After planning to visit for years, my family finally stopped at the Creation Museum for the first time this past December and we LOVED it! I was excited to see that the museum will once again be offering Homeschool Days during the months of September and October and now that we’ve moved back to nearby Ohio, I’m hoping my family can visit again!
From Sept. 1 - Oct. 27, the Creation Museum will offer special prices for Homeschool families. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, admission will be only $12 for adults (13 and up) and $8 for children (5-12). The Stargazer's Planetarium is also specially priced at $5.
Plus, when you visit Noah’s Cafe or the Dragon Hall Bookstore, you will receive a 5% discount on all purchases when you present your admission ticket at the time of purchase.
If you’d like to take advantage of this special Homeschool offer, you will need to print and present this PDF coupon at the Creation Museum on the day of your visit.
If you have any questions about the Fall Homeschool Days, you can contact Eddie Lutz at 859-240-6642 or email elutz@creationmuseum.org.
The Creation Museum 2800 Bullittsburg Church Rd. Petersburg, KY 41080
Roadside attractions remind me of my childhood days when I’d travel with my grandparents to Port Clinton, Ohio to see the now closed Prehistoric Forest and Mystery Hill or the Blue Hole in Castalia, also now closed.
I don’t know what thrilled me about these attractions, but the fascination has continued into my own adulthood. Now with children of my own, I still find myself like a giddy little girl when we travel and pass by the unusual. And the excitement is contagious as my own children now point out the extraordinary sites that we encounter. Whether it is the Big Chicken in Marietta, Georgia, the Field of Corn in Dublin, Ohio or the Dolly Parton statue in Sevierville, Tennessee, Roadside Attractions never fail to catch my eye.
In fact, I’ve been known to seek out a roadside attraction a time or two, which was the case on our recent Ohio Road Trip when I planned to stop in Louisville, Kentucky with the sole purpose of viewing the World’s Largest Bat with my own eyes.
Leaning against the Louisville Slugger Museum, you’ll find the 120 foot tall, 34 ton, hollow carbon steel baseball bat that has been on display since 1995 as you cruise down Main Street.
And while you’re there, make sure you keep an eye out for another roadside attraction which just happens to be another of the World’s Largest Bats, but this one happens to be the nocturnal, blood sucking variety which is only three blocks down the road.
If you’re just stopping by you may want to read Day 1 and Days 2 & 3 of our Ohio Road Trip.
Talk about a short and sweet trip! The kids and I actually began our return trip to Alabama on Sunday night. We drove three hours to Cincinnati before stopping at a Red Roof Inn. I have to admit that I’ve never stayed at a Red Roof Inn and since I got a really great coupon rate I wasn’t expecting anything grand but I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped into the lobby and saw a beautifully updated modern decor. Our room was also updated and fresh. Not bad for $39!
When I spoke to my husband Sunday night, he mentioned that we really should sleep in before heading back on the road on Monday. Imagine my surprise when he texted me at 7:00 surprised because I wasn’t up yet! Hello, seven in the morning is not this night owls idea of sleeping in but once awake, it’s often hard for me to go back to sleep. I woke the kids up and we did all our necessary on-the-road-morning-routines. You know, brush our hair and teeth, check Facebook, e-mails, etc.
When we finally peered outside we were disappointed to find that it was raining. That kind of spoiled my plans for the outdoor stops.
I had planned to stop at the Patton Museum in Fort Knox, KY but the website stated that there is a five minute walk from the parking lot to the museum entrance, since it was raining we opted not to go.
We continued on our way and got stuck in traffic instead. We decided to people watch and after a few minutes decided that wasn’t such a good idea. Just in case you have ever wondered, driving naked isn’t the best thought that could ever pop into your head. You know, just in case you get stuck in traffic. (Please tell me that man really had on pants! )
Oh yeah, if your dentures need cleaned, you may think that cleaning them in a traffic jam is a great idea but I beg to differ.
By the time we’d reached Cave City we knew it was time to get out and stretch our legs and how could we resist rummaging through the Olde General Store?
There was a ton of stuff littering the outside and if you love to go through junk like I do, it’s just the place to waste some time. I happily picked up some post cards for our little traveler but I had yet to run into a penny pressing machine and I had promised a custom piece to Maureen of Spell Out Loud, the winner of the Ohio Road Trip Getaway and Giveaway package.
I was so excited to see not one but two penning pressing machines! I couldn’t dig out my quarters fast enough!
They even offer free pennies for the machines! I thought that was the best idea! Lucky for them I ran out of those quarters!
Across the street from The Olde General Store is Dinosaur World. We didn’t stop for a tour but who could resist snapping a few pictures?
Isn’t this the coolest thing? RRRRRR….RUN!!!!
Mammoth Caves is literally minutes away…one of my favorite national parks!
My new driver was disappointed that he wasn’t able to drive for the entire trip, but I have such a hard time giving up that driver’s seat! I just love to drive. Plain and simple. I did manage to allow him to drive for several hours though along both legs of the trip which seemed to appease him.
I couldn’t wait to get a glimpse of that rocket because that meant we were only minutes away from home.
