Coming soon to Kentucky: Noah’s Ark theme park

A Christian organization is building a Noah’s Ark theme park in Kentucky, which the founder of the attraction predicts will pull in 1.4 million people a year when it opens next summer.

Reuters reports that the “Ark Encounter” park, which is now being built in Williamstown, northern Kentucky, will include “a full-sized wooden replica of the ship from the Biblical story of Noah and the great flood.”

Ken Ham, CEO of Answers in Genesis, the Christian organization behind the project, believes the park will be able to cater to 16,000 guests every day.

“It’ll certainly be one of the biggest Christian attractions in the world,” he said, announcing the project from the site where the park will stand.

According to Reuters, Kentucky officials last year had awarded the park’s developers tax incentives worth up to $18 million over period of a decade, but withdrew them again in December after the organization said it would only employ those shared their fundamentalist Christian beliefs. The company then sued to have the benefits reinstated.

Ham said that the park’s opening date — July 7, 2016 — was taken from the seventh verse of the seventh chapter of Genesis, which tells of Noah and his family entering the ark. (Coincidentally, Ham is also the name of one of Noah’s sons.)

Due to the anticipated high level of interest, Ham said, entry to the park would be limited for the first 40 days and nights, a reference to the time period that Noah and his family spent in the ark.

Ham said the ark would include a restaurant, theater and petting zoo, Reuters reported.