In the last week of April 2022, we spent five nights at General Butler State Park near Carrollton, Kentucky. We had driven by dozens of times along I-71 between Cincinnati and Louisville and wondered many times about the park but never stopped. This time we stopped and stayed a while.
General Butler State Park Is very convenient. It is no more than a five-minute drive from the interstate and the entrance to the park is right in Carrollton. It is a beautiful setting and we enjoyed our time there. It was perfect for the activities we had planned. The campground is a nice size. We met our friends there and we camped on sites 10 and 11. These were not good sites at all. The paved parking area is just large enough to get our motor homes which are 30 and 32 feet on. The ground slopes steeply from the pavement. There are a couple of decent-sized sites but be sure you get them if you stay on the 1-19 loop.
The other loops all seemed to be quite nice most of the sites had plenty of room. The campground is in a nice setting and there are some beautiful views from some of the higher elevations in the park. The bathhouses were nice and clean. The people working in the park were great. They went out of their way to help however they could. Even though our sites weren’t great we had a very enjoyable stay there.
Our real purpose for this trip was to meet up with our friends and visit the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter. On Friday we went to the Creation Museum. This museum features exhibits which h illustrate the Biblical story of creation. This is no hokey religious touchy-feely emotionalized gimmick. It is a well-thought-out fact-based approach to imagining how Genesis 1-3 happened.
As you enter the museum the first several the first exhibits talked about what the Bible says and what many historical figures and documents say about dragons. With one record from right here in our country. It was both surprising and fascinating to me. I also found their take on dinosaurs interesting. All through the museum, I was impressed with how they explained the supposed difference between science and the bible. As you make your way through the museum you walk through each of the six days of creation. It is all done with exceptional quality. On the level of what you might see at Disney or Universal parks. It was a really fine day and I would return.
The next day we went to the Ark Encounter. This is a life-size replica of what the Bible ark might have been like. It is enormous! As you drive I-75 through Williamstown, Kentucky you can see the Ark off to the west. At the ticket sales area, you board a bus that will take you to the entrance of the park. In the park, there is the Ark, zoo, family playground, zip lines, and a virtual reality experience. There are also restaurants in the park and they were surprisingly affordable. Every day in the park there are also a variety of live events in the park. Like the Creation Museum, everything is top quality but on steroids. Were there dinosaurs on the Ark? Take the Encounter and see what they have to think. We ate at Emzara’s Kitchen, which is a buffet. It was less than $9 and the food was great. The Ark itself is amazing. I found it fascinating to see how they imagined how all the logistics of everyday life on the Ark might have been. We enjoyed a music show while we were there and attended a lecture from Ken Hamm, the founder of Answers in Genesis, and both attractions, in person. It was a full day. You could easily spend two days at the Ark Encounter.
On Sunday we decided to drive about ninety minutes to the Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill. This restored village was home to over five-hundred Shakers beginning in the early days of the nineteenth century. This is an absolutely beautiful place. It is a step back in time as you learn of these deeply religious people and the community and lifestyle they built. My favorite part of the day was at the Meeting House where a young man was teaching about the beliefs, worship, music, and dance of the Shakers. He had a deep baritone voice and was a delight to listen to him tell of the history. When it came to the music, he would sing Shaker songs. His voice filled the ancient room in amazing ways. He even had us up dancing and singing a song together. We also took a walking tour with a young lady who too could make to story of these Shakers and their village come alive. While there we had a delicious meal at the Trustees Table, a restaurant in one of the historic buildings.
As we traveled to each of these places, we always took one direction through country roads and enjoyed early spring in the rolling hills of Northern Kentucky. It was a great time with friends and fun-filled few days in Kentucky.
2nd Chance Vagabonds 