Reviews of The Wilds (Zoo)

Al Kraus

We went on the Sunset Horseback Safari and it was a let down. The guides were great but the horses were a little unwieldy, but with COVID-19 shutting down the place for a while, that was understandable as they have not been ridden regularly. That aside, the real issue is that it is a Safari...and we did not see any "animals"! We just expected to ride near where the exhibit animals were. However, the horse back trail was in an area across the street from the Animal Park. Also, it was a "sunset" ride...and we were back about 1.5 hours prior to sunset. So, the Sunset Safari Horseback Ride was missing 2/3's of the tour! I would skip this and just take the truck tour and I am sure you will have a great time. The Wilds looked nice otherwise...just wish we could have SEEN IT!

Paul Buchan

I had heard about the wilds for years, but never made the trip out. I'm very glad that I did. I really had no idea what I was missing. I took the Wild Side tour with my family and it was amazing! Our guide was Jordan, and she did a great job. She had a very broad knowledge of the park and food a great job of showing us all of the animals. Having been in Safari in Africa, I wasn't expecting anything like that in Ohio, but it was really great. Way better than I thought for Ohio. I would highly recommend a trip to the wilds.

Rod Howard II

Had an AWESOME time as always. Great way to see wildlife!!!! Had Don as a driver on this tour always full of information and fun facts he always does a great job!

Nancy Glass

If you love creatures as much as I do you will LOVE this place. Very knowledgeable staff and very kind and compassionate. I took the 2 hour open air safari and it was beautiful.

Steve O

I thoroughly enjoyed this place. It's not an edge of your seat dangerous safari but it was very cool to see a rhino ten yards from me. The driver Paula knew a ton and was super good about stopping for photos. I rode in back and it was BUMPY! If you're looking for a more educational guided tour then this is up your alley! They stop twice over 2 1/2 hours for the restroom and drinks. Make sure to bring cold water as on the hot days it can be very warm and dry. Bring cash as well. Their drinks are souvenir cups for 5$. **EDIT** SO it depends on the driver regarding how your tour goes. We went back a second time and got a guy named Paul. KIDS LOVED HIM! He was super funny and made the kids happy and always laughing. I love this place

Sherry Moore

This place is huge!! Amazing place to visit with a wide variety of endangered animals. I reccomend the Winter Wildside Tour where get to go to giraffe and rhino barns and feed both.

Richard Upton

The Wilds us an awesome experience! We took the Wildside tour. Well worth the money. Hannah was an awesome tour guide! We could not ask for a better experience. Didn't even mind the heat.

Peri (Smoppet)

Went for the first time in 15 years with my mom for her 57th birthday. We had a lot of fun. Zip lining was the best part because we started talking to the girls about my previous job at an adult store and it was super funny. I wish they had pygmy hippos!! Maybe one day!! Last time I went--again, 15 years ago--I hadn't yet been diagnosed with Type-1 Diabetes and I really only remember having to pee really bad frequently because I had uncontrolled bloodsugar ????

Holly

We stayed at the yurts for my friend's mini-bachelorette and had a wonderful time. Lois was so nice, and the food was amazing. We LOVED how nice the yurt and bathroom were, and despite it being a heat wave, we were super comfortable in the basic yurt with the portable AC. I had to schedule a Wildside tour because open airs weren't open due to COVID-19 when I initially scheduled. They were back open when we arrived, and they let us go on an open air tour for free, in addition to the Wildside. We loved the Wildside tour and got to feed the giraffes. The deck and fire pit where you can watch the sunrise and sunset was nice as well.

August Geier

It was great seeing the animals being helped while having a huge place to roam around. The people working there are super nice

Sue A Gaddam

Wonderful day at the Wilds! Everyone there was so nice.

Andrea Anderson

Amazing dusk tour after a rigorous rain. We got a little wet but we saw so many animals! Our guide Dottie was the bomb.

Bryan Harris

You really get up close to the animals here. It's a lot of fun.

Tobey Steinman

The Wilds is a gem! This is the perfect place to bring your family. The animals they have are amazing. The conservation efforts that go on here are wonderful, so be sure to but things and donate!

Adam Zwick

Great place, great tour guides. Definitely worth the visit. Did the sunset tour and the animals get up close and personal.

Crypt0Hoe

Great way to see some wildlife in semi-natural habitats. The 'herd' type animals has large open spaces to roam and would get very close to the tour bus so great viewing. I was disappointed in the living quarters for the 'predator' type animals, they weren't much better than a traditional zoo, and having so much space that the Wilds does I was really disappointed to see that. The wild dogs were in a small enclosure with basically a stage with meat hanging from it so visitors could see them. Seemed quite exploitative to me when the park has thousands of acres that the dogs could be provided with space to run as they would in nature. I've been to Africa four times and have seen many of the captive predators at the Wilds in their natural state, and seeing the ones at the Wilds just made me sad :(

Beth Chan

Amazing place, great open air safari that got us much closer to animals than expected, beautiful views and well kept. Would definitely visit again!

Chad Thompson

Love coming to the Wilds!! Scott was our Tour Guide today. He was very knowledgeable and super funny and engaging! My family and I always have a blast!

Andrea Henderson

Get up close and personal with exotic animals! A guided open bus tour takes you through the conservation land. Explore the bird sanctuary, multiple pastures with camels, rhinos, giraffes, deer, bison, and other animals. Stop at the carnivore area for a snack at the cafe and walk paths where cheetahs and painted African dogs play (behind fences of course). Great experience! Tour lasted approximately 2.5 hours.

Katie Wilson

When my family and I visited, every employee had a smile on their face, we're utterly pleasant and seemed like they genuinely enjoyed what they do. Jimmy was extraordinary however. He was remarkably well-versed and made things very enjoyable. I will definitely be finding excuses to go back to see him again. Easy on the eyes and great jokes!

Steph Pifer

One of the best experiences of my life, hands down. Don, our tour guide, was an absolute delight and provided so much information. The Wilds and it's employees care about our planet, animals, and their guests. I truly cannot wait to return and highly encourage everyone, kids and adults, to come and visit. (small heads-up: no service out there, and there are restroom stops along the tour. They make everything comfortable and convenient!)

Tom Proulx

Great experience and worth the drive from wherever you are. The open air safari is a great two hour tour. Carter was our guide and he was great!

Kimberly Johnson

Took the family to zipline on 9/12. Everyone had a blast. Will and his partner were great helping us be more confident in zipping and have fun also. The internet was down so I could not get our pictures taken by the staff. After several phone calls and no call backs, I finally got thru to someone...Trina was able to locate our pics and email them to me. Best day ever and now we have the pics to treasure our adventure moments. Thank you for all you do for conservation and teaching others.

Angie Laymon

I stayed at the Cabins at Straker lake for 3 nights. The cabins are beautiful and very well placed. I made all my resrvations for the cabins and tours months in advance and I did have problems with them getting things mixed up and they were not easily reached from the cabin. The mistakes with an added communication barrier caused stress but a supervisor told me he would work to improve communication between the wilds and their cabins. I went on all the tours and found them all to be unforgettable. I can say i recommend the wildside tour (in the back of a truck) over the open air safari (on the bus) if you have ANY kind of back problems. I was coming up off my seat. It is not a smooth ride. Some of the holes are unavoidable so its not a matter of asking the bus driver to go slow.... They do. The zipline was amazing. As for the animals, they look happy and healthy. They have sooo much room and the staff are very informed about the animals. The food was not good but its edible and lets get real, you didnt come for the food. Some things are expensive but when you look at it as a donation to a great cause it doesnt hurt to splurge for a weekend

Manabendra Mukherjee

This place is a hidden gem an hour and half from Columbus. Remote no cellular connectivity available. It is spread across 15 sq mile and offers good Safari drive. You will be whisked away in an open air bus. Lots of herbivores. A few cheetah and painted wild dogs were among carnivores. It could get really hot on summer days. You could also feed parakeet birds during a short break. There are a couple of rotes to get to wilds. After zanesville, GPS will take you through some winding mountain road which we liked. However there is another not so challenging route as well.

Brandon H

Great service! Only did the zip line make sure you have Tori and Hannah as the instructors. Tori and Hannah we loved you so much ❤️ we will see you again.

Christine Kesler

The people who work here are amazing. If I could give them 10 stars I would. They bent over backwards to accommodate my daughter who is visually and mobility handicapped. Our guide even went and fetched her a cold bottle of water (it was about 95° and a 3+ hour tour) which is NOT part of her job. She also pulled the vehicle into the best spots she could for loading/unloading and for being able to see things. Other guides showed us close up pictures of animals they had taken on their phones while working in the fields. The accommodations at the cabins were completely barrier free and very spacious. It was a wonderful place to visit. Highly recommend.

Jude Dille

Great place to see animals up close. Lots of things to do for the whole family. Our last visit we took an open air tour. The kids loved it. We also ate lunch in the cafe. The food is made to order and is reasonably priced. I recommend trying to book online or by phone so you ensure you can get on a tour.

Jessica Poulakis

My family and I had a fantastic time on the Open Air Tour. We had a fun, knowledgeable tour guide that helped make our experience even more enjoyable. We got to see many of the animals up close, and because of the time of year, lots of the animals had babies that we got to see also! Very enjoyable for all ages. Highly recommend.