Four days. 19 hours. 1140 miles. Whew…what a trip!
I wrote this post last month, had it ready to go and somehow lost it. It’s nowhere to be found! Ughh…So bear with me. There is much more that I wanted to share with you, but until I find my notes, it’s just not going to happen.
My husband and I have longed to visit The Creation Museum with our family for years. Our regular trips to and from Ohio nearly take us right past it, and yet we’ve never found the time to stop. With our frequent trips up North coming less and less often, my husband decided that just after Christmas, on our way home to Alabama, we would finally make that visit.
I wish I could tell you that it was a great day from the start- but this was one of those stops that almost didn’t happen. We’d planned to arrive early. We overslept and after a nearly 3 hour drive, we arrived later than anticipated.
It was the middle of Christmas break and it was very crowded. Have I ever mentioned that we don’t like crowds? I know, that sounds entirely selfish to show up and expect to have the place to ourselves, but we are so used to off season travel, that we’ve just kind of gotten accustomed to the lack of people. So we stood in line and waited to purchase our tickets.
I’d really wanted to visit the planetarium but since we were already behind schedule, my husband said no. That made me unhappy because I’ve heard that the planetarium shows at The Creation Museum are incredible. I’m ashamed to admit that it wasn’t the kids or my husband that were being difficult- it was me.
Finally we paid for our tickets and proceeded along our self guided tour through the Walk Through Biblical History. The bulk of our time was spent exploring this exhibit which featured the 7 C’s of History. For those unfamiliar with The Creation Museum or Answers in Genesis, the 7 C’s stand for Creation, Corruption, Catastrophe, Confusion, Christ, Cross, Consummation- all showing Christ’s plan for redemption.
The video below shows a very brief view of what we saw inside the museum.
I was astounded by how beautiful everything was. Somehow I’d expected things to be a bit “cheesy” –not at all like the stunning exhibits I saw, heard, smelled and experienced. The museum was clearly well planned to the tiniest detail.
There were a couple areas that concerned me. The Corruption exhibit is pretty straightforward and clear cut, showing much of the trials, diseases and addictions that are present after the fall in black and white. As a parent, I was glad that my children are older because young children could be scared by the images of death and decay that are flashed before their eyes.
Also, there was a child in front of us in line that was frightened by some of the dinosaurs, so if you have small children you may want to keep that in mind.
I appreciated that many of the exhibits were interactive. After we’d been there for a couple hours, my brain started to get a little fuzzy. You really need to allow an adequate amount of time to go through the museum and we just weren’t afforded that luxury on this trip.
The museum is clearly geared towards Christians, but I do think that non- believers could visit the museum and enjoy it - especially if they have read the bible- which many people have, even if they only consider it to be great literature. I believe they would still find some merit in going.
If I could plan this visit over again, I’d allow more time. I’d buy that annual membership so we could pop in at The Creation Museum on all our trips to and from Ohio. I’d visit the planetarium. I’d explore the exhibits outside of the museum- though they were offering the free nativity that evening on the day we visited, we just didn’t have time to stick around. I guess it just boils down to this: There is a lot to see at The Creation Museum, make sure you allow yourself enough time to see it all.
We paid $124.75 in admission- without the planetarium. Would I pay that much again? In a heartbeat! It was so worth it- even if we weren’t able to spend as much time at the museum as possible.
So, what did I think of The Creation Museum?
All I could think of was “I couldn’t believe we had waited so long to visit!” The Creation Museum is truly phenomenal. We loved it! All five of us! LOVED it! To be honest, it didn’t even bother me that we’d missed the planetarium. My husband on the other hand, was just a wee bit disappointed that we didn’t meet Ken Ham- hmmm… maybe next time?
So, where have you been for Field Trip Friday? You can add your link below and tell us all about it- if you’re unfamiliar with Field Trip Friday go here to read the guidelines.
With well over 100 nights spent on the road in the past two years, I guess you could say for our family, La Quinta is our home away from home. Since our faithful travel companion, Vincent, our four legged pet travels everywhere we go, it’s important that we find hotels that will not only welcome us, but our dog as well. La Quinta does just that and normally, at no additional charge.
Also important, is affordability. Though we love to see new things, as a family living on one income with three growing teenagers, it’s important to us that we spend a minimal amount of our travel budget on lodging so we can save our money on the fun stuff. La Quinta fits the bill here, too. I don’t recall ever spending more than $70 a night for a room with this chain.
There are a few other amenities that I look for, such as free wireless internet and a complimentary breakfast and La Quinta has that covered too. With those requirements in mind it probably doesn’t surprise you to know that I always search out a La Quinta when we are traveling, which is what I did when the kids and I took our spring road trip, and we couldn’t have been happier. I’d selected the La Quinta Inn & Suites in Bowling Green, Kentucky as a midway stopping point between Alabama and Ohio, and the kids loved it so much that they couldn’t wait to visit again with my husband- which is exactly what we did on our trip to Ohio last week.
