Advertisement First visitors of NKY Noah's Ark attraction marvel at massive structure Group says park could get 2 million visitors in first year Share Shares Copy Link Copy

With just days left until the grand opening of the Ark Encounter, thousands headed to Williamstown, Kentucky, on Tuesday for a private inside look at the massive creation.Watch this reportNearly 7,000 visitors braved the heat and humidity to see the replica of Noah’s Ark.“You have to see it to believe it,” Cincinnati resident Christina Abney said.Donors from all across the globe who helped make the $100 million ark possible, got a firsthand look at the new museum.Photos: Ark Encounter“It is beautiful and it’s overwhelmingly real. To see it from the outside, it’s a massive structure. But to come inside and see the exhibits and the attention to detail and the specificity with which the exhibits were made, it’s overwhelming,” Corey Abney said.A ribbon-cutting ceremony with music and prayer was held just before visitors took their first step inside the ark.“Oh, it’s awesome,” visitor Michael Crivelli said. “Just seeing the ark, it’s truly a blessing. It’s unbelievable.”Crivelli traveled from New Jersey with his family for the event.The structure is nearly as long as two football fields and close to seven stories high.It includes a restaurant and gift shop, along with handmade items and lifelike mannequins. Each of them was created by artists and writers to tell the biblical story.“I’m the writer, and they make everything look so spectacular in bringing to life the attention to detail that these guys have. It’s incredible what they can do. I get to see it every day. Now everybody else gets to see it. So it’s exciting,” content manager Tim Chaffey said.This marks phase one of what Answers of Genesis has planned for the Ark Encounter. The creator said phase two includes a walled city outside the ark and phase three should come within the next few years.The Ark Encounter will have special hours on the first 40 days it is open.Officials expect more than 15,000 visitors for its grand opening on Thursday.