My family and I had the pleasure of visiting The Wilds today. It was the best experience. We had so much fun together in the fresh air surrounded by the beautiful green Ohio hills and seeing all of the wild animals. Our tour guide, Colton, was so great! He was very intelligent and knowledgeable about all the wildlife and environment. He knew the neatest things about the plant life, birds and animals. Plus he was very funny. I think he really made our day even better. Big thanks to him and all the kind people working at the wilds today. I hope to go horseback riding there soon. read more

The Wilds - Donkeys - Parks Near Me - Cumberland, Ohio

Oh my this place is amazing our guide Paige was so funny just loved her. She made sure to point out all baby animals had cute stories I want to come back and do the tour were you get to feed the animals I enjoyed all the facts that were shared too this place is so worth the visit and getting to use my zoo membership for a discount was amazing read more

The Wilds - Parks Near Me - Cumberland, Ohio

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On a road trip from New Jersey to Michigan for my sister's wedding, I decided to make our first stop The Wilds in Cumberland, Ohio. I am a huge rhinoceros fan, and the promise to feed a rhino from my hand prompted me to pay the $125/pp for their Wildside tour. It was a dreary, cold day towards the end of September. The sky was threatening to open up at any moment. Still, we climbed into the back of the pickup truck (with a covering so if it did rain we would be somewhat protected) and headed off on our adventure. There were 6 of us, and that was pretty tight. I can't imagine having 8 people. As we went through our first remote operated gate, a fellow traveler mentioned the resemblance to Jurassic Park. So true. It's awesome. We saw a few animals before the rain started. It wasn't ever heavy rain (at least not until we headed back at the end), but enough to make us all damp. And apparently it was enough to make the rhinos not want to play. Disappointingly, the rhinos were snoozing in the field when we approached. And, rather than visit the group of 4 who weren't snoozing, we went on to the giraffe exhibit. I wasn't able to feed a rhino. The tour is amazing and they really do off road you right up to the animals. I pet a lot of animals (some who I shouldn't have pet and was warned not to) I would never have the opportunity to pet in real life. But the whole reason I went was to pet a rhino. So I did leave slightly disappointed. (and with over $100 in rhino merchandise) read more

We went on a tour on the open air bus and it was awesome. Definitely recommend this over the closed-in bus so you can see the animals better and get some up close pictures. Some of the animals were a little far away that day and we didn't get a good look at them, but that's to be expected. Overall a great experience and great learning experience as well. Our tour guide Lee was awesome.. fun and very knowledgable! The Wilds does a lot for the preservation of these animals so stop on over and give them your support! read more

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This past weekend my family of 14 total people stayed a weekend at the Lodge in The Wilds. During this stay we also took part in the Wildside Safari Tour and a few of us did the Zipline Tour, the longer version. To make this weekend extra special, I was planning to propose to my girlfriend on part of the Wildside Safari tour. The proposal was a late decision but the staff worked things out perfectly. The weekend started out great, though an exhausting six hour drive wasn't ideal. We arrived shortly after 3 PM at the main entrance to the Safari. One of the Wild employees, Brock, escorted us by our vehicles to the Lodge. It's about a 4 to 5 mile drive from the Safari entrance and is very secluded. You should not have any problem running into other people. The accommodations at the Lodge are very good. The staff keep it stocked well with sheets, towels, plates and other dish ware, as well as other essentials. Brock was very helpful explaining the rules and much more information regarding our stay. The Lodge brings camping to modern days with satellite TV, dishwasher, fridge, stove, as well as wi-fi! This is not roughing it for those worried. All we had to bring along was food. The next morning we set off on our Wildside Tour which we were told would be roughly 2-3 hours. Chris and another guide (whose name I sadly forget) picked us up in the pickup trucks where we sat in the back. From the get-go the staff was super friendly and packed with information. They kept the whole tour very lively. To make this story short, we went off road through the Safari, which the buses are not able to do, and were able to get up close to all the animals in the Safari. This included Rhinoceroses (both African and Indian), various deer and antelope species, Sichuan Takin (Beauty and the Beast inspired by these animals), Zebras, Ostrich, Camels, and other animals all in natural habitat, not cages in a zoo. We were so close we could touch these animals which is a once in a lifetime experience. As a favor to our group, we were able to get into the Giraffe pen up close where I proposed to my girlfriend as she loves Giraffes. Staff was very accommodating with me and even gave us a personalized painted Ostrich egg as an engagement gift. I couldn't have been happier with the experience. She said yes of course! After the Safari we went back to the Lodge which has its own private lake with boats for fishing and a trampoline on the water for fun. Later that day we had an evening Safari scheduled and got to see the Carnivores the Wilds has. We saw Painted Dogs, Cheetahs, and a Dhole (fox-type animal). We were even allowed to feed them an after-dinner snack! Next up we went to the veterinary center, guided by Dr. Jan Ramer, who is recently back from Rwanda working with Gorillas. We were able to see where they perform procedures for the sick and injured and even saw a gazelle that was recovering from a fractured skull. Very neat! Our final morning wasn't so much fun but only because we had to leave! As a last event 7 of our 14 booked the Zipline tour which lasts 2.5 hours or so. Props to Nick and Jessica who are both amazing guides and very charismatic and caring people. Nick especially had us rolling with laughter throughout the tour. If you are hesitant to book the longer Zipline tour, do not hesitate. The shorter tour goes very fast and the best views are on the longer one. Both Nick and Jessica are very professional and make the trip memorable. Overall I would rate The Wilds even higher than the "Excellent" rating if possible. The staff are friendlier than I would have believed coming in and the Lodge especially is a great getaway. The only downside to the weekend was the plumbing issues. At different times of the day, half of the toilets just would not flush, even if nothing but water was in them. Wilds staff, please work on this as I plan to come back some day! Thanks to all the staff who made this an unforgettable weekend for my family, and especially for my fiancee and I. read more