Tristan Nohrer

Absolutely amazing. I’ve lived in Ohio for 28years and never knew about this place. It’s a real life Jurassic park, just substitute dinos with modern animals.

Lacie C

Always a great time! The employees are obviously passionate about what they do and they're very knowledgeable about the animals. The tours are exciting and each time is different! I highly recommend a season pass, trust me, it's worth it! My nieces love to go with me and it's always a blast! Makes for a great daycation!

M Peacock

Had a fantastic day touring this open air zoo. Jarvis was kind and helpful. Layla was so knowledgeable about the animals, land and informing us of overnight stays. Can't wait to download my photos. The Wilds chose the perfect location of rolling hills and lakes.

Olivia Lang

Has many animals in captivity. Learning how the animals survive in the wilds.

Scott Powell

Very interesting day trip, a great getaway and experience just a few hours from Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and surrounding areas. Bring your essentials because you are in the middle of nowhere ????????????????????????????????????

Shawn Hensley

Stayed in a Yurt and did the open air and wild side tours, all were excellent. The food was way better than expected and the tours were awesome! Tour guide Colton was great.

Zoo Empire

My time here was 100% awesome and the tour guide made it 100% even better, it was super stormy and our tour guide, Allison, shout out to you, no matter if it was lightning or thunder she made sure everyone was comfortable before she was, she ran out of ponchos to cover so she gave me her Wilds sweatshirt so I could stay warm and dry, Allison made the ride so fun, and her “bad jokes” according to her, made the trip even more fun and funnier, her joke about the eland was the best, thank you so much Allison!

Sean OBriant

A wonderful place to visit. The tour is 2.5 hours, you want the open air bus, not the air conditioned one. Pro tip: bring your own seat cushion and sit in the front of the bus, it can get a little bumpy in the back. The Carnivore center is worth the price of admission alone. Also has camping and zip line facilities.

Matt Noe

This was an awesome experience. Take the wild side tour and ask for Chris to be your guide. You wont be disappointed!

Tommy G

Great experience, what makes this place so special tho is not what they do its the people that do it AMAZING staff! (Hannah/Olivia/kenna! Get an extra thumbs up!)

Hannah

Amazing place. Everyone who works here is friendly and knowledgeable. The Open Air Safari ride was awesome. Dinner at Nomad ridge was delicious.

Randy Davis

It's great! Lots of tour and lodging options for almost any budget. You get closer to the animals than at a zoo.

Micu Bob Preh

If you're going to spend money on something fun to do.... Do it at the Wilds. 100% donation supported. Get the wilds side your for the best experience. Ask for Chris as a tour guide. He knows each and every animal and they come to him for you to see.

CD “TravelFamily11” S

What an amazing site and so cool for the sunset tours!!! Furthermore the food served was really good before the tour.

Kindra

Thought there would be animals but it's still a nice trip.

John Kowalski

Great place to visit! The animals all have a ton of room to roam. Sadly we didn't get to see giraffes as it was too cold for them, but it's good that they're cared for and safe during cooler weather.

Stephen Fortune

If you love nature and don't get car sick, this is the place. Plan ahead and reserve your tour, We were lucky enough to get a seat on a Wildside tour, which was amazing, the standard open air tour is still grear but, you can get up close to the animals on the Pasture on the wildside. Our Guide was very knowledgeable and made it fun and educational.

J Lewis

Bullet points: 1) it takes an hour and a half to drive here from Columbus in good conditions, with almost half of that on back country roads. Don't trust Google maps; follow the directions on the Wilds web site. 2) this ain't the zoo. Parking is rustic, bathrooms and food are sparse, and you're going to be bouncing around in a converted school bus for 2 hours. 3) the landscape is beautiful, and the animals come right up to the bus. Get ready to get real friendly with some Persian Onagers and an Ostrich or two. Watch your fingers. 4) Bring your own drinks and snacks. You won't have a lot of time on the tour to eat, so make it stuff that's easy to cram down in a rush. 5) I'd say 8 years old is the youngest kid that can handle the bus ride and be interested in the format. Younger kids get bored and/or are rambunctious. 6) If you have a zoo membership, get the Wilds add-on. The add-on pays for itself with one visit.

Jesse Carnahan

Great place to visit, kids loved it. However the roads during the open air tour are super bumpy. Got to see a lot of different animals.

Denise Delco

My son in law and daughter to me and their kids there on 4th of July and it was great. The food was very good. I really enjoyed myself and I loved feeding the birds. And very good experience.

Reed Sirinek

Went on a Sunday 1000am regular open vehicle tour. Saw many animals because at that time it happened to be feeding time. Sichuan Takins and predator cats are hard too see. I highly reccomend it that said.

Gwyneth Nelson

Such a large swath of land with so many animals and so many different species, my experience is different everytime I go! Some guides are better than others but overall it's always a blast! They have lots of different options for tours, experiences, and even overnight options.

Gloria Malone

Very large area with a variety of animals. I love how close you can get to the animals. Beautiful surroundings. Staff are very friendly.

Matthew Dale

I've been here twice now and absolutely love this place. It's an immense wildlife refuge, and there is very little actual walking around like a zoo but there is a ~2-hour bus ride around the park to see the various animals in a wide open habitat zoos usually can't provide. There are a couple stops along the bus tour to get out and stretch your legs and walk around, with one featuring two chances to feed animals (birds and fish), and the other features the predatory animals that can't be left to roam free for the safety of other animals. The carnivore section also features the only chance to get a snack on the trip outside of the other restaurant at the gift shop.

Deborah A

We had a very knowledgeable and funny tour guide. I did not get his name but he was quite entertaining and filled us with so much info on all the animals. I enjoyed the tour for not only being able to see so many animals up close in their normal habitat unlike the zoo.... but the view is also very beautiful!!! It was a peaceful tour and we hope to come back soon despite living 5 hours away. It was definitely worth the drive.

B K

I will never do the $30 open air bus tour again after going on the Jeep safari called the Wild Side safari tour!! OMG talk about up close and personal!!! My husband and I got to feed ostriches, pet and feed the giraffes, pet two different kinds of rhinos, it was all just so close and so awesome to see the animals right there. We purchased staying in a yurt... What a first class way to glamp!! Highly recommend!!!

T Dwayne W

The Wilds don’t disappoint! They do an awesome job with their tours making it fun and educational. And Its really cheap for the Open Air Safari of $30 ($15 if you are a Columbus Zoo member). They offer additional tours including a overnight stays out at the outpost sleeping really close to the animals. So worth the drive from Columbus. Be sure to bring cash for the parrot cage or for drinks out on the tour. Due to COVID and going at the end of the season, there is limited food services available. Highly recommend this place and hopefully I will be able to go back for some of the other tours.

Kevin Litman

My wife an I went horse back riding a few months back and had a great time. My only complaint was their cafe. We both ordered a soft pretzel which was served to us out of the microwave. Seriously? You microwave the soft pretzels?! They were disgusting!

Matt Orris

Love this place. Well worth the $30 per person safari ride. 2+ hours and our tour guide/driver Rosey was awesome. The money goes to a great cause. Very cool to see the animals that close. They seem so much happier roaming around than animals at the zoo!!

Shinji Holocron

It was amazing! Prices were a little steep but we got a lot for our money! Kerri was our tour guide and she did a great job, she really loved her job and you could tell with the amount of information she knew and the love and care she showed towards the animals was refreshing compared to some zoos I have been to. The ride was comfortable however it is an open air truck and even though the seat isnt hard on the butt the bitter cold was hard to deal with without a coat. All and all it was way worth the trip out to Cumberland and the landscape if breath taking!!!

Ashley Marzolf

The Wilds was incredible! Our tour guide Krystal did a great job and was very enthusiastic. She made sure we had lots of great photo opportunities. Many animals came right up to the open air safari bus such as the camels. A lucky tour even had the adorable 10 day old baby rhino pass right in front of them. If I were to go back, the wild side tour looked like a lot of fun as well.

Bryan Falk

Our first trip to the Wilds. We did the Winter at the Wilds tour (while driving our own vehicle to each area). This trip was well worth the $$! We brought our two daughters (9 and 11) and they had a blast! There was another family of three with our group with a little on (2-3) and everyone including the parents had a blast. So it was the 7 of us with the tour guide who was great! They take you through three barns (hoofstock, rhino, and giraffe). You were able to feed/touch animals in each area. The girls especially loved the rhino barns and were able to pet many rhinos. They are surprising gentle! The whole trip was about 2 hours long and we would do it again in an instant. Being able to drive your own vehicle between the barns was convenient. We will have to go back in the summer!

Robert Lantz

The site itself is fine. However, the roads used by the Safari buses are of marginal quality and minimally maintained. That, coupled with the poor suspensions of the Safari buses, makes for a very uncomfortable (rough) ride throughout the park. As a result, this attraction should be avoided by all people suffering with/from back problems.

Ryan Thorpe

Our family thoroughly enjoyed the open air safari tour. We intentionally went on a weekday to avoid any crowds and were very successful. They space groups out on the bus to maintain distancing and clean between tours. Our guide was Bob and he did a great job keeping the kids engaged and telling stories. Highly recommend for getting the kids out of the house as safely as possible in these crazy times.