La Quinta Inn & Suites in Bowling Green, Kentucky is one of the nicest La Quinta’s we have stayed at. It is fairly new, visible from I-65, comfortable with modern decor and clean, spacious, quiet rooms. What more can a tired traveler ask for? How about a heated, indoor pool for the kids, a large executive desk with ample workspace for mom, and a flat panel TV and recliner for dad?
As a La Quinta Returns participant that has reached Elite status (meaning: we’ve spent many, many nights at various La Quinta hotels) we were able to stay at this amazing property for a grand total of $17.02 after redeeming 6,000 Reward points.
We stayed in an incredible room with two queen size beds, a sleeper sofa and microwave and refrigerator.
Large comfy beds with extra pillows and white, alternative down comforters
The desk with plenty of space to work
The granite bathroom with laminate wood look floors
There was plenty of room for everyone to spread out and enjoy our stay
Whether traveling for business or a leisure trip with the family, if you’re passing through Bowling Green, I’d highly suggest checking the rates at this La Quinta Inn & Suites.
***I was in no way compensated for my review of my family’s recent stay at La Quinta Inn & Suites in Bowling Green and am not affiliated with La Quinta in any way. I simply offer this review as a satisfied customer.
My family just returned home from a quick trip to Ohio. Our route takes us directly past The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky that can be seen from I-65. We’ve not taken the time to stop up to this point, but each time we pass by we think “next time we’ll stop”.
Since I love to search out great deals for my family, I decided to browse around their website to see if I could find evidence of a homeschool day at this attraction. Though I didn’t find anything that would work for my family, I did discover a couple upcoming deals that I wanted to pass on.
November is Military Appreciation Month. All military (active and veterans), including Police, Firemen and their immediate family will receive FREE admission. You can view the details of this month long event here.
Do you plan to take advantage of either of these offers? If so, I’d love for you to stop back and give me some pointers for the time my family finally does stop for a tour.
This post has been moved from my original blog, titled Live the Adventure.
One of our favorite stops in Kentucky is Mammoth Caves National Park. Known as one of the oldest tourist attractions in the United States, this national treasure is part of the longest cave system in the world with over 365 miles of caves.
We have visited Mammoth Caves on numerous occasions to hike, camp and explore the caves. We've been on several of the tours, but our favorite so far has been the Historic Tour. The tour begins outside of the cave with a bit of information on what to expect inside. All I could remember from the ranger was that we'd travel through Fat Man's Misery- at which I was positive I'd get stuck- oh, we'd also travel through Tall Man's Agony. I pictured my tall boys hitting their heads upon the cave ceiling. Not to fear, I did not get stuck, but the boys almost did hit their heads! Although we laughed and snapped pictures with our cell phones while in the midst of Fat Man's Misery, twisting through the narrow knee high passageway, our laughs escalated as the floor seemed to rise beneath our feet and the ceiling dropped suddenly. We realized the path had led us to Tall Man's Agony. We proceeded through the passage in a stooped posture that I know looked as ridiculous as it felt. The remainder of our tour included climbing over 100 stairs to the Mammoth Dome and exiting at the same way we'd entered.
The Historic Tour follows a 2 mile trail through the cave that takes just over 2 hours to complete. I would consider this tour to be moderately strenuous due to the number of stairs (around 400) that you will encounter and the steep hill that you will climb at the conclusion of the tour to the Visitor's Center. This tour is best suited to children that are able to walk on their own for the duration. There were some young children (preschooler's) on the tour and most parent's ended up carrying their children most of the way. However, as our tour concluded, there were two little boys that appeared to be around 6 or so that had enough energy to run up the steep hill to the Visitor's Center while the rest of us were huffing and puffing along.
Mammoth Caves has tour options for all ability levels from a leisurely 1/4 mile jaunt through the cave to a very physical, strenuous 6 hour trek climbing cave walls and crawling through tight spaces for the more adventurous among us. Cave tours range from $5 to $48 per adult, with slightly lower prices for children and seniors, and are offered every day except Christmas. I would strongly urge you to reserve your tickets prior to your visit, especially if you are traveling during the summer or busier seasons. My husband and I first stopped at Mammoth Caves on our honeymoon 17 years ago and were disappointed when we found all tours sold out even though it was early in the day! You should also remember that this attraction is located in CST when you begin making your plans.
The national park has curriculum materials available on the website if you'd like to make a field trip out of your visit. In addition to the material on the website, I also found this book, The Cave Book, from the Wonders of Creation series to be a good resource to combat the evolutionary content presented. Children between the ages of 5-12 may also enjoy the Jr. Ranger Program. To participate, simply stop by the gift shop to purchase the ranger booklet for around $5 to see what requirements your child would need to meet to earn their own badge and certificate.
If you have a budding geologist on your hands, you may want to stop at nearby Big Mike's Rock & Gift Shop. We have stopped here on several occasions just to buy rocks! If you hang around long enough, it seems that they always offer some kind of a special on the rocks. This is a great place for cheap souvenirs!
Christian. Wife. Homeschool Mom of teens. Past & Future Full-time RVer. Travel Blogger focusing on fun, family-friendly, (sometimes) educational travel and field trips primarily throughout Ohio and the US.