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Such a cool experience!! I took my family from KC on an open air tour to explore the reserve. Many of the animals get up close and personal with the safari bus. The only thing to be aware of is that the ride is quite bumpy if you have back issues. Our tour guide, Sharon was very engaging. We loved seeing the baby giraffes, rhinos and oryx. Seeing the grounds is reason enough to visit The Wilds! read more

My husband and I visited the preserve, this past weekend. We also stayed overnight, in one of the yurts available, called the Nomads. There are different sizes and types of yurts; we chose the "Grand" yurt, as it had plumbing/electricity/AC. I am not even trying to glamp, ok? When I confirmed the reservation, I spoke with a customer service representative, who was very knowledgeable. She told us to get to the preserve in plenty of time to get the shuttle. Btw, parking is now $6.00. IMO, this should be included with a stay in the yurt. Since it's the same price as a downtown hotel, I think they could throw in parking, especially b/c we parked our car, at the yurt overnight, not the parking lot. We got to the preserve in plenty of time. The drive was great. We pulled in to the designated parking area and b/c no one asked if we were overnight guests, we grabbed all our stuff for our stay. We hopped on the shuttle bus and took the ride up to the Admissions bldg. All was well. They had my reservation, etc, however there was no place to leave our stuff. So, we had to take the shuttle back to the parking lot, load the stuff back in the car, take the shuttle back up to the admissions area, to wait for the open-air tour bus. Our 'package' included the open-air safari. The safari was great. Our tour guide was Paige. She was very knowledgeable and while I couldn't hear most of what she was saying (mostly because there were crying kids on the bus) I appreciated her effort. She really did not stop talking though, like, the whole time. ****I would have tipped her but I had read that it was not expected. I read something different, however, in our room booklet. So if you want to tip the tour guides, I'm sure it's not discouraged.***** It was a hot day, so most of the animals were under shade, can't blame them, but we saw plenty. We had binoculars as well. Once the tour was over, we had to take the damn shuttle back down to our car, drive our car up to the yurt and check in. This is where our car stayed so, a suggestion would be to arrange for guests in the yurts not to have to even park in the main lot and to be picked up by the shuttle, on the way to the safari. The yurt was lovely. It was big, it was air-conditioned and decorated nicely, with a king bed. They provide concierge service, which was nice but I was only told that alcoholic beverages were at cost. I was surprised when we checked-out and I'd gotten charged for Life Water. Dinner and breakfast were included. This is where the most improvement is needed; the restaurant. The restaurant was blocked-off by a privacy curtain for guests of the hotel/yurt. Also, a famous Las Vegas entertainer and his family were visiting, so I'm guessing the curtain was to protect him from all the Eastern Ohio paparazzi. The restaurant had a pre-fixe menu, and the food was good, but there was no music, you could hear everyone's conversations. There were flies buzzing around. Ok, I get it, I'm in a nature preserve but the cost led me to believe we could expect more. Our server was nice enough; she seemed in a hurry and by the time we got there, for dinner, there was exactly 1 table, available at which to sit. ALL the other tables, that didn't have the famous person or other folks, needed bussed. I am a former server and it makes me nuts to see un-bussed tables. Lastly, and this is petty, our server served us our drinks by grabbing the rim of the glass/cup. That can be done differently. I expected more from the restaurant, especially since this famous person and his family were there, but the staff was young and I have no idea if there was a restaurant manager, but they could really make something out of that restaurant, if they put in a little more effort. All-in-all, our visit was really great. We sat on our private deck, and watched the animals and listened to their weird mating calls and had a great time. I don't think I'll need to go back, anytime soon, unless they get more big cats or something, but they indicated the preserve is for procreation and study, so unless certain breeds become extinct, I don't see them adding to the menagerie. read more