Melissa Harding (Maylissa)

It was mothers day! It was fun till it started raining but definitely will be planning another trip on a hot sunny day so we can see all the animals

Brandon Gilbert

My family and I did the longer zipline "safari tour" at The Wilds near Cumberland, Ohio. The zipline was fun and the guides were great! (There were 3 guides and they wore masks for COVID). We zipped through some woods and over 2 ponds that did have some animals nearby to view from the towers or while zipping (if you are paying attention to the scenery while flying through the air). However, we paid for a 2.5 hour zipline tour, and it lasted only about an hour for 10 zips. The 5 zip tour was rated at 1.5 hours, so probably would have actually been over in 30 minutes. I believe that we got done so fast because there were only 5 of us, and they normally would take 9. They are limiting to 6 people per session, due to COVID. Let me tell you that the 10 zip tour is well worth the additional $30 per person, if you can afford it. I will note that you do not get to see all of the animals on the zip line tour, like the giraffes and rhino. You have to book a bus tour to see most of the animals. The thrill and scenery of the zip line make up for that, though. (Tip: Take binoculars or a high zoom camera, and you can see many of the animals from behind the visitor center at the top of the hill. That view is free, except for the $6 parking fee.) We did encounter some confusion when making the reservations. The Wilds is now run by The Columbus Zoo. When I called to make reservations, I was told that the daily bus tours were booked for our date. So we could not do that. However, when arriving at the parking lot, the very nice attendant said, "Sure, we can get you on the last bus tour." By that time, we had paid for the longer zip line tour, and had to be somewhere else later in the day, so we opted out. Would I do it again? Maybe in some years down the road, due to the cost and not seeing as many animals that we would have liked to. We had not been to The Wilds in 12 years, and again, 9 years prior to that. It helps to keep time between visits so that you enjoy it better, as it does not offer the amount of animals that The Columbus Zoo does.

Robin Cooper

Great experience. If you have any health issues no not stay in yurts 8 or 9. Yurts were clean and very cozy. The view was spectacular.

Natalie Tellish

The entire experience was amazing. The facility, the staff, and the animals are incredible. The open air safari tour was engaging for all ages. My children are 12, 7, 6, and 3 so it is rare to find something that keeps all of us entertained :) To top it off, when an issue arose, the director of park operations personally reached out to me for resolution. I am so impressed and grateful!

Samuel J Cavin

Great time!... Bring cash, some of the vending stands don't except credit because there's no phone service out there....

Tina Roe

It was Wild! Great Safari tour, loved it. Saw many very interesting endangered species... and learned to do the Bungee Shuffle!

Todd Larick

Great adventure, Don our tour guide was fantastic! Will visit again!

Garrett Langen

My girlfriend and I did the Winter at the Wilds tour on December 1st. We were with Hannah and 2 other patrons. It was hands down the most incredible thing I have ever done. We are still talking about it regularly 2 months later! We got to pet the Rhinos and got a chance to see some really amazing stuff. Hannah was super knowledgeable, and was the perfect guide. She managed the tour in a way that let us see all the things we wanted to see for a little longer. I can not rave about her enough! My girlfriend and I hope to come back again in the summer, and would be delighted if Hannah was still with the program. Highly recommend!

Kelly Joy

A great afternoon activity. Loved the regular tour and can't wait to come back and try the zipline or horse tour.

Ricky Watts

This place let's you see animals roaming free. The number of different types of animals are far less than what you would see in a zoo, but like I mentioned these animals have lots of area to move around in. There were a couple of animals who were curious enough to come up to our open air bus and check it out. Per the rules we could touch them or feed them. That is a separate tour. I believe we had the best tour guide.

Janel

We have a membership here for our large family and we all love visiting! We have gotten super close to baby rhinos, had ostriches and camels stick their heads into our open-air bus. The kids love stopping at the aviary and feeding the birds. I think it only cost $1 for a stick covered in bird seed and we got covered in birds. My daughter was in heaven.

Jeanette M

Wonderful summer day trip. Did the basic Safari tour. Was about 2 hours and saw a lot of wildlife. Guide was knowledgeable and bus was comfortable albeit not air-conditioned. Several stops for food water or bathroom.

Daniel Devadatta

What a place? The 2 hour trip was awesome. To view many endangered animals in this setting was incredible. They also have a zip line course, horse back riding (though only along the perimeter), multiple lodging options and great overnighters for family and kids.

Stacey Day

Love it very nice day

Alex Cristofaro

The Wilds is so incredibly awesome. Getting to see the animal up close in a more natural habitat is awesome. I've done the open air tour and the Wildside tour. Both were great, tour guides were really knowledgeable. Feeding the giraffes on the Wildside tour was so cool, the kids loved it. I can't believe how close we got the rhinos. Everyone should check it out.

patricia horseman

I spent my 50th birthday with four of my best friends soaking up the beauty and majesty of Straker lake, the cabins and the surroundings. The Wildside Tour was a once in a lifetime experience. Being up close with all the animals was incredible and our guide Kristin, as well as our zip line guides Will and Jo were so fun and knowledgeable. We will be making this an annual event. I can't praise The Wilds enough. What an incredible time. The staff, facilities and experiences were just top notch. Thank you for such a memorable birthday!

Kent King

Always a great place to visit! The guides are knowledgeable and allow time for photos and just to enjoy seeing the many animals of the Wilds. A wonderful extension of the amazing Columbus Zoo.

Kawthar

The best place ever!!

L. Helems

We really enjoyed this adventure. Took my 11 year old and it held her attention. She enjoyed animals and feeding the budgies. Would highly recommend for children over the age of six there is a bit of downtime going from enclosures. Would definitely go again!

Natalie Osment

We had a great time. We did the open-air safari tour and we got very close to the rhinos! Our tour guide was Steph and she was amazing!! I would highly recommend this place, especially if you are tired of going to the same old zoos.

Layla and Reed Studios

My daughter's Girl Scout Troop chose The Wild's as their summer trip this year. We knew about it for months in advance. I was not particularly thrilled with the idea because I'm not the worlds biggest lover of Zoo's, which is what I kinda pictured it would be like. Boy was I ever WRONG!! My daughter, husband, and I (along with GT/Leaders & parents) had the most WONDERFUL time. It is such a beautiful and amazing place to visit. The conservation programs are almost mind blowing. Our tour guide/bus driver was AMAZING. I wish I could remember her name. She was knowledgeable, kind, patient, and above all HILARIOUS to boot!! BEST GUIDE EVER!! I learned so many many interesting things I did not even know I was remotely interested in. We even got to see the 4 DAY OLD GIRAFFE (check out their web page to watch a video of him learning to walk. #toostinkincute). Some day I'd LOVE to stay in one of the YURTS (21 and up only due to alcoholic beverages offered) on the park hillside overlooking acre upon acre of gorgeous scenery and tremendous wildlife. I could go on for hours about our FANTASTIC day at THE WILDS. I will spare the novel and say, honestly, everyone young and old and in between should make the drive out that dirt road to this surreal perfection of a place. ..& next time ZIP LINE!! WOOHOO!! PRO (one time visitor, lol) TIP: -1*BRING A BOTTLED DRINK WITH YOU FROM HOME.. the first, out of two, stops along the trail offers pop at a mere $3 a bottle. I'm not certain the price for water but I think it was the same. ^^^if you forget your water and are completley parched keep in mind all proceeds go back into the park. An extremely worthwhile cause if ever there was.^^^ -2* DON'T FORGET YOUR GLASSES PRESCRIPTION OR OTHERWISE.. several of the animals are off in the distance a bit. It's no fun being the only person on the bus missing out. Notably, in the open air bus at least, your on a dirt road and there will be dust n such kicking up. Everyone w glasses had a layer on their lenses.

Deanna Thomas

We went for world rhino day. It was a wonderful up close experience with the southern white rhinos.

Derek Dietz

Not often that you get to be within 10' of a baby rhino! Absolutely beautiful place, tour guides and stuff really know their stuff. Great way to spend an afternoon.

Heather H

Very friendly and knowledgeable staff. Nice gift shops and concessions. Not overpriced. Overall a great experience.

Jeremy D

Great experience. Worth the long drive. Very informative. These people are doing great things for conservation.

Jess Nichols

This was an amazing experience!! Super cool to ride on the open air safari trip with all my friends. We got to see the animals up close and roaming in open spaces. Felt a lot like Jurassic Park in the best way possible! Thank you to our tour guide Sabrina for an incredible bus ride.

Nate S

What great place with even greater potential. Such a beautiful area, you'd never even know you were in Ohio. Great experience for kids and I hope to see even more exhibits in the next few years. The zip lining, even though I didn't do it, appears to be a great addition and one of the best I've seen in my travels. High, long, zips across a beautiful panorama and didn't disturb the animal viewing in the slightest. Way better experience then a zoo. Free roaming unstressed animals. Well done!

brandi weaver

Our tour guide Bob was great! An overall amazing first experience and we will be going back to try out the other experiences Wilds offers!

Karen Vasquez

Great place! Would highly recommend! Definitely worth the price! Family friendly!

K. Cloutier

The Wilds itself was enjoyable. However, we learned more about our bus driver's personal life than we did about the animals. That was definitely disappointing! Bring binoculars if you are going on the $35 tour.

Megan Smith

This place is truly amazing. Animals are in large pastures on a very expansive reserve. There is so much to do it will take several trips to experience it all.

