If not heading right into the theater and the museum still feels pretty empty, go ahead with the exhibit straight ahead; take advantage of the low crowd.
• If museum feels crowded, go downstairs to see the insects, dinosaurs, and ancient history section. This was much less crowded and feels like a hidden section.
• If the parking lot is already full, take time to wander through the garden and zoo. There’s no rush to get inside.
• When the kids get wiggly after some exhibits, grab some ice cream or see a 4D movie – they’ll love both it will wake them up.
• Leave when your brain is done. You don’t have to do the WHOLE museum. It’s really okay. Go eat a fun supper somewhere.

How Do I Take Kids to the Creation Museum?

• Be reasonable! You won’t be able to read everything. Your kids will give out. Go when they’re done. You’re just making everyone (including yourself) miserable. Been there; done that.
• Come to the Creation Museum before the Ark. While much of the information is repeated in both, there is a lot of new information. I feel our Ark Encounter was faster because we had already familiarized ourselves with their theories and information.
• If visiting in the winter after Thanksgiving, the hours are extended in the evening allowing more time to explore the videos and bookstore. The holiday lights are the focus as the garden is lit up and offers a live nativity, activities, and extra snacks.
• Don’t endure the crowd; go to another section and wait for the crowd to spread out.
• Make the videos and lectures a priority of your time. While the videos are offered several times a day, the lectures are not. Don’t miss these. The ones we saw were excellent.
• Feel free to leave the exhibits to go check out a video and go back. You will have to do quite a bit of backtracking, but I don’t know of another way to do it if you want to see everything.
• This museum has a lot of reading with very few interactive displays. While there are artifacts, specimens, and dioramas, I suggest you leave this museum for the bigger kids if you only have nonreaders or younger.