For Father’s Day, I planned a surprise weekend road trip for Hubby and the kiddo. I had been exploring weekend road trips and family-friendly activities for a while, and was excited to find The Wilds, a 10,000 acre wildlife conservation center located in Cumberland, Ohio.
In partnership with the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, The Wilds is one of the largest conservation centers in the world. It is built on reclaimed strip mining land that was donated to a group of political and civic leaders who wanted a place to study and find solutions to environmental issues. The Wilds is home to over 25 animal species, including some that are critically endangered or considered extinct in the wild. In fact, the staff of The Wilds have been involved in reintroducing species like the Pere David’s Deer back into the wild!
Hubby, the kiddo, and I arrived at The Wilds on Saturday afternoon after a 2.5 hour drive from the Cincinnati suburbs. I scheduled our tour so that the kiddo could nap in the car while we drove, and Hubby had no idea where we were going, so I told him he could nap in the car too while I drove us to our surprise location. When he woke up, we had exited off the interstate and were in the middle of nowhere and he was so confused!
Tip: The Wilds provides excellent directions on their website – use them! GPS can be spotty.
When we arrived at The Wilds, we paid for parking ($6) and the gate attendant asked if we had made reservations. The wait time for those who did not have reservations was three hours! After parking, a bus took us up to the main area where we checked in for the tour. While we waited for our tour, the kiddo played on the obstacle course made of logs and played in the Discovery Field Station. There’s also a snack bar and restrooms, and the first part of the zip lining courses.
Tip: Make tour reservations in advance!
When our tour time arrived, we waited at the designated tour stop for our bus to arrive. We took an Open Air Safari Tour, which is the least expensive and most popular tour option.
The tour runs two hours or more and includes two stops to see additional animals. Both stops have restrooms and snacks, but the second stop has indoor plumbing and more snack options. Our bus took a designated route along a path, and along the way we saw lots of animals. While we were driving, the tour guide told us about The Wilds, the work they did, and all of the visitor options available. Of course, we also learned about the animals!
Tip: Sit on the right side of the bus for the closest views of most the animals
We stopped to see every animal, and our tour guide made sure that we had ample time to take pictures. He also shared tons of information about the animals; their risks in the wild; and the care, conservation efforts, and research done for the welfare of the animals. We saw two kinds of rhinos, cheetahs, camels, takins, zebras, giraffes, and so much more! Sometimes the animals kept their distance, but sometimes they came right to the bus! The guides were adamant that we not touch the animals, and sometimes warned us to move away from the sides if the animals got too close – these are wild animals!
Tip: Sit towards the front of the bus for a smoother ride
The Wilds offers more than the safari excursions. They have a butterfly exhibit and fantastic birding, as well as zip lining and horseback riding tours available, and a lot of different tour options that include dinner or drinks or more access to the animals. One is the Wildside Tour, which is similar to the open air safari, but in a smaller (but bumpier) truck. The trucks can go off the designated paths and get closer to the animals, but they also get to feed romaine lettuce to the giraffes and go behind the scenes to see other parts of the animal care and conservation efforts. Kids have to be at least four years old, so we need to wait another year before we can take this tour – but we will!
In addition to all the tour options, The Wilds offers sleeping accommodations for couples and large groups. For couples, there are yurts, and one even has 24-hour concierge service. For large families or groups of friends, the lodge and the cabins are options for spending the night at The Wilds. The sleeping accommodations exist because The Wilds received funds for a program to help veterans cope with PTSD, and built the lodge and cabins for that program. Our guide had a son who served in Iraq, and he was more proud of their program for veterans than all of the work they do for conservation.
The Wilds Mission is “To lead and inspire by connecting people and wildlife.” During our visit, I witnessed how they embody this mission and they impressed me with their knowledge and passion for conservation and protection of wildlife. Make a visit to The Wilds to learn more about the work being done to protect wildlife, how we can protect our environment for our kids.
Cabins at Straker Lake. The last zip lining tower crosses the deepest point of the lake.