Haley p.

Such a great place!! Kenna was our tour guide and she did a fantastic job!! She let us take our time taking out breaks and did a great job with everything else . The gift shops and the air conditioned bathroom are also a great thing.

Cynthia Somers

Wonderful Safari Ride With Lots of Animals!

Ann Prado (Annie)

Lots to do and see! Very educational experience for the family and the views are great. The staff are all very friendly and helpful too.

Eddie Callaway

Amazing place. Especially recommend staying in a yurt and doing the evening tours like Outpost. Petting white rhinos was an experience like no other. watch out for the hundreds of carpenter bees! (harmless but destructive to wood)

Jeff Kriegel

Had a great day on Sunday at The Wilds. The open air tour guide Don was so friendly and informative. We even got to say hello to one of the animal care specialists we see on Secrets of the Zoo. Adam is as nice in person as he is on the show. Thanks to all the staff for your conservation work keeping these wonderful creatures thriving and surviving.

Joy Drewery

We took a Wild Side tour on Friday 6/13/2020. Our tour guide was Tracy. We were so luck to have her. She is so experienced with all the animals at the reserve. She knew all their names and explained everything about them. She took her time and answered all our questions. We really enjoys feeding the giraffes, and the ostriches. She took us so close to the animals we were able to pet a rhino, and camel. I enjoys this tour so much we have decided to come back again this winter. Oh ya, the 6 cheetah baby's were so cute. And the wild dogs were amazing. It is well worth the price of the ticket. Great time..

brandy kumpf

Friendly staff!! We had a great time with Jordan and Rosie! This is a magical place

Thomas

Wow incredible time did Zipline with my boys and Our Guides Hailey and Jackie. had a weather delay was worth waiting So much fun and the other half of our party did open truck tour said it was great up close and personal experience with the Animals

Jon Brooks

Wonderful open air tour. Victoria was a marvelous guide. Interesting to see so many different animals.

Sandra DiGirolamo

We loved it! We did the open air bus and full zip line. It was a great experience. Our driver and zip line guides were amazing.

Hugo Kitten

First time visit this place on rainy day. My favorite animal here is Camels, they are very friendly, goofy, and entertain. I hope to go back again and try safari tour.

Joe Malinowski

Such a cool place to take the kids. Tour took about 3.5 hours (two stops included). The giraffes got the closest within 10 feet, but the rest were farther out. The guide was very knowledgeable.

Sue Bluhm

Loved the tour. We got to meet the animals up close and were able to feed some of them.

Outback Bob

Great place to visit drive from interstate has pretty country side, been there several times always a great tour, guide's are very informative about the animals as well as history of area, you get close to the animals while on the bus. Great way to spend 2 1/2 hours, everyone at the Wilds are always very nice.

Charles McCaskill

Had a great first time!! Excited to go back again.

James Jason

The Wilds is amazing! Such a wonderful place and always a great experience. Our guide Holly was super amazing and full of information!

Jenni Frost-Cornish

Did the tour, we had a fantastic guide! Loved the up close experience with the animals.

Cat Doan

The site is big and well maintained. Tour is scenic and hosts are entertaining. There are vast wildflowers, horses, ponds, monarch butterflies, all kinds of bees and beavers that we spotted right away upon entrance. Our tour guide is fun. We’re lucky we got a very humorous, welcoming, considerate and great storyteller. (Thanks Brian) The animals are amusing as well. They joined in on making us gasp with laughter. A male giraffe tickled the vehicle with his tush while a female ostrich poked fun with her beak by the windows. The kids were gawking and giggling the whole time. We saw Indian Rhinos, Tibetan takin, Banteng cow, African wild dog, Mongolian camels and grey long-tailed gorals. Overall, a great experience for anyone who wants to go explore but can’t travel too far from Ohio.I recommend sunglasses, protective eye wear, or even a face mask to bring for the ride. It gets quite dusty along the drive. Admission is $35.00 per person (All ages) September 2021

Kristina May

The open safari is awesome well worth the money to go.

Melissa Moore

This was my second time going and it was awesome. We did the Wildside Tour and Jordan was our guide, she went above and beyond. She made it a point to make sure we saw the Asian Rhinos even though we had to drive around searching for them. We got to pet the White Rhinos behind the ears and feed the giraffes and ostriches. I highly recommend doing this.

Cat Lohr

The best girl was our guide! Super fun for the whole family

Jay 5gen (Jay5gen)

Expectations were high... Experience was only okay I guess... First and foremost, not recommended for anyone with any kind of back/joint/other pain of any sort. The buses and roads are absolutely brutal. 2 days later and I'm still in pain... Animals are similar to what is at the zoo itself, just in a big field, and mostly deer. I know they are some rare African something and I appreciate the need to save them... But it's deer. Saw as many on the drive there than I saw on the tour... There are (2) pauses on the tour that are useless. Be prepared to run like your life depended on it if you want to see anything... At the carnivore building you get a 20min stop, and it's a 6-7 minute walk with kids each way (yes we timed it). So you can either use the restroom, get a snack, or see the animals. But only one of the 3. There is no time for more... Overall if you want to drive further, to see less, and get beaten to death on a bus then this is for you... Otherwise, the best zoo in the world is only 1hr away.

Mary Bee

You guys, I love this place! We did the Wildside Tour and it was better than all the 5-star reviews have described it. I was unprepared and was not expecting the gorgeous natural landscape, it was literally like something out of a movie. Also was not expecting to touch and feed rhinos (I knew about the giraffes). The rhinos mouths were so soft and they're so patient - they really do just stand there with their face a foot away from yours waiting for that carrot and if you're not squeamish you can actually feel their lips very lightly take the carrot from your hand. Total highlight and totally safe; we had kids on our tour who were just jamming carrot knobs towards the rhinos lips and they had a blast! The giraffe just pretty much stuck his head inside our truck as we fed him lettuce and he let us pat his head and he was very patient with everyone. I'm so glad that this place exists to give sanctuary to these amazing animals, I understand the price may be a little steep but it's a very special experience - one you won't find in a zoo and you would be supporting these animals being able to live in a vast and safe space. If that's important to you then please consider supporting The Wilds. We just got back from our tour this morning and will be booking the Evening at the Outpost tour for tomorrow evening. Lastly, it blows my mind that there are crazy people who find this place boring. Dont listen to them, and dont missing out on this great experience. Oh and bathrooms were airconditioned and immaculate and food prices were very reasonable. Lots of cold bottled water also available for free during the tour. All bonuses! I recommend doing the first tour at 9AM so you have plenty of time to roam around and grab food afterwards.

Randy G.

We took the winter tour and we're very lucky with the weather, (55 degrees in December - in Ohio) and in that there were 3 baby rhinocerous on view. We had a nice and knowledgeable guide, and a really good time. Most of the animals were in their winter quarters, so YMMV, but for the rhinos and giraffes, you get MUCH closer than the standard summer tours.

Catherine S

If you are in the area, go visit! Animals are great and the land is beautiful!

A. Thorne

If you have the money, do one of the Wildside tours! Amazing! The Offen Air Safari is great, too.

Isha Verma

It's nice to see different animals roaming freely and happily. It's a home for them..really It is.???? we took open air safari that successfully made us to enjoy close view of animals. Although We were not allowed to touch them but It was a beautiful experience. The lady that took us for the tour explained everything in detail in a very interesting way. Enjoyed it. It also has a cafeteria to get quick snacks and drinks. If you have kids, please take them to 'The Wilds'. They will definitely enjoy this wild safari. Heaven for animal lovers. ????

Rei Sterling

Krystal was an amazing tour guide, had a very good time

Donna Drennen-Shouldis

2nd time there for 2021. The weather was the best. The knowledge and friendliness of the staff completes a perfect day.

Jessica Peters

We love going to the Wilds! Season passes...so we will definitely be going several times this year!!! Highly recommend!

Adam Hampton

We saw a lot of animals. Pleasant trip around the park. Good for young and old.

Nikki Gonzales

We had an extra special trip to the Wilds, we got to see a newborn baby giraffe, just minutes old! It’s a nice drive and the staff is friendly and tour guides knowledgeable. My kids love the open safari bus tours.

Heather Spencer

We did the Wild Side tour. It takes you up close and personal to the animals. The guides are very knowledgeable and friendly. Great place for any age!

Bill Lobuzzetta

Brian the guide/bus driver was exceptionally personable & knowledgeable. We saw a wide variety of animals and being so close to the wild animals really thrilled my 5 year old granddaughter.

Jayson Waits

The Wilds is a great place to visit! Located not far from Zanesville, Ohio with over 10,000 acres of conservation. The tours are a great experience and you can get up close to the many animals. You can also do zip lining as well as many other experiences. Staff is very knowledgeable of the animals. Well worth a day trip to check out.

Phred Doolittle

We had a wild time, tour guide was great

Lydia Crowl

What an absolute pleasure to be able to experience the beauty that The Wilds is. So many amazing animals with so much space to roam. Will be going back again soon!

Keith Bennett

It was a great experience. Service for transports were efficient and timely. The rental of binoculars was fantastic. Many different options how to expierance the wilds. The entire staff was outstanding. Out driver tour guide Louis was fantastic and personable. The animals were beutiful and plentiful. Always something to see and 2 1/2 hours long.

