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Kentucky's full-size replica of Noah's Ark is almost finished


This is a $100 million, 500-foot-long replica of Noah's Ark. It's called the Ark Encounter, and is to become the main attraction at a unique Kentucky theme park set to open in July. The ship is seven storeys high, 85 feet wide and is perhaps the world's largest timber-framed building. Its design was based on dimensions in the Bible with an eye toward 4,000-year-old shipbuilding methods.

Yes, it's huge. But it's also controversial. Ken Ham, the Australian fundamentalist responsible for the construction of the Ark, announced they will only hire Christians to staff the park — and future employees must sign a "statement of faith" avowing their beliefs. Of course critics slammed the "unreasonable" hiring process, but I won't delve deeper into the topic since I really don't care about religion.





The gigantic boat will feature interactive exhibits including wooden cages with sculptures of various animals, including dinosaurs. Surrounding it will be a petting zoo, theater, restaurant, gift shop and a 4,000-space parking lot. The amusement park also plans on having a Walled City, the Tower of Babel, a first century Middle Eastern village, and other attractions.

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