The world famous Ark Encounter and Creation Museum are centrally located between several midwest cities that provide several options for lodging for your vacation. Ark Encounter is 40 miles south of Cincinnati, OH and 45 miles north of Lexington, KY. However, you don’t need to stay in a large cities like Cincinnati or Lexington to find great lodging options. The best lodging is much closer to the attractions. If you are looking to stay close to the ark you can find hotels and rental homes in Dry Ridge & Williamstown. The type of accommodations you choose largely depend on the size of your group and your travel style & preferences. This is how to find the best places to stay for your Ark Encounter vacation.
Rental Houses – AirBnb, VRBO, HomeAway
One of best options for accommodations is to rent a house for your stay. This is especially beneficial to those that are traveling as a family or with a group of friends. There are a variety of homes that are good for groups of 2-4 all the way up to 12 or more guests at some of the larger homes. If you haven’t used a home sharing company like AirBnb, VRBO, or HomeAway, you can get started right away by visiting one of the respective sites and signing up for a free account. All of these options are very reputable and offer lots of peace of mind when booking your stay. They make their money by charging a small fee to the guest and also a fee to the host who is providing the property. That fee is really good value for the service they provide.
Is this your first time considering a rental house? Check out our article: What is an AirBnB, and Should You Book One For Your Trip to the Ark
Great Value
In most cases staying in a rental house is a much better value when you compare it to a hotel, especially if you are splitting the cost between several members of your group. Many houses are equipped with full kitchens, cooking utensils, soap, shampoo, high chairs, pack N plays, and a number of other amenities that make your stay more convenient. If you are staying for multiple days you can really save money by buying groceries and cooking in your home. It can be much more cost effective than paying amusement park prices at the parks.
Experience Your Trip Together
Some of our best memories from our family vacations took place when our friends and family were gathered together playing cards and swapping stories. A huge benefit to staying in a rental home is that you not only get to experience the park time together, you get to come home and spend time with your loved ones in one central location. This can be more difficult when staying at a hotel as individual rooms aren’t great for gathering with friends and families.
Kid Friendly
Rental houses tend to offer many benefits for those with children in tow. Many houses include large yards for recreation, or are located near public parks. This is useful for those kiddos that need to burn a little extra energy. You can expect your rental home to include large screen TVs, and some combination of streaming service like Netflix or Amazon Prime. These services are rarely included with a hotel stay. If your kids like to stay up late on vacation (don’t we all) then in a rental home the adults can seclude themselves to another room while and give the kids their own space.
Overall, renting a home when visiting Ark Encounter or The Creation Museum is a great option for many travelers. You can search for rental homes by visiting one of the home-sharing sites below:
Hotels
There are several hotel options for your visit to Northern Kentucky. Most of the hotels near Ark Encounter are located just south in the city of Dry Ridge. There are also additional hotel options in the larger city of Florence, KY which is about 30 minutes south of the ark. The average hotel room ranges between $100-150 a night. You can expect hotel availability to be more limited during the summer months and holiday weekends.
Reliable & Flexible
Many of the hotels near Ark Encounter are owned by major hotel chains so you can expect to enjoy all the amenities and quality of service that those brands provide. Although cancellation policies differ from hotel to hotel, these establishments tend to be flexible if you need to cancel your reservation. Many of the hotels also offer some kind of breakfast option which can save money and also save time if you are in a hurry to get to the park.
Use Reward Points To Book
A really nice benefit to booking a hotel for your Ark vacation is being able to utilize hotel reward programs. The major hotel chains offer incentive programs that allow their customers to redeem free stays by cashing in reward points. Examples of these programs include, World of Hyatt, Hilton Honors, Marriot Bonvoy, and IHG Reward Club. Learn more about these programs by checking our travel rewards article: How to visit Ark Encounter for Free
More Booking Options & Availability
If you are trying to be as budget friendly as possible staying at a hotel provides more options for booking your trip. Hotels offer many more travel partners and websites that provide many booking options. These partners include websites such as Expedia, Kayak, and Hotels.com.
Want to know more about local hotels? Check out our hotel reviews here: Ark Encounter Hotel Reviews