Stephanie Glancy

Took Mom for her 80th birthday and it was amazing. We actually pet and fed a Rhino. Definitely recommend the Wild side tour. Well with the extra cost. They drive right up to the animals.

Barbara Meredith

Never a dull moment. Each visit has a different experience. The tour guides are a lot of fun and are very knowledgeable.

Tracy Greene

Just beautiful here! It's a lot of fun for the whole family. We rented the lodge and I would definitely recommend that because you can cook out, have a bonfire and go out on the lake. The safari was great and they also do ziplining there.

Jennifer T

We did the open air tour and it was great! Saw animals in a more natural habitat then you get at a zoo. Would recommend for anyone!

Jodi Hasley

Our tour guide, Don, was great and very patient and knowledgeable with all of our questions. I am so glad we decided to get a membership this year!

Gary Turner

Almost a zoo inside-out...visitors on a bus and animals rome freely in their own areas

Julianne M

BEST. DAY. EVER. !!! I can't say enough about how amazing and worthwhile this was! I pet a rhino! Like seriously, it's worth every penny and I will definitely be going back! Chris was the best guide! I never even heard of a Takin before I went there, they are so cute! Getting this close to rhinos, giraffe, ostrich, zebra, etc. without going to Africa was amazing! Best birthday ever!!

Anita Slagle

Such a neat place to visit. A hidden gem.

Brian Edgell

We always have a blast on this unique open air safari style tour. The animals are in open fields so you'll get to see them meander as if they were in the wild. We've lucked out with the majority of the animals being in close proximity to the bus. The drivers are knowledgeable and full of interesting facts. Every visit is unique and every experience is memorable. I highly recommend this hidden gem.

nathan beasley

This was a fun place to visit. The staff was very knowledgeable and friendly. The tour lasts for a few hours and was free to a Veterans. Our guide had an actual ostrich egg. We got to see a ton of different animals. The one we did not get to see was the giraffe because it had gotten to cold for them and it was an animal safety issue which I completely support. Halfway through the tour they stopped at this little bird shack that sells bird feeder on sticks. The little birds fly down and eat right from your hands. One of the best family trips I have ever taken.

Nainsi McK

Absolutely adore everything about the Wilds! The animals pastures are all huge and perfectly suited for their inhabitants, the tour guides are all amazing, and the Zipline course was a fantastic time!

Candee Jean The Local Local

This was an amazing experience for our whole family. We started with the open air tour and then ended the day with sunset ziplining. Our cabin at Straker Lake was beautiful and the lodging and amenities were a bonus! Take food if you stay at Straker, the website wasn't clear about that. Our 2nd day we went on the Wildside tour and it was a hands on experience we'll never forget! Hannah was our guide and her passion shined through as she took us to each location and we got within hands reach of most of the animals. Overall a great place! I included photos with no zoom or filters because the animals were this close and looked this great. Hope they keep up the good work at The Wilds!

Georgette Gaston

We took our grandkids on the open air safari. Allison was our guide. She was great! Everyone enjoyed it. Wish we would have bought the family membership. The only caution I would give is that if you are prone to motion sickness, take something before you go so that you can fully enjoy the experience.

Joel Wiebner

Cool place! Excellent tour guides (we had Jody) and an amazing park to visit.

Dave Johnson

Awesome!! We did the first open air tour of the day on a Sunday morning aboard Bus #14 with Miss KK. KK was an awesome driver/tour guide. She was very informative, answered questions, was courteous, and even threw some humor into our 2+ hour adventure. With it being earlier in the morning and cooler, all the animals that were available to be seen were seen. We had two stops during our tour to walk around and see other animals. It was a great time for my entire family. We'll be back!!

Heather Dazley

It was style, grace. I loved that they taught us about the animals. It was funny and fun. I'm coming back!!

Natosha

I took my three-year-old daughter here for the open-air Safari tour. It was amazing. We got to see some really cool animals and got pretty close to the ostrich and other animals. I would definitely recommend for a family outing. I want to go back for The Wildside tour so I can get a better experience.

Greg P

The Wilds is like no other wildlife attraction in OH. The animals and the preserve are amazing as are the accommodations at Nomad Ridge. We stayed in the Grand Yurt and it was amazing to wake up and see animals from your porch.

Big Daddy Kane

Loved it. We had a great tour guide.

jason marks

The animals are so close to the bus you can easily photograph them. The rhinos are now closer to the road for better viewing. Great place to take kids and is about 2/12 hours long with breaks.

D Eiland

Had a very nice time. Look forward to going back and eventually getting a membership. I purchased the open air safari. It was about 2.5 hours. You get off twice the first time is to either feed the birds or the huge catfish at the lake. The second time is to see the cheetahs and african dogs (like hyenas) It was nice to be able to sit back and relax instead of walking. Definitely plan to go back next year. PS only listen to your navigation until you see the signs for The Wilds.

Allen Frederick

What a great experience! Wildlife conservation at it's best. Had a close up of many endangered animals on our tour.

Deb Schaefer

One of the best parks in our country. Lots of good work being done here. The tour was educational and fun.

Michael Johnson

First time here and it was a great experience. We stayed in the cabins at Straker Lake and they were spacious and had all the comforts of home. Large screened in porch with ceiling fans made a wonderful place to enjoy the view of the lake. Small boat and private dock was a fun unexpected addition that comes with each cabin. The excursion into the wilds was interesting and informative. Our tour guide, Molly, was the best. She always stopped to give us great photo opportunities and was very funny. Horseback riding was also a great time. Highly recommend and I will definitely make a return trip.

Cindy Peck (Jordan)

I highly recommend. All staff were so great. Beautiful place. You can tell the animals love people, they had no problem coming up to visit. Will return soon

Matthew Ullman

What great place! The conservation going on here to save species is so cool. Came from Phoenix Arizona and managed to not get wet today.

Kelsey Beal

Had one of the best experiences of my life!! Amazing staff made for a wonderful weekend trip!!

Brad Martinez

The Ziplining experience is totally worth it. They have professional instructors, who know what they are talking about and will lead you to and awesome experience... You Zip through 10 lines, over woodland, waters and exotic livestock! Don’t think about it twice and enjoy the ride????

Whitney Sheffield

We had a great day there! Our tour guide William gave us a lot of great information about the animals and even had some jokes. The tour was about 2 hours including all the stops we made for photos. We had hot dogs at the cafe which were pretty good, better than expected. We got lots of great photos and will definitely be going back!

Sylvia Rollins

We had so much fun!! I loved The Wilds! I highly recommend it!! Our tour guide was so personable, friendly and knowledgeable. We all had such a great experience!!

Jeff E

Great place to visit! This is the way a zoo should be. Just make sure you make reservations beforehand because the bus tours can get filled up pretty quickly.

Jessica Lee

It is so absolutely beautiful here. Our visit brought us to another land entirely, despite the map’s insistence that we were still in Ohio. Tour guides are knowledgeable and fun, and there are a lot of animals. We didn’t get as close to them as I would have liked, on the bus tour, but there are other tours with closer encounters. If you’re going to make the trip, it would be worth it to spring for the closer encounter. Also, I’m a Cleveland zoo pass holder, and they offered a discount with that. Very helpful.

David Johnson

We did our second trip in almost 2-3 months to The Wilds this past weekend. We did the Open Air Safari Bus Tour with Bob as our driver/guide. Bob was an awesome guide with his storytelling and all the information on the animals and places we passed or stopped at. Not all the animals were available to be viewed because of the cooler weather, but nonetheless there were many still active in the pastures, etc. We took my in laws for their first time and they loved it!! We all can't wait to go back soon.

99StomperJC Collins

Wow! What fun! We got close to lots of animals! Our driver, Jay, was very knowledgeable. Great way to spend a day!

Tony Jericho

Very nice. Might try to stay overnight next time.

Kimberly Holstlaw

Fantastic experience. Our driver was funny and informative. Definitely worth the drive.

Rob Morris

We enjoyed the Sunset Safari dinner and horseback ride. Horses knew their business; guides were personable and well informed. I'd do it again!

Mukhtar Haider Malik

A fantastic safari park and much more......

Shannon Nicole

This was one of the best family outings I have ever gone on. My son was so amazed and had a blast as did I. We learned so much about all these beautiful animals. The wilds offers so many thing for everyone of all ages. I truly recommend everyone goes at least once if not more. My family and I will definitely be returning again Soon. The drive for us was an hour and 45 mins but It was so nice and worth the trip. ❤

Matt Burgoon

The open air safari was alright, definitely not worth the $35 per person though. I would highly recommend anybody wanting to go here to just spend your money on going to the zoo instead, you see a lot more animals and aren’t stuck with random (somewhat rude) strangers… also, the guy driving the safari bus wouldn’t stop talking about everything else they offer that’s way more money.

Robert Norton

Just visited as a late anniversary getaway for my wife and I and it was absolutely amazing! We did the wildside tour and it's totally worth spending the extra to go off-road and very up close and personal with the animals. Sarah the tour guide was incredible as she was so knowledgeable and made the experience extremely fun. A special shout-out to another tour guide Kelsey as she had to deal with a miserable human being and she stayed nice and professional. There's so many animals that you can get up close to. We were super close to the ostriches, giraffes, and rhinos and got to feed the giraffes and rhinos. Hopefully they can continue to expand and add more animals to make the experience even better but even still it's an amazing experience and would highly recommend.