This post is based on the customer service received. I called the morning of as you can't book same day tickets. Completely understand this the only issues is I drove 2 hours with my children only to find there was a 4 hour wait. This type of information would be available to The Wilds as they know their reservations and times. This completely poor customer service. I have two very disappointed children all due to the fact this information was not provided to me when I called in the morning of. Won't be making the trip back. As a Columbus Zoo member Id expect better communication. read more

The open air safari is lots of fun and highly recommend the tour. We did zip lining today and it was a lot of fun. 10 zips over several animals and lakes. It is expensive for an adult, like $84.00 a person. While the views and experience are breathtaking, the cost can be a little hard to swallow. If you get over the cost, it is definitely worth the visit. read more

This place is everything you hope it to be. Arriving, you get an immediate idea of the vastness of the property. We went on the zipline safari as a date - it couldn't have been a better adventure to share together! Our guides, Jake and Sadie, were amazing. They were super knowledgeable about all of the animals and the facility. We couldn't have asked for more (except maybe a little more participation from the animals, but that's no one's fault!). We'll be back soon! read more

Had a "3 hour tour" plus lunch here today with an old car touring club. There were about 75 of us and we did the buses for which I was grateful because the weather was terrible. Rainy, muggy, wet. That said, it was really a surprise in terms of the variety of animals. I saw giraffe, antelope, Bison, cheetah, camels and wild horses. The tour guides were informative, and we ended with a buffet lunch of sandwiches, fruit, pasta and cookies. The food was just okay, the fresh fruit being my favorite. I would totally recommend this for families with children. read more

Ha ha! Had a blast here! Learning about life, being outdoors, and spending time with family is my looooong middle name....... anyway it was great tons of camels rams and birds with deer in sight. Learned a lot and it was cool to get upclose to animals . Also got to feed giraffes and rhinos!!! They had a baby ! So cute to see . Love it is a little stinky when in barns but hey ! It's a barn for goodness sake! Lol definitely will return read more

The Wilds is a great experience! My husband and I did the open air safari tour and stayed the night in a yurt. Rosie was our guide for the safari tour. She was very knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. Remember to take some cash to tip (we made the mistake of not doing this!). We were able to see lots of wildlife including a rhino and ostrich which ventured up close to the safari bus. The tour was over 2.5 hours and I wouldn't recommend it for young children (under 3 or 4). After the tour we took shuttle to parking lot and drove to the yurt parking area and checked in. The yurt was comfortable (also had hair dryer and shampoo and body wash) and had a great view. We were able to see wildlife in the evening and again in the morning. Dinner was good with soft drinks/coffee included. Alcohol beverages were extra. The quaint dining area is enclosed and staff was friendly (by this time we remembered some cash for tipping). Also, breakfast the following morning was good and very filling! I highly recommended the wilds experience! read more

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On the Open Air Safari, we had a wonderful time. Our tour guide, Madison, told us all of the fun facts about the animals. It was a great experience. read more

We stayed in the most expensive yurt and we were blown away by the amount of space it had. We loved sitting on the porch and watching the animals across the river. We also took a private tour and fed animals up close. I loved feeding the rhinos. The entire experience was amazing. You will feel as if you are far away from Ohio. Must see experience for everyone. If money is an issue just do the basic tour and you will still have a great experience. Absolutely beautiful and stunning! Animal lovers will enjoy seeing the animals in an open space without bars. read more

