If you know me personally, or have followed me for very long, then you know that my family and I love to travel…and we love going to concerts!
With that being said, we made plans months ago to attend the Inspiration Encounter, hosted by the Collingsworth Family. The Inspiration Encounter is a 3 day event filled with worship, singing, testimonies, instrumentals, and more! This event took place at The Ark Encounter in Williamstown, KY.
Just to give you a brief overview of what the schedule looked like:
Thursday Evening Session – 6:30 pm: – Live DVD filming: Mercy and Love – The Collingsworth Family
Friday Morning Session – 10:00 am: Worship led by Phil & Kim Collingsworth & Family. Music by Greater Vision, as well as a presentation by the founder and CEO of Answers in Genesis, the Ark Encounter, and the Creation Museum: Ken Ham.
Friday Evening Session – 7:00 pm: The 200 member Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir with an evening of singing, testimonies, worship, a live band, and a duo song with the Collingsworth Family.
Saturday Morning Session – 10:00 am: Grand Piano Extravaganza – Hosted by Kim Collingsworth, featuring Stan Whitmire and Matthew Holt.
Saturday Evening Session – 6:00 pm: Finale – Featuring the Booth Brothers, comedian Dennis Swanberg, and the Collingsworth Family.
Our hotel was an hour away from the event, so we didn’t make it to all of the sessions; however, when we were there, we truly enjoyed the retreat and worship atmosphere, along with 2500 other people!
Thursday:
We toured the Ark Encounter on Thursday. We have been wanting to see it since it opened a up few years ago! It really is such a nice place to visit…especially if you have young children. It helps bring the Bible story of Noah and the Ark to life! The last few photos are of Noah’s family’s living quarters onboard. And last but not least, there was a coffee shop at the bottom of the boat! 😉
After touring the ark, we enjoyed lunch at Emzara’s Buffet on the grounds. They had a variety of wonderful food, but I especially loved all the vegetables!
After lunch, we took the boys to walk through the small Zoo area, and the boys also played on the playground that was there. It is such a kid friendly area which is a big plus!!
I took advantage of a little #retailtherapy and got some really cute Fall clothes from Courtney’s Collection pop-up-shop by Courtney Collingsworth Metz. You can follow her here on Instagram. She is the sweetest and has such cute clothes! 😍
I also got their family cookbook. I’ve been waiting to get my hands on one of these since I found out it was coming out! Can’t wait to try the recipes! They all look so delicious!
Finally, we went to the Answers Center for the evening concert with the Collingsworth Family. This concert was a live video recording, so it was extra special to attend! (The boys especially loved seeing all the video and camera gear!) The Collingsworth Family is the sweetest family that you will ever meet, and their family has beautiful harmony! They were the ones responsible for hosting the Inspiration Encounter, and they did a phenomenal job! You can follow them here on Instagram! Be sure to stay tuned with them to get information for next years Inspiration Encounter!
We stopped for a late night dinner at Raising Cane’s on the way back to the hotel. One other thing you should know about us is that whenever we travel, we always try to eat at places that we normally don’t have back home!
Friday:
Our Inspiration Encounter tickets also included admission to the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky, so we decided to take the boys since they have never been. We didn’t get up in time for breakfast, so we stopped at Bob Evans for Brunch.
The Creation Museum is also really good for kids, as it brings to life the story of Creation! It also has a section on Noah’s Ark, so it goes along really well with visiting the Ark!
In addition to the museum, they have an outdoor petting zoo as well as a playground. Kaleb and Mark really enjoyed it!
We had dinner at Frisch’s Big Boy before the concert that evening. I ordered their homemade vegetable soup, and the Club Sandwich. They were so good!
The 200 member Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir were the special guests scheduled to sing Friday night. I grew up listening to the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir as a teenager, and I got to hear them for the very first time in person when Micah and I went with our friends to New York last year. So when we found out that the choir was going to be there, we were so excited! They have such a beautiful gift!
I enjoyed getting to see Emily, as well as the Collingsworth sisters. Emily is the Social Media Director for the Collingsworth Family. I “met” Emily on Instagram several months ago and officially met her this Summer at a Collingsworth Concert close to where I live. She is the sweetest! I met Courtney and Olivia, as well as Brooklyn a couple of years ago when they were in concert in Bremen, Georgia. They are the sweetest young ladies and are wonderful role models for young women today!
Saturday:
We took the boys to the Cincinnati Zoo on Saturday. Micah has been but the boys and I have never been. It is so nice! I would definitely recommend it for families with children!
We drove into Pigeon Forge late Saturday night and got a hotel to break up the drive going home.
Sunday:
We took the boys to Wonder Works. They enjoyed it so much! There is so much to do there for kids their age! It’s also a lot of fun for adults too. Definitely check it out if you’re in the area!
We stopped at the Apple Barn for lunch before heading home. If you visit Pigeon Forge, you need to eat here!
It was a great trip, and I’m blessed to get to do life with someone who likes to travel as much as I do!
Click here to learn about next year’s Inspiration Encounter and purchase tickets! You will truly enjoy the experience!
XO ~Laura