Barbara K

Went on the basic tour. What fun! The drivers are well versed on the whole place and what they do there! Going back to do the zip line tour!

Mary Ellerbeck

While we were visiting family in Ohio they all said we have to see the Wilds. So we got reservations and I will never forget that happy day. We saw animals close up roaming free around our open air little bus. It was so fun I reccomend it to everyone.

Varuni Saxena

Amazing hidden gem just hours away from Pittsburgh. The safari tours are great, they have endangered or extinct in the wild species that are breathtaking to behold. A much better experience than going to a zoo because here we see the animals being their natural selves. The tour guides are very knowledgeable, they give a lot of details about the animals. The yurts are very comfortable and give an experience of ‘glamping’. The park is huge and is a true out in the wilds experience.

Jill Fetch

The open air safari was very interesting and our guide was knowledgeable. I learned a lot about endangered species and saw animals I never knew existed, some close up. I wish the guide didn't have to do so much of a sales pitch. Much of the tour was devoted to all the activities in which guests could partake, most of them super expensive, IMHO.

Daniel Middleton

Thoroughly enjoyed the open-top bus tour.

Wendy Rainey Ritchie

It was a cold rainy day but still worth going. The animals are so cool, and to get so close to them is pretty awesome. You learn a lot about them as well. I highly recommend ya go check it out!

Lisa Weisner

We took the Wildside Tour. It was awesome to get up close and personal with the animals!

Colleen Stumpf

The Wildside Tour got us up close with the animals! Being that some animals had already been moved inside for winter, this tour granted us access to the barns to meet the animals.

Marie

The weather was perfect and our wildside tour took us right up to many of the animals. Our tour guide was very informative. Highly recommend this experience.

Nancy Smith

Love the wilds! Had a great time with my best friend

Eryk Grycza

Was great seeing all the animals!

WvNinja83

Always a wonderful trip...family loves it....safari bus tour is about 2 1/2 hours long the price and quality definitely make it a bargin for a family outing

Jake Smith

Such a cool conservation space. Had an excellent time on the open-air tour. I was here for a company picnic and the food that the Wilds provided for lunch was very good! I would definitely like to come back and stay in one of the Yurts!

Veronica Munera

It was my first time with safari experience, also I’m not animal lover. But this experience is amazing, feed the animal and interact with them is unforgettable

Jennifer R

This place is great, but I would recommend going in the spring or summer. We did a fall trip, and missed out on a few animals just due to the temperature. Can't wait to go back and camp under the stars!

有能美Yuu NoMi

I felt like a kid again!! Figured out the best time to go is one of the 1st tours in the morning, and/or when it's cool/drizzly. The animals are more visible and active without the heat. Also, it will be around lunchtime for the spotted dogs when you make the stop at the carnivores for the 10:15-10:30am tour, which is exciting to see them running back and forth vocalizing, and the cheetahs run up to the fence to see what's going on as well. The safari is a great change of pace from the zoo, because you can observe the animals displaying their natural behaviors, and take photos/videos without the obstruction of fencing or fingerprints. It's hard to pick a favorite animal, but the camels and ostriches are definitely entertaining as they come up to the bus to greet you. This is a fabulous place to unplug for a remote weekend getaway, because you can rent a 21+ yurt or a family yurt for up 12people, and there plenty of activities in addition to the safari - zip lining, bird watching, horseback riding, bike trails, etc. Be sure to make a donation, especially during these times because the proceeds go toward caring for the animals as well as conservation efforts. Also, if you have kiddos, be sure to look into the summer camps (unfortunately cancelled due to COVID ????) because it is a favorite of the kids in my family. They enjoyed it so much, they didn't even want to leave after a week away!! They did offer an online camp, which was fun, but nothing compared to spending a week in a yurt!

V. Colaric

This is a place I would like to work or volunteer. It is a dream place. I stayed at The Wilds in one of their Yurts. What a great experience. My morning shower while listening to the animals set the whole morning on a positive note. A short walk from my Yurt to the dining area for breakfast on a perfect summer morning was a gift. The safari in an open air bus with sun, heat and dust made you feel like you were in Africa. Everything was a plus here!

Julie Johnson

Absolutely worth the drive and the admission price! Beautiful, interesting, unusual. Absolutely not your typical experience. Also, the folks who work there are incredibly nice and informative!

Narendra Talele

If you are a nature lover, this should be a must do attraction for you. The 2 hour open bus safari does show you around with several stops at different habitats.

Ashlee Kerle

Fun for the whole family. There were a few animals we didn't see at all which was disappointing and they were out of sticks to feed the birds. We did see the giraffes and rhinos up close. Our tour guide was great.

Brandon Smith (Jackson And Izzy's World)

This was a great time. We took the open air safari and got to see all the animals. We'll be back for another experience.

Elon Nichols

I went here for a field trip with my job. This was a great experience! It was a beautiful view. There were many animals that were out even though it was October. This is a great place for families, a date day, family reunions and any other events.

Kristen Robinson

Always a favorite excursion! Every time you go, you get a different experience. The staff and volunteers help make it special each time, too. Thanks for all you do!

Erica Ault

One of my favorite places to go.

Julie Profitt

What a great place! Don, our guide, was super knowledgeable about the land and all the different animals. We went on an open air safari ride through some 2000 acres of reclaimed land that used to be a strip mine. The Wilds has helped to save several populations of animals over the years. Some of the animals came right up to the truck. Great trip for people of all ages and we already can't wait to go back to do one of the other tours

Rohini Yalamanchilli

Great wildlife.. The kaden, the Tourust Guide is too good in guiding the trip.. Good crowd. Well maintained..

Charles Pait

Drove 4.5 hours from Louisville, KY and it was worth the drive and the money!!! Absolutely amazing! Pictures speak for themselves. Chris was our tour guide and he was Fantastic! Chris created the Wild side Tour 13 years ago so he had great answers to all our 101 questions. We learned about The Wilds on Disney Plus from the show Secrets of the Zoo and wanted to surprise our daughter with a trip there. She loved every minute!

Wendy Beasley

We go almost every year. The staff is very knowledgeable, great experience for all ages. The roads in the safari could use a little work. Some serious potholes. Don't miss this experience.

Tacy Valenteen

Fantastic! Stayed in a premium yurt which was so cool and worth every penny! Absolutely loved the Wildside tour! Super knowledgeable, upbeat, and friendly guide. Saw some of my favorite large animals and was introduced to many that I had never even heard of before! Learned so much!

Akashdeep Bhat

Had an amazing time here! My wife and I couldn't go for our honeymoon this year so instead of doing an international trip we decided to do something fun! She found this place and that's how we ended up here. Few things I would like to point out. I highly recommend doing the zip line here. Our instructors/zip line guides were amazing! They were very friendly and knowledgeable ( Katrina and Hannah). We had booked our zipline tour for 10 am and it was not crowded at all. Just the zipline guides and my wife and I. We also did the open air safari which was pretty fun but it's a hit or miss sometimes. Would rather recommend doing the Wildside tour which is a lot more expensive than open air safari but you're able to be in the back of a pick truck and drive up close to the animals. From what I've heard on the wildside tour you're able to feed some animals like the giraffes. We also did the horseback ride which was awesome!! It was almost a 40-45 mins horseback riding around the Wilds where they have the butterfly habitats. Now be very clear that the horseback rides won't take you through the pastures where the wild animals are, so you won't be seeing any animals during the horseback ride. The food here was good. My wife and I will return here with our family and get the accommodation here. Highly recommend booking the accommodations 3-4 months ahead of time! Few essential things to bring here in a back pack are water bottles, sunscreen, some snacks and hats. It can get very hot here during the summertime. Overall, I highly recommend this place for some fun and adventure time.

Dana Koenig

I cannot say enough good things about The Wilds. We went on the Wildside Tour which is a small tour of about 4 to 5 people where you are with a knowledgeable tour guide (shout out to the amazing Kelsey) and you are up close and personal to most, if not all of the animals in the park. On top of it being a cool experience, The Wilds have been doing amazing things for wildlife for years, like reintroducing reintroducing endangered species into the wild and rehabilitating animals. We opted for the zip lining tour with Trina and Kali who were both personable and energetic. The views were breathtaking. We also stayed overnight in a premium yurt. It was clean, smelled nice, and the air conditioning worked great. A perfect place to stay after a day filled with wildlife adventure. It is an amazing place. I probably won't stop talking about it for a long time.

Larry J. Arszman

Fun place to enjoy a Safari here in Ohio. Our visit the Animals were pretty active.

Bree G

Amazing, the staff is awesome and knowledgeable, especially Lindsay the tour guide!!

Melissa Markham

Great place!our residents always have fun

Priscilla Wan

Hannah was a great tour guide! Such a fun experience!

Stephen Waddles

Amazing experience. We took the Fun Bus here from Columbus and the trip was relaxing. We stayed on the Fun Bus during the safari and our tour guild (name started with a C?) was fantastic and funny. We were able to see all the animals and they looked well cared for. We were all impressed at much care and thought went into the grounds and the animal welfare. Can't wait to come back and do a truck tour.