We had the horseback sunset ride Friday. I want to say it was nice, BUT not worth it. We had a cool overcast afternoon which was nice. Here's why I'd NEVER go back. It was supposed to be 3 hours 2 I'm guessing to ride an hour to eat. We were supposed to eat 1st. Didn't! We ride horses an hour, the guides annoyingly talked about the conservation of the land & crap that grows. You see something that looks like deer in which you probably can see a humans face in an airplane 5,000 ft in the sky better. Never seen anything else. You come back and wait for your "warmed" food to eat with the sunset safari tour. Which took about an hour for them to get back. The sunset still wasn't setting by the time we left & it was September 8 so don't even think it's romantic. If you really wanna ride the horse take the $30 tour& move on. Everything else is trying to sell there lodge huts & mediocre meal. read more

This place is neat at least and awesome at the most. We had made a reservation for a premium yurt. This included the open air safari tour, dinner and breakfast. We had gotten a gift card from my wife's aunt and uncle, grandma and grandpa for $250.00 a couple of years ago and they are only good for 2 years so we were in the last year to use it. The total was $423.57, with my wife and I putting up the rest of the $173.57 The drive to get there involved MANY winding roads with drops,mostly on State Route 284. When we showed up, we pulled in to the lot and told the friendly parking staff that we had a reservation and we were directed to Nomad Ridge, where the Yurts are located. We then walked to admissions to take our 12:30pm safari tour. A staff member shouted if anyone had reservations and we stated we did. We were pulled out of line and essentially to the front. The safari tour lasts about 2.5 hours with a couple of stops along the way. I highly recommend leaving babies and small children at home. Nothing is more annoying then a 2.5 hour tour with screaming kids. Luckily, this wasnt a big deal for us but a few kids on the tour were passed out asleep. You cant get in to a yurt if you are under 21 years old. This wasnt a problem for us. After the tour, we checked in to our yurt. Keep in mind, the concierge yurt where you check in is not staffed until about 2:30pm and remains staffed throughout the night until the next morning. We got one that was built in September or October 2013 and it looks great. It was also the last one on the strip so it was kind of by itself and not so close to the rest. A few things to note about the yurts: 1) There are no TV's. So if you want something to do when you retire to the yurt, bring a portable DVD player or laptop to play DVD's along. 2) WiFi is spotty to non-existent, even throughout the property in the yurts and they recommend you go to the concierge yurt if you want WiFi. Our iPhones could not get good signal strength neither could our laptops. There really is not enough room in the concierge yurt to set up a laptop. 3) There are no phones (landlines) so if you need something you need to drive or walk to the concierge yurt. This also means no wake-up calls. 4) The alarm clock could have been a little better. We had an RCA (model RCD30-A) and it took a bit of figuring out to set the alarm. A clock radio perhaps would have been better but no biggie. 5) We had a Keurig (model B31) in the yurt but you had to bring the K-Cups from the concierge yurt, but they are complimentary and you can select from several flavors so that's good. The Keurig does take several minutes to warm up and brew. You also have a small refrigerator. 6) Our yurt had a fire extinguisher, smoke detector and a cheap flashlight. 7) The curtains were dark but still kinda see-through. For privacy, you have to go outside and un-Velcro the window cover and then zip it up. If your yurt is on a hill, this can be tough. It would be nicer if you could do this on the inside instead. The window by the shower and bathroom has no exterior cover so the curtain is all you get. The one window you can't zip up at all because the air conditioner has to vent. Not sure why they couldn't figure out an alternative to vent that. With that, if you are making noise, it can be heard aside from the fact the building is made of canvass. 8) The yurt, as I said, has air conditioning. It also had a ceiling fan and a box fan. We had the air conditioning set to its lowest, 62*F and both fans at their highest setting and the yurt still didn't feel cool. 9) The 2 chairs in the yurt are comfy. They are leather so they were cold due to the air conditioning being next to them. Our king size bed was also comfy! With dinner and breakfast, your menu has 3 options For dinner I had the chicken breast smothered in a cream sauce with sauteed vegetables served over rice. The chicken was a little tough but overall not bad. For breakfast I had the homemade pancakes with blueberry topping, sausage and white bread toast. My pancakes were a little burned but it was ok. The servers could stand to be a little more friendlier. We had a wonderful and memorable time and would go back in the future! Highly recommended to see at least once in your life! read more

We went this January and it was amazing. Not only seeing and interacting with the animals, but the knowledge of the guide was excellent. This is 100% worth it and we will be going back for the summer. read more

