The Dry Ridge center point is around 5 miles north of The Ark Encounter and 11 miles east of Kentucky Speedway NASCAR.
The best time to visit Dry Ridge is between May and July. This is when the warm weather is the most comfortable. Later in the summer, the weather gets quite hot. Late spring and early summer is when the highest number of special events are scheduled. During this time, you can expect the hotels to be the most expensive. Despite this, you can still find a hotel room, albeit at a slightly higher price, during the early summer.
The spring season is the second-most popular time to visit Dry Ridge. While it will most likely rain during your trip, the warm weather and short rain storms make it a comfortable time to be outside.
In the winter, you may experience snow if you visit Dry Ridge. However, it is unlikely to be as heavy of snow in many other areas of the country. Many tourists still make their way to Dry Ridge during this time, despite the colder weather.
From September through November, tourism is the slowest in Dry Ridge. If you're looking to snag the best deal on a hotel room and airfare, this is the best time to do so. In addition, fall and winter in Dry Ridge are relatively mild compared to the Midwest and Northeastern states. If you find yourself comfortable outside in chilly weather, you won't have an issue traveling here in the late fall and early winter.
If you know where to stay, you can save even more money during your Dry Ridge trip by taking advantage of discounts. Quality Inn provides one of the best-discounted hotel services in the area, with senior, AAA/CAA, AARP group, corporate, government and military, and rewards points discounts. There is one within driving distance of the Kentucky Speedway. The rooms at Quality Inn have refrigerators and microwaves, flat-screen TVs, work desks, and phones that make free local calls. You also get complimentary newspapers throughout your stay. You can work out in the fitness center or visit the gift shop. Wi-Fi access is free across the entire facility, so getting work done is easy. You can do your work in the business center where you'll find conference space and a meeting room. Quality Inn is a pet-friendly hotel.
If you're looking for good discounted hotel rates, Americas Best Value Inn & Suites is another great option, with AAA, AARP, group, and military discounts. It's less than a mile from The Ark Encounter. The rooms have refrigerators and microwaves, as well as televisions with cable programming. The rooms are larger than most hotels, with separate sitting areas. There are many restaurants and bars in the area where you can stop in for a meal and a drink. The hotel has a 24-hour front desk, where you can find advice for a nice place to go. The hotel can also help you with ATM and banking services. If you are traveling in an RV, bus, or truck, the hotel has appropriate parking for you on site. Outside, the hotel has a picnic area you can use. Breakfast is available every day for an additional fee.
Dry Ridge has many mid-range hotels that offer plenty of value for your money. For a great value option close to the Kentucky Speedway, you can stay at Ramada Sparta, a pet-friendly hotel for up to two small pets (breed restrictions apply). The rooms at Ramada Sparta have free Internet access as well as cable TV. If you're traveling with infants or small children, you can request a crib or an infant bed for an additional fee.
The Ramada Sparta also has an indoor pool and spa, as well as a fitness center, so you can have fun and work on your fitness. There are nearby restaurants and bars for any meal of the day, providing plenty of options to explore local cuisine. Business travelers can take advantage of the on-site meeting room at the hotel.
The Holiday Inn in Florence offers another great value option. There are a variety of room types to choose from, including configurations with one or two beds. The facility has an indoor pool and 24-hour fitness center to help you stay in shape. The rooms at Holiday Inn have refrigerators and flat-screen TVs. Wi-Fi access is free across the entire facility. The hotel also has its own restaurant and bar. If you're putting together an event, you can use the round-trip airport shuttle to bring people to the hotel and book the hotel's 1,800-square-foot event space for your event.
No matter where you plan to stay in Dry Ridge, you're sure to enjoy a nice room near many of the city's best attractions. If you want to visit one of the most well-known area attractions, consider going to the Ark Encounter, where you can walk through a huge replica of Noah's Ark, which has three decks of exhibits, and visit the site's sister attraction, the Creation Museum.
If you like to spend time outside, check out the Big Bone Lick State Historic Site, a state park that celebrates the fossil finds from the Pleistocene era. You can explore an on-site museum about paleontology and the local ice age before hiking some of the park's trails. In particular, the Discovery Trail is a fun way to explore what happened during the most recent Ice Age. If exploring history isn't what you want to do, you can always go fishing in the lake for bass, catfish, and bluegill. There's even a miniature golf course that's open seasonally.
Visiting all of the attractions in Dry Ridge may not be possible during a short trip. You may need to make more trips to experience everything. No matter where you stay, you'll have easy access to fun activities, delicious restaurants, and local shopping.
Below are reviews of the city of Dry Ridge, KY from an actual visitor's perspective.
Very nice!
Pleasant City
Walmart, gas stations, restaurants
Good variety of restaurants. Easy access to Creation Museum and The Ark Encounter.
Nice town.
City had a lot of options for food.
Good!
Very good! Cracker Barrel was excellent!
Even though the Ark Encounter was closed we managed to see the beautiful scenery and rustic barns.
The Ark Encounter!
Many fast food places to choose from.
It's a good one night stop when driving from Michigan to Georgia.
LaRosa's Family Pizza Rialto was fantastic! Our waitress, Hannah K., was the best!
Convenient to The Ark and Creation Museum.
Quaint town with everything a traveler might need.
Good location to visit the Ark Encounter.
The room was nice and the help was outstanding.
Staff was responsive to our issues.
The Ark Encounter
Close to the Ark Encounter!
Love the Ark Encounter.
Great place to stay.
The restaurants and gas stations close by and of course, The Ark Encounter.
We liked the closeness to The Ark Encounter!
Found most people pleasant and helpful at all locations and businesses used.
Restaurants are close to hotel. Friendly people.
Fast food restaurants are close by.
Linda serving breakfast was so friendly to us every morning!
Enjoyed a meal at the Friendly restaurant. It reminded me of the old Stoney restaurant. Food good and reasonably price. Also enjoyed the Creation and Ark Encounter.
Very good food everywhere we went. Pizza and Mexican.
The room was neat and clean, the staff are very friendly and courteous, the bed is very comfortable, and breakfast was delicious. The Ark Encounter is awesome. Everyone should see it.
Friendly staff, very clean, food was great, service was wonderful. The Ark Encounter was better than expected. Really cool experience, kids, adults, and seniors will love it.
Clean room, Friendly staff clean and accommodating. Our truck broke down and thankfully piles Chevrolet was there and able to get us back on the road.
Very clean and comfortable. Easy on and off interstate to the hotel. There is a Walmart and several eateries nearby.
Easy in and out lots of places to eat .
Lots of restaurants.
Very friendly and helpful staff!
Came to see the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum.
Restaurants, good signage.
We came to go to the Ark Encounter and the Museum. We are so glad we came.
We really enjoyed Kellie's Homestead and the Cracker Barrel. The Ark Encounter was amazing. Everywhere we went people were so nice.
A quaint little town. Cracker Barrel and the Harvest cafe were great. The people are very friendly!