Kara Monroe

We visited The Wilds in July 2021. We did a reserved Secrets of the Zoo Wildside tour. It is absolutely best to purchase tours well in advance. The Wildside tours take you off the traditional bus tour path. While they do have a higher price, it is absolutely worth it. A Secrets of the Zoo tour is led by a cast member of the show Secrets of the Zoo. It is also completely worth it if you're a fan of the show.

Brittany Edmonds

Such a cool experience I already can't wait to come back!!! Drove 8 hours from Tennessee to come and see this place. After becoming obsessed with secrets of the zoo I just had to come here. The only thing I'm sad about is that I was not able to stay in a yurt because my trip was so on a whim and I'm sad I didn't book the wild side tour because I just wanted to spend more time here! My husband and I did an open air tour and had a blast the scenery was beautiful and it was so amazing to see all of these animals out in the wild. I love how much work is going into the conservation and rehabilitation of the animals and forestation. Even on the open air tour we got up close and personal with some ostrichs that were super interested in us as well as some Persian donkeys who came so close to our tour. We were also lucky enough to watch a 3 day old baby rhino feed with the mama. This was so worth the drive. It's beautiful! I can't wait to come back it's a little bit hidden but look it up and go! You won't be sad about it. And if you don't want to go you can always watch it on secrets of the zoo and donate for the animals. But it's so worth the trip!!

Adam West

It was amazing and rules and beautiful views this place was fantastic!

Christina Renee

We did the "wild side" tour and it was FANTASTIC! It is the pricier tour but we drove right up to the animals in the pastures and there were only 6 people on the tour. We will book this again sometime in the future without reservation! What a great day!

Sriram Udhaya

This is one of the wonderful trip .i dont know how i missed it so far .So cool staffs.so cool collection of wild animals with wonderful view in the vally..we had blast

Keenan Davidson

Hannah was an amazing tour guide who really loved what she was doing.

Israel Fox

Great place and friendly people. Also this is Military friendly. Military tickets are free and they host veteran events during the summer.

Sarah Harley

The Wilds is one of the coolest things to do ever! We seriously had so much fun even with it raining a bit. Our tour guide Matthew was excellent!! He has a wealth of knowledge about all the animals and the habitat. We will definitely be back for more memories many times over!

Carol Schwartz

The Wilds is a wonderful place!! Went there today with husband and son and thoroughly enjoyed it. Was first time for husband and me; son has been there several times. We took the last "Safari Tour" of the day and saw many of the animal species living there. Can't praise enough our tour guide, Lois!! She was so personable, so informative, shared fun tidbits from her years of working there, great sense of humor as she would explain habits, etc of certain species, and so thoughtful about giving us "photo bugs" opportunities to take pics of the animals. We plan on coming back this summer and staying overnight to more fully enjoy this amazing place. There are several "stay packages" from which to choose - good job making The Wilds so family, couples, or individual friendly! And when we return, sure hope we will be able to get our tour with Lois again!! Everyone needs to visit this amazing place!!

Ariel Sipes

Highly Recommend !! It was so much fun and such an amazing experience. Our guide Carter was the best! We are already planning our next trip ❤️❤️

Dan Huey

My family and I did the open air safari with Jodie as our guide. We all had an excellent time and I highly recommend checking it out. Jodie was a great tour guide. Her knowledge about the animals, conservation, and the history of the Wilds along with her great energy made the experience more engaging and educational. We saw so many endangered species thriving in the middle of Ohio thanks to the wonderful care they receive. I'm excited to return to do one of the more in-depth tours

Lura Davis

We were a party of 3 and so happy to finally visit THE WILDS! Our visit exceeded our expectations. A dream come true for me as I've wanted to come for years. Our Tour Guide and Driver JACK was so knowledgeable, kind, and funny too. Even with MS and mobility issues I was able to participate in most activities. There were wheelchairs in the one area where there were cheetahs + & a lot of walking. Can't wait to come again and maybe get closer to many animals on a special tour. We may try to stay. We brought a picnic for after our tour and there are lovely picnic areas and tables. EVERYONE SHOULD EXPERIENCE THE WILDS!!???????????????????????? 5☆+

Tj V

SO and I had a wonderful overnight (yurt) and Wildside tour. Both were fun and unique in their own way. The tour was well worth it and brought us up-close and personal with several animals. The difference between The Wilds and a zoo is analogous to the difference between a zoo and looking at pictures in a book. My only disappointment is that they didn't let me ride a rhino...

Dalton Bruggeman

First time visitors and did the Zipline Safari with Jackie and Jo, they were amazing and made the safari experience amazing will absolutely be back!

Erica Jo

Bucket list trip! We came here to celebrate our 15 year anniversary and it was everything we had hoped! The Safari is way too bumpy but that is my only complaint. The yurt was very cool and it is so nice to sit out at night was such a beautiful view! With dinner, dessert, breakfast, a two hour Safari, and a night in the yurt, it was all worth the money! We recommend if you want to save money to go Sunday – Thursday because it is cheaper. We want to go back and bring a group to stay at the lodge!

Melissa Pugh Newsom

Went zip lining for the first time and the tour guides were awesome. Beautiful place!

Fatema Fadlallah

Took my granddaughter for the day and we had a blast! She did the sunset zipline tour and we both did the open air daily tour. Our guides were very friendly and knowledgeable making both tours a lot of fun!

Megan Ingold

Amazing place to go. Kids really enjoyed seeing all the animals up close.

Kevin Straughter

I'm not an animal lover, but something must be said about being close enough to animals to feel them. It's like no other experience I've ever had.

Audra Alexander

This was a first family trip to the Wilds. We took the last tour of the day. Animals were all easily visible but this late in the day they were getting pretty tired. Still amazing and beautiful just not super active. Our tour guide, Bob, was just wonderful, full of knowledge and enthusiasm. You could tell he loved the park and was happy to share the little gems with you .

Jacob Lemons

Beautiful place to just get away and enjoy nature at its finest. Not only are the animals enjoyable to see, but the scenery is amazing as well! Highly recommended.

Denise Alawine

This place is spectacular! I was visiting from Alabama and had never seen anything like this. It's like you've literally entered another country while you're here. Great experience. Highly recommend it!

C. H.

Owned by the colombus zoo, this place is a great place for camping, fishing, zipline tours, off road 4x4 tours, bus tours, and seeing dangerous animals.

Abby Lyn

I highly recommend the sunset tour because animals are more active and seem to be around more at that time. Plus, you stop at the carnivore center and get to see some of the animals eat, which is way cool. Every time is a unique experience and I never get tired of coming here.

Paul Riddle

A great experience for the family. The animals are really neat to see and they provide very nice areas for them.

Vicky Love

Amazing experience! The staff there is awesome.

Sandi C

Loved our tour at the Wilds. It started out cold and rainy but that didn't take away from a great time. Saw lots of animals. Loved the setting. Hope to go back in the future and try one of the more in-depth tours.

Paige Stubbins

Highly recommend the Wildside Tour! The animals were beautiful and interactive! Our 11am tour guide (Captain K lol) made it an experience to remember! She was very knowledgeable and made it a fun time! Can’t wait to check out the rest of their attractions!!

Rodney Urton

Horse ride was a blast, the child really loved it. Guides were awesome. Everyone was super friendly and helpful.

Bellakyttie

I've been here about 3 separate times, it's really nice. The tour guides are really cool all the ones I had had very comedic personalitys. You ask a question about the animals at any point and they usually answer them. Once I was there on international rhino day or something like that. And got to pet a rhino and a little rhino day baseball cap. They care a bunch for the animals. Snacks are expensive but they go right back to the animals enrichments (toys & food). I heard there's ziplines that I've never gone on showing there's more then just my experience along with lodges and like cabins. They have a lot of animals that are extinct in the wild, but they give them a huge habitat to actually mimic the wild so when they release some they know how, compared to more enclosed zoos, which the tour guide told us, along with how only the wilds had rhinos that had gone into over 2 generations in captivity, they had 5 or 6. Overall a very enjoyable experience got to feed catfish for 25¢. 10/10

Michelle nolan

Zip line tour was really fun seen a few cool animals from the towers was a lot of fun

Pat Gosnell

Beautiful grassland pastures, awesome animals, and Don was a fantastic tour guide!

Kasie Lee

We could not have asked for a better experience! Our guide was awesome. Animals were all active and visible.

Brad McFadden

Wonderful place to take family to see animals up close. Tour guide was informative and friendly. Recommend the open bus tour. Enjoyed the cheetahs who lounged in the shade. Great scenic location in rural Ohio.

Dee Ann Pereyra-Lopez

Absolutely wonderful first time experience and our tour guide for the Safari was absolutely wonderful as well.

Evalyn XinQi Luo

did the wildside tour. Got to feed the rhinos and Giraffes ????. Worth the trip ????

tanise werner

This is truly 10,000 acres of awesomeness! I really enjoyed my visit and so did the rest of my party. Don our tour guide was very informative and entertaining and seeing the animals is so breath taking, many came up to us!

Michelle Wages

This place is so cool. We've done the open air safari a few times and it was always fun. This year we did the wild side tour and it was even cooler!! We fed the giraffes!! Up close with the rinos! My husband was bit by the ostrich!! This was definitely worth the money! We will come back and we definitely recommend it!