The Wilds is an awesome adventure! Simply take an easy day trip from Cincinnati and you're in another world that offers remarkable sights, delicious tastes, lots of fun, and a surprising bit of romance. You can take one of the many "safaris" offered by the Wilds or even take several of them. They now offer a Zipline safari and a horseback safari in addition to several different tour bus safaris. All of them provide amazing and upclose experiences with wild, exotic animals roaming freely on vast rollings hills that make you believe you're in mother Africa. For overnight stays the have a lodge but the best experience is to stay in a "Yurt' on "Nomad Ridge." Yurts are so awesome. Its like camping but in total luxury. Its being immersed in a natural habitat but also completely comfortable and civilized. And romantic too. Staying in a yurt doesn't come cheap but the experience is totally worth the cost, and the money goes to a great cause, the Wilds itself and preservation of the habitat and all the cool animals. read more

This is a fantastic animal preserve built on reclaimed strip-mine land. Endangered African and Asian species. Interesting tours and facilities. A "must do" if you're passing through this part of Ohio. read more

This was a highlight of our vacation. Simply driving out to the location got us excited for what we were about to see. The land is massive and very remote. We took an open air safari. I would definitely recommend this over the enclosed tour. The shuttle you take to and from the parking lot is enclosed and you can just imagine how much less fun a tour like would be. It was incredible seeing all the animals in all the open space and sometimes right next to you by the bus. One feels much better about their living conditions in the Wilds compared to those at the zoo. We felt like we learned a lot about the animals and the research the Wilds does. The tour stops at each new animal you come across and the guide explains a bit about the animals. There is plenty of opportunity to take photos. Our guide Erica was great and very funny. She had a dry and self deprecating kind of humor that made an already great experience more fun. read more

The Wilds was an amazing way to spend a Sunday afternoon. The Sunday Dispatch this morning had a $10 discount which was a nice bonus since we were heading that way today. The drive from Columbus is about an 1.25 hours and out in the middle of nowhere, but well worth the adventure. When we got there, we were taken in an open air bus through the park. The driver was full of useful information about the park animals and was great at spotting the animals for us to see. We saw a bunch of different animals up close including giraffes, rhinos, cheetas, wild dogs, zebras, etc. If you are looking for a great day out not too far from Columbus, this is a perfect choice. read more

We planned our visit to the Wilds the night before, so it could have been better but now we know for next time. We loved it! We did the open air safari and had a great time seeing all of the animals. The guide was funny and informative. He always made sure we were able to get the pictures we wanted. The Wildside tour (the trucks) seemed to get much closer to the animals so it is probably worth the money if you can spend it. We did the overlook zipline and enjoyed it. Our guides were great! Again, we wished we had spent more money and did the longer zipline tour but we had time constraints. Keep in mind that those pictures you see while waiting are ONLY for the long tour so we didn't get any action shots. I was nervous about getting there, but we didn't have a problem. They tell you to take 146 all the way around which was nice because there were signs, but it definitely added a good bit of time to the drive. I would recommend taking 340 to 216 (International Rd). Highly recommend! read more

This place blew our collective minds. We showed up after hours on a Sunday and the park was still open and running tours at about 5:30pm. We found two employees on their lunch break who were so nice and took the time to explain how the park was originally a strip mine that was converted to a nature reserve. The view was incredible from the cafe and they pointed out a giraffe and some antelope. We wished we'd stuck around for the zip line tours, they looked amazing! read more

