Among many attractions, the park will feature a replica of the Tower of Babel and an old world-style village as can be found in the Old Testament.

Spearheaded by Answers in Genesis ministries, a Christian ministry devoted to a literal telling of the Old Testament, the ark is planned to stand 500 feet long, 80 feet wide and 45 feet tall and will be the centerpiece of a faith-themed, theme park called Ark Encounter.

Project manager Mike Zovath says the ark and theme park are being built in order solidify the authority of the Bible.

“The message here is, God’s word is true,” he said. “There’s a lot of doubt: ‘Could Noah have built a boat this big, could he have put all the animals on the boat?’ Those are questions people all over the country ask.”

Answers in Genesis are also the group behind the Creation Museum, a controversial public attraction, which goes against the grain of conventional science museums and presents the Bible as a historical timeline, beginning 6,000 years ago.

Instead of attempting to discredit evolution and promote creationism, the theme park aims to allow visitors to experience the ark and the time in which it was constructed.

“When you get to walk through the boat and see how big this thing really was, and how many cages were there, and how much room there was for food and water …”

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