A massive replica of Noah's Ark stretching three stories high and the distance of two football fields may soon be on its way to Northern Kentucky, where it will make its home as the staple of a creationist theme park, Ark Encounter. In an interesting twist, the creationist park is supported by the state's Democratic governor, Steve Beshear.
According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, the theme park's creators are currently seeking state tax incentives that could allow them to recover 25 percent of the facility's cost. Some are questioning whether such a stimulus would violate the separation of church and state.
Lexington's WLEX reports that the attraction and its museums, theaters, amenities, event venues and outdoor parking will cost at least $150 million, and will take three years to build. Estimates suggest that the park could bring 1.6 million visitors annually and provide at least 900 new jobs to the area.
Ark Encounter, the Grant County, Ky. undertaking, marks Answers in Genesis's second foray into the world of ambitious religious education and entertainment projects. They also built the famous Creation Museum, which opened in May 2007 in Petersburg, Ky. Exhibits at that venue include a Garden of Eden, a planetarium to explore the God-"Created Cosmos," and a display showing dinosaurs with their believed correct historical existence alongside humans.
UPDATE: Barefoot and Progressive got in a question at the unveiling.