We got here by the skin of our teeth to make the first tour of the day in the open air vehicle. Thankfully, it was all adults so we could enjoy the tour without the possibility of distractions from children. We got to see almost every single animal they have on their brochure and the ones we didn't see were just variations of ones we already saw so it wasn't a big deal. I don't know how anyone does the enclosed one because it seems like it would take away from the experience. Part of the fun is making sure not to get splashed by the peeing camel 6" from your arm or it's friend not spitting a nice wad of cud on you if they feel threatened or wondering if someone is going to peeve off the rhino and you're part of the first group to ever get charged at. Pay the extra $10 and go for open air. The animals were beautiful and the land is picturesque. They do some truly wonderful work there. The cons: Our guide, C was the weak link for this tour. He was a young, snarky cuss who seemed seriously indifferent and bored as he regurgitated facts the first 15 minutes of the tour. Note to others since he didn't bother to mention, if you're sitting on the "window" seat, make sure your elbows are in as you go through gates as there is barely enough room for the vehicle to go through and appendages will suffer if you're not paying attention. Might want to add that after the "don't touch the animals" chant. As the day went on, he moved from being indifferent to telling lame jokes and puns and didn't know when to let it end. (Much like most of SNL's skits the past 6 years) If he said "talking 'bout Takin" one more time, I was going to twitch. 23x is enough. Then he became more interested in showing off for his co-workers on other tours by giving them catchy phrases or taking his hands off the wheel, at which point our vehicle lurched to the right...toward the pond. He said everything was fine but tell that to the gasping crowd of 17. Don't get me wrong, he knew his facts and I learned a lot but the presentation left a lot to be desired with this guy. Bring your own food if you've got a family because they are EXPENSIVE at the food pit stops. $3.25 for a meager bottle of water when each of you could have a bottle for that cost if you bring in your own. You can't drink ON the bus but you can drink at the two pit stops they make at the parakeet enclosure (porta pots at this stop) and the mid size carnivore area (running toilets) that has basically a full service restaurant. This would be the place to break out your fiber bars or something relatively quick. This is also the place where C told us there were ticks all over him and picked two off of his legs. So, stay on the trails and/or wear long pants because they don't tell you about ticks on the tour. I know they say all of their "rounding up" of your totals goes toward conservation but might I suggest it goes into the vehicle maintenance as well? The seat in front of us was duct taped together, another seat front had been ripped open and the stuffing was falling out and when the shuttle bus came to pick us up, I looked at my husband and said "remember the beginning of Nightmare on Elm St Part 2?" It was a rickety old bus and every bump was almost sure to knock off the fan up front that was barely hanging on. For $30 pp, it would be nice to sit on decent seats and not have stuffing bouncing out of an open tear. Despite those things, I'd recommend it at least once. Go early in the day if you're going in the summer so you can avoid the heat and humidity since you're exposed to the open air the whole time. Bring sunscreen and enjoy nature's beauty! read more

Love it! My husband and I went up for our anniversary and took the open air tour very last trip (which the guide told us is when the animals are most active!). We got to see at least one of every animal they had and interacted a little with the Tonkin and giraffes. It's a little expensive, but the only thing of its type that I know of, so worthwhile. read more

This review is specifically for the horseback safari. My mate and I went on a Saturday and the other people signed up for the ride did not show so it was pretty much a private tour, just us two and one guide. The horses were great, lively enough that we actually had to steer them and guide them but not so lively we had a hard time of it. The trail was gorgeous, obviously we would love to ride closer to the animals but that would not be safe for the horses or safari animals. They take you alone the ridge overlooking the park and the view is spectacular! We could see the camels and bison and even one of those weird bear/pig/yak thinks. A Takin, I think they are called. Then you cross the road and ride through their prairie restoration area. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna and we learned alot. This tour would be great for birdwatchers! We only wish it could have been longer, it was so peaceful and enjoyable just ambling along the prairie on a horse! This was our first visit to the wilds and we liked it enough to plan to spend the money on a yurt in the future and make a weekend of it. Oh, only con, those soft pretzels in the cafe were terrible! Cmon, soft pretzels really only need to be two things to not suck, warm and soft. Get it together Overlook Cafe! read more

The Wilds - Parks Near Me - Cumberland, Ohio

On Sept. 20, 2017 , my wife and I visited "The Wilds". for an open bus tour. The bus drivers name was Paula S. She did a FANTASTIC job of conducting and narrating the tour. She was very pleasant and very knowledgeable regarding the site and the animals. We enjoyed the visit immensely. Sincerely , Mr. & Mrs. John Woods. read more

Very lovely place to see lots of animals, many close to extinction. Open air safari which was lots of fun & had much information about the occupants of the park. We really enjoyed the wild horses & camels. The fresh air and the beautiful grounds. Really enjoyable for all ages & accessibility for the handicapped. Great job Jack Hanna! read more

My family went toThe Wilds this past Saturday and went on the zip line tour. One word, AMAZING! Danimal Dan and Amalinda were our guides on the two and a half hour tour. I can't wait to go back...but only of Danimal is our guide again!! read more

My husband, 2yr old, and I went on a open air tour bus in September. Definitely bring your binoculars so you won't be disappointed when the animals don't come near! Was a nice ride very scenic, just wished they had more animals :) Wear comfortable shoes. You can order (expensive) food, or eat a picnic lunch at the second stop on the tour. read more

The Wilds - Parks Near Me - Cumberland, Ohio

Had an amazing visit at The Wilds yesterday! The only disappointing part was some of the animals you couldn't see too well, but that's what you get when you go see them in their natural habitat instead of a zoo! Our tour guide, Lee was absolutely outstanding! He made the tour very interesting and fun! It's amazing how much this organization does for the environment. Wi definitely be back to go zip lining!! read more

