This post is sponsored by Ashley and Todd Gordon of Noah’s House in Williamstown, Kentucky.

My bucket list is so long and includes tons of places I’ll probably never visit because it requires a passport which I don’t have. Not to mention, flying makes me seriously ill. So I’ve focused my sights on attractions in the United States, some educational and some just beautiful.

Visiting the Ark Encounter was on our list for this summer but when I heard kids 10 & under were FREE through 2020 AND a friend gave me free adult tickets, it moved to the top of our list. My husband is busy on the farm right now but gave us the go ahead to travel now so we loaded up, swung by north Georgia to pick up my dad who’s always up for an adventure, and headed to Kentucky (a 13 hour trip from our home in Florida!).

You can check out our adventures at the Ark Encounter here or The Creation Museum here. And you can see videos and plenty of pictures on my Instagram story highlights – Kentucky trip – here. The rest of this post is everything you need to know about planning a trip to the Ark Encounter.

Planning and Budgeting your Ark Encounter Adventure

Now is the time to go, if this has been on your wish list for any length of time because you can take advantage of the kids 10 & under being free (this includes BOTH places – The Ark Encounter AND The Creation Museum). If this month doesn’t work, try stockpiling your usual restaurant or Starbucks fare into an Ark fund. You’ll be surprised how quickly those dollars add up!

Since our last trip, the kids have outgrown their smaller suitcases and the larger ones took up more space than I expected. Because of this, and also because I was unwilling to remove van seats, we lost room for a cooler. Normally we would load up on food to save money eating out but this time we splurged. Local restaurants, here we come! (Also, thanks Chick-fil-a for your reward points–you saved us a couple meals on the road!).

BUT, if you have room for a cooler in your vehicle, this is a HUGE way to save money and make this an affordable trip. Sandwiches. Fruit. Veggies. Water. We also like to pack snack containers for under each person’s seat to make the hangry traveling blues go away. ☺️ You can find some other traveling tips we love here.

Accommodation recommendations for your Ark Encounter adventure 

When we welcomed the twins into our family, I learned overnight we no longer fit in one hotel room. And because it’s expensive for multiple rooms and I prefer not spending the night in a separate room from my husband, we turned to Airbnb. They have great homes at affordable prices (one house for the price of ONE hotel room! Unbeatable!).

That’s how we met Ashley and Todd Gordon, owners of Noah’s House in Williamstown, Kentucky, just five minutes from the Ark Encounter. Not only do they offer accommodations for up to 12 people at Noah’s House, they also have two other homes for rent nearby! If traveling with a large party, this would be perfect for everyone to spread out.

At first sight, we loved Noah’s House in its clapboard glory and adorable farmhouse signs displayed throughout. Not only is there plenty of space to spread out if you need a break from your crowd, there’s a sloping backyard my kiddos took full advantage of to burn off steam despite the drizzly weather.

The house is sparkly clean and charming at every turn especially the original hardwood flooring. I’m a sucker for restored older homes and this one made it to my top 10 list!

There are two decent sized bedrooms, one with a queen bed and the other with two queen beds, plus a loft bedroom with two twin beds which my girls loved. The living room fold-out sofas offer additional space for up to four more people. My big boys enjoyed “camping out” in the living room during for their Kentucky adventure.

But my favorite thing about Noah’s House is Ashley’s attention to detail. Not only was the house stocked with everything we could possibly need from shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and more than enough towels and bedding, she also surprised us with a fridge full of goodies. We went kind of gaga over the keurig and the endless options for hot drinks! Since we aren’t coffee drinkers, we were pleasantly surprised with the tea and hot chocolate. The kids felt so grown up with their “coffee” to go! The lined crockpot ready for a home cooked meal was a thoughtful touch as well.

Look for Airbnb superhosts

I must admit, I’m a huge nerd when it comes to any kind of extras and Todd and Ashley go above and beyond meeting your needs at Noah’s House. Ashley is listed as a super host on Airbnb and its no wonder–she’s amazing!

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and will definitely be back! If you’d like to check out their other homes, the links are here and here. Their rates are so low, everyone wants to stay there so don’t wait too long to book! When you do, be sure to let them know Amanda sent you. 💙

If you’re eating in the area, be sure to check out Belle’s Smokin BBQ. Their food is delish, they offer great prices, and the have the cutest, cleanest bathrooms!

Other attractions to check out during your Ark Encounter adventure 

One of the many questions I received, besides accommodation recommendations, was–what else is there to see? In the general vicinity, near the Ark Encounter, is the Creation Museum which I’ve already mentioned. It would be a shame to travel so far and miss out on that. In warmer months, Williamstown has a splash park (free), the kids would love! Within an hour or two drive is the Newport Aquarium, the National Air Force Museum (free), the Original KFC, the Toyota Motor Manufacturing plant (free), the Kentucky Horse Park, countless state parks, hiking, caves, and so much more.

I wish we would’ve had more time to spend sightseeing but we are already planning a return trip so we will definitely be crossing some of those off our list next time!

Don’t forget to check out our entire Kentucky adventure on Instagram for more videos and fun! 💙 Interested in another kind of adventure? Use my Airbnb link and save $55 on your first adventure! 💗