On our 2019 Zoocation, we squeezed in a Sunday night visit to this drive-thru wildlife park in northern Ohio. We only gave ourselves about 2 hours to be there, and I wish we would have had more. We did two drives through the driving portion. There is also a walk-through portion with feeding opportunities. We didn’t experience the walk-through but I would recommend saving time for it if you visit.
Highlights:
- Bison/Elk – Of all the animals, we liked the bison and elk the most. It is exciting to have large animals stick their heads into your car! Sure, the presence of these creatures can be intimidating for younger kids, but our family enjoyed it.
- Giraffes – We have fed giraffes at many zoos, but this was a unique experience. Having the giraffes lean down into the car with their long tongues was pretty cool.
- Seeing the animals have space – At times seeing tons of animals flocking together is a bit frightening. However, seeing the animals have free reign over where they go was very refreshing.
- Walking portion – As mentioned above we didn’t have time to do the walk-through part, we only walked it quickly to see what was their. Of the many animals they have, the porcupine feeding looked most interesting to me.
Lows:
- Gate system for drive through – Both times we drove through, the exit gate malfunctioned. My wife says it was user error – but I disagree. It was a frustrating part of the experience.
- Cost – I get it, this is a small, private zoo. But the cost was a bit high. Luckily we were able to get 1/2 off thanks to our AZA membership, but we still paid $75 for five people and food for the animals.
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