My husband and I took the Sunset Safari Tour this past Saturday night. WOW what a great experience we had! We are already talking about going again! The staff was super friendly. We were greeted as we walked in the door, where we checked in for the tour. We arrived around 4 and were able to tour the gift shop. Around 4:30 the staff brought up three different types of animals that we were allowed to pet. (Snake.. ugh I stayed away from that, Armadillo, and a tortoise. At 5 o'clock the amazing food came out. Wow was I ever impressed. We had pork loin, chicken and rice, vegetable, potatoes, cheesecake, watermelon. I think that is all. Nonetheless we were stuffed. At around 5:45 we loaded on the two open-aired buses and around 6 we left for the tour. The Animal Management crew went out ahead of us and put food down for the animals to ensure that they would be next to the road when we drove by and sure enough they were. The staff was so knowledgeable and our bus driver, Connie did an awesome job and telling us jokes, pointing out the different animals, and all of the facts about the animals. We came home and were quizzing our family members on the different animals. I highly suggest taking the Sunset Safari tour. It is well worth it and like I said before we are already planning our next trip! :) One thing along with other reviewers I would not suggest taking children on the safari tours as they are around 2 1/2 hours each.. which is a super long time if you have a crabby baby or child. I love doing things with children and think they should be included, but this was one of those trips that I think it is a good trip for just mom and dad to get away and enjoy being a kid again! read more

The average rating is for the price of an overnight stay in a yurt. The rest of The Wilds experience was great. The concierge lead us to a yurt and gave us a 10 minute run down. There was no other information. No map, no details on what was included in our package deal other than saying we get dinner & breakfast, and have one tour. Where do we catch the tour? How long is the tour? What are our choices for dinner? Do you offer vegetarian meals? Are there walking trails? Could you offer a complimentary happy hour (one drink/adult)? Be patient as you will need to ask more than 1 staff person about the details of your meals, tours, etc... For the $300+, the concierge should have offered more service, i.e. more details on our package. Yes, the conservation efforts of The Wilds, and the animals are fantastic. The zipline & tour guides we had were friendly & funny. read more

Hard to see the animals as they were mostly far away or non-existent. Everyday will be different so you can't really judge accurately but it was a little disappointing. We did get close to the vibrant-colored birds which was fun. Then a curious ostrich came by to check us out and poked his head in the jeep very playfully and gave a few kids a bit of a scare. The African-painted dogs were pretty cool as were seeing zebras up close but we had to stand at an odd angle to spot the cheetahs in between the trees. Of course the prices for food are high so bring your own snacks and the zip lining tour is expensive. I loved the ride up there - you really felt like you were driving through the wilderness. I am glad I went but wished it was a little more interesting. There was a lot of ground we covered in the open-air jeep and mostly saw a lot of ground. read more

We visited the Wilds in September 2011, taking my family and the grandparents on a 2 hr 'open air safari', which included a personal meet & greet with some animal experts who gave us a private showing of 4 or 5 different small animals. It was about $30 per person, and everyone of us enjoyed it. As everyone else attests, it's not far from C-bus at all. And it's a little country roads drive off interstate 70. GPS had no problems finding it . We're already planning go back next year, when our son turns 10 -- so he can zipline. Affordable, educational, and was just as fun as the safari at Animal Kindgom in Disney World. Actually it's even better, because it's much closer to home. read more

My family booked a truck safari in April, when it is typically slow. We were met by Chris, one of the animal handlers, for what turned out to be a private guided tour since there were no other visitors that day. Instead of the back of a pick-up truck, we road around in his SUV, which was warm and comfortable, and allowed us to hear the wealth of information he provided about the animals, the history of The Wilds. He also was happy to answer the many questions we had about the work they do at the property. He is a fantastic, and friendly guide who is very closely involved with the primary work in which The Wilds engages (it's not just about tourism and showing animals in captivity). At this time of year, some of the animals were not yet roaming freely in the vastness of the park (they were still in there winter housing). However, there were still plenty of wildlife, almost all of which I had never seen before or heard of, much less knew anything about. This is largely because The Wilds, in part, focuses on the breeding and research of rare species that are either greatly endangered or virtually extinct in the wild. NOTE: this place is not a zoo! It is roughly 14 square miles of mostly grassland that animals are able to graze without natural threats. They are well cared for and with many of the animals, detailed records are kept about their genetics such that they can be effectively bred to other animals without a direct genetic lineage. It is truly fascinating what they do and they way they have structured a plan such that these magnificent, rare creatures will have a future for generations to come. But enough about the background. The property, at least what little we were able to explore in 2 1/2 hours, is as gorgeous as it is vast. We saw cheetahs up close (10 feet away), we touched the rough skins of a young White rhino and its mother, we hand fed Rothschild's and Masai giraffes, we came face to face with several Bactrian camels, and got several stare-downs from a few Sichuan Takin (an animal I had never heard of, but appears to be part ox, part bear, and part something else!). I can easily imagine booking this tour at different times of the year and having a completely unique experience each time. There is simply too much land to cover, and too many things to see and do in just one visit. I could go on, but perhaps that would spoil the surprise that awaits if you decide to visit. Needless to say, it is an adventure that I suspect you are unlikely to find elsewhere. read more

My girlfriend and I spent 24 hours at the Wilds and were surprisingly disappointed. I booked an Open Air Safari, Sunset Horseback Safari and a Yurt. All of the staff that we had contact with were nice and helpful, so the issues we experienced had nothing to do with anyone's personality. The Open Air Safari was about what we expected, we had good views of most of the animals and our tour guide was knowledgeable and friendly. We had burgers for lunch and they were decent. After an Open Air Safari, we checked into our Yurt and spent some time there. The Yurts are pricey but were as advertised, so no complaints with the Yurts or Concierge. Then came dinner, we both ordered the steak. I ordered my steak medium rare and received a medium steak which had charring on it. After showing the waitress the steak and clarifying that I would prefer it more rare than medium, she got me another steak, which was still more medium than medium rare but would have to do because of time constraints. She also got more garlic parmesan potatoes for my girlfriend because her potatoes were burnt, the second bowl of potatoes has too much garlic on it, so she didn't eat them. I should also point out that I provided a list of my food allergies when I booked the day and almost everything that was offered had one or more allergens in them. Then we went on the "Sunset Horseback Safari". The two ladies operating the stable were very nice and knowledgeable. The disappointment with this activity was that the horses were hooded, we can only have the horses walk, there were no exotic animals to be seen because the horses are "ridden" in an area across the street from the park and the group returns before the sun actually sets. We then spent the night in our Yurt and the bed was comfortable. After, checking out in the morning, we drove up the hill to get our breakfast before leaving and midway up the hill, my check tire pressure light activated, which I assumed was due to air leaking from a tire due to the heat and driving on an uneven gravel surface. We then ordered our breakfast and when the waited brought our coffee, I immediately spotted a lower lip lipstick mark on the outside of my cup, I pointed it out to the waiter and he went to get me another cup. We then canceled our breakfast orders and left as neither of us could stomach eating there after that. As we approached my car we found that my left rear tire was flat. After asking a staff member if they sold fix a flat, he told me that they have someone on staff for that and called him on the radio and he arrived within approximately ten minutes. The man removed a button cap nail without the cap, plugged the tire, filled it with air and told us that it was the second one he had plugged today. Again, these individuals were nice and helpful but at this point we were glad the disappointing experience was over and that we were leaving. If I were to recommend any activities at the park, I would have to say to take an Open Air Safari. read more

Yay ! I'm a fan of the Wilds - but ..... here are my random negatives that really made me upset. I took my daughter to this -- planned for a 15-20 min wait, and instead I ended up waiting 1 hour and 10 min's ! The Wilds Website - states the open air shuttle runs every 15 minutes ? The place was not overly busy either. 2. During our 1 hour wait - we decided to go to the ONLY café and grab something to eat. We ordered a wrap. It was the ONLY item that was healthy on the menu- and they were SOLD OUT ?! We then ordered a disgusting hard over fried pork loin sandwich with the same over fried fries, kids meal with the same over fried chicken nuggets with pretzels. Oh and I bought a soft drink. The food was worse than what they sell in a school cafeteria ! I truly have never had a worse meal in my life-- and it cost $16 ! Plus- the place was dirty and out of Pepsi to just rub things in more ! WHY do they not offer fresh salads and subs or something ?! My daughter had a great idea of them selling Subway instead !!!! For the positive - The Safari was fun and different. We enjoyed seeing animals in the open air environment. The guide was very nice and attentive. It did make up for the rest of the negatives. If you go --I would recommend taking a picnic lunch, and lot's of water to take on the Safari. read more

Really great zip line experience with beautiful views! The Wilds is a great park/conservation facility. Zip line is a great way to see the scope of the park. read more