Frank Verney

The Wilds is an amazing facility with a great collection of wildlife. Hands down one of the best zoo/Safari that I have visited. The amount of space the animals have is amazing. The tour I went on was so informative and fun, Krystal my tour guide was amazing and fun. Great place to visit and will be coming back again.

Stephanie Freas

I adore the Wilds- a lovely place to visit that truly follows its mission of conservation. The animals are unique, and the tour guides are very knowledgeable.

Elizabeth Gibson

The Wilds is such fun! We went with rain and shine. Getting close to the ostriches was probably my favorite. We got to see zebras, giraffes, rhinos, wild dogs, deers, and so much more. I highly recommend going and taking the family. There are stops along the way to see animals, walk around, eat, and use the restroom.

clarissa Torres

it was ok,,,, maybe the day we went the animals just didn't move around that much , but we didn't see a lot.

R3DMANDOMINATES

Awesome place my wife and I have been twice now both great experiences. First time we did the regular safari which is a great time. The next time we did the upgraded more personalized experience we got to feed giraffes and had an awesome time up close with alot of interesting animals. If you are an animal lover it's just great to see animals with little restrictions and tons of room to run. Tours are over 2 hrs worth the money in my honest opinion. Next time we are going to stay at the lodge give that a try.

Elizabeth Pineiro

Nice "safari" experience! Loved it. Our driver, Taylor H. Was awesome ????!

Melissa Wolfe

We had an amazing experience at The Wilds. There was such a peace in the experience (as opposed to the sadness you sometimes pick up at traditional zoos). The animals have an abundance of room (the property is over 10,000 acres!) and really still function like wild animals. I’m convinced our guide (Bob) had a lot to do with the perfect visit. He was so kind and very knowledgeable! He was informative during our open air tour, but also delivered the information in a way that made it enjoyable and memorable. Before our tour we took the kids into the kids exploration area, which was great. They had bones, skulls, skins, old x-rays, and even little mulch areas where kids could dig for bugs. Each staff person we interacted with was super nice and knowledgeable. You could tell that they really love their job, which makes a big difference!

Renee Thorn

Our Tour Guide was an amazing retired teacher. Only downfall - Torrential downpour & the Wilds put the covered buses away so we had to take open buses back to the parking lot with frightened 2 & 3 year olds.

Miguel “Miggi” Hernandez

The largest safari in the Midwest. The Wilds has a few tours throughout its area. You can zip line the tour, horse back ride the tour, and be chauffeured throughout the tour. Some of the animals may approach you during the tours. They have exotic animals from around. Nice trip for the family to have fun and learn.

Frank Zeimetz

We seen it on the Disney+ and really wanted to come visit. We did the sunset safari and it was pretty dope. The animals come nice and close. The rhinos were great. Those friendly long neck giraffes. Would highly recommend.

Kelly Patrick

Such a fulfilling family outing and I thought the price was reasonable and well worth it

Tom McIntyre

Always an adventure at the Wilds!!!

Deborah Williamson

We loved our open air tour! Great guide/driver and so many things to see and do. We will be back for sure!

Matt Smith

Wow! Where do I begin? The place is amazing! It is a must see on a visit to central Ohio. The staff is great and the tour was amazing. The only draw back is cell service can be spotty otherwise this was an amazing experience!

Sean Grisez

Great adventure for the family. No need to go all out with hiking gear. Just dress for the weather and plan to only get a little dirt from the dust. It's a great time altogether.

Noelle

Tour guide was wonderful, and I got plenty of amazing pictures of the wildlife. Please don't bring your young toddlers on these tours. The roads are incredibly bumpy and we ended up spending 2 hours listening to a crying child, because she didn't like the bumps.

Bekki Joines

Love it!!! Would recommend this place to everyone, from the very old to the very young. I plan on coming back at least 2 times a year. Our tour guide, Alex B, was very knowledgeable about the animals and we even got roadblocked by a momma rhino and her baby!!! Truly awesome experience folks. All the animals are in great condition, if you've not seen the Wilds, you should go right now don't wait, load your camera and head out!

Michael Hahn

Excellent visit excellent zipline tour. All the staff are nice and friendly and my group had a great time. Just can't wait for my next adventure.

toanyonebutyou

Great experience with wildlife. Stayed in a yurt, was very comfortable. They have two types of tours, one on a bus with many people and one on a truck where you can actually feed the animals. If I had to do it over again I would have done the truck tour. The bus tour was awesome but the truck tour seems worth the cost.

Evelyn Pissarro

Such a great experience. Staff and guides are so friendly and accommodating. Wonderful learning environment for wild animal lovers.

Jessica Jeffries

We love how close you can get to the animals!

Sneha Mukherjee

My kids lovd d roaming animals around vehicles overall wonderful experience

Liz Bogucki

100% worth the money and the two hour drive for the Wildside tour. Our guide was Kristen. She was so knowledgeable and friendly... truly the perfect guide. She knew every answer to every question we asked and wanted to make sure we would have the best experience possible. It was So much fun to be so close to these animals. We will for sure be back!!

Shay Shayy

This was the best experience of my entire life. I'm in school to be a veterinary technician and I would LOVE to work with these amazing animals. They are flourishing with new babies arriving and have arrived! They all look happy and healthy and the guide that was with us on the wildside tour was EXTREMELY nice AND knowledgeable! I asked a lot of questions and she was very educated! I love that The Wilds is big on animal conservation and protection! Its so important! I will be back! I HIGHLY recommend the wildside tour!

John B.

The Wilds. Well if you do not go on a day that it is 94° outside, it is great. Now dont get me wrong, we had a blast, our Safari driver was great and very knowledgeable about the whole place and about the animals. Depending on what the animals are doing, they will walk right up to the bus. The ride is about 2 hours long and there are some very nice scenery that you can see, plus all of the animals. If you love wild animals and the out doors, then you have to go. There will be some dust along the way due to the Safari bus runs on gravel dirt roads. Buy you will enjoy.

Jody Dzuranin

We had an extraordinary visit to the Wilds. The tour guide shares interesting stories about the animals and provides background on how this unlikely location has transformed into North America's largest Animal Conservation area. Ohio's best attraction and reasonably priced.

James Erwin

It was like a once in a lifetime experience, except its affordable enough to take the whole family over n over. We have not had that much fun in a very long time. I even ran out of gas as we pulled in the parking lot and they gave me enough gas to make it to the station.

s p

We went on the horseback riding safari. The women working this morning were so helpful, patient and kind. We didn't dress warm enough and one of the workers let us borrow two coats, talk about hospitality. The ride itself was very relaxing filled with beautiful views, we'll definitely be back!

Norman Sohar

Wonderful time great guide. Food exceptionally good. Looking forward to returning with our grandchildren.

Tracey Lynn Eagleeye

I really enjoyed the people and animals, Don our drive was the best, and Jan at the bird house was so funny.

Nancy Blackburn

Definitely a must if you love animals and the excitement of being up close to the exotic species of the world. The Columbus zoo operates the Wilds so I trust that they are taking care of them and they are giving me a great experience. We loved the open air safari, 2 and a half hours of the wild animal tour. Try it!

Jessica Smith

We took our Mom for her mother's day gift! The tour was great! Connie our guide was funny and she taught us a lot! There are multiple types of tours you can take! We went on the open safari. It took just over 2 hours it was a great day!

Blake Zahradnik

Very fun tour, great for families or individuals. Our tour guide, Allison, was very friendly and knowledgeable about the wildlife

Robert Noe

A truly wonderful experience of seeing animals out in the open. The people were wonderful and my three toddler kids loved it! My family and I are definitely coming back.

Thomas Boehnlein

I had the most amazing day at The Wilds. The Wild Side tour, feeding animals, staying in the yurt, sitting out under the stars with my partner. Definitely something I will always remember.

Jay Plantz

Awesome time. Heather our tour guide was funny and personable. First time here. Would come again in a heartbeat! Would be cool if you built a giant wooden sign at entrance to first sallyport and make it look like Jurassic Park's entrance. Welcome to THE WILDS! we will be back and totally worth the drive! A+!

J Grimm

Awesome time! Loved getting up close with the animals.

Paula Lott

Up close and personal with so many unique animals. The driver/tour guide was entertaining and very knowledgeable. Will go again.

Katelyn Sciacca

Had so much fun! Went with family and it was a great experience! The gift shop has some cool stuff to purchase and look at, seeing all the animals was a great time, some of them will come right up to the bus lol, I took so many great photos of the animals and the great views of scenery. It is a very spacious place for all the animals to move around freely which I love! Bus was a little bumpy in some areas of the road but overall was a great ride on the bus.

Christopher Root

Really cool animals. Recommend the double cheeseburger at the Outlook. The open bus safari tour.

Ali Ugarte

Amazing much better than going to a zoo. Just remember to bring hats and sunscreen there is very little shade. Well worth the three hour drive to get there!

juana s

I always enjoy going here with the kids and learning more about the animals there. Word to the wise on the back seats in the open-air tour because it can get really bumpy.

Lisha Klein

Hanna was our Tour guide and she was amazing! We will definitely come back! I got to feed the giraffes ???? and the rhinos ????????????

Teresa Azbell-Scott

It was Beautiful. Very educational, and our tour guide was wonderful! We can't wait to go back!

Nidhi Saxena

Nice experience watching the wild animals up close. But I must say this place is only a little better than any other zoo. The wild dogs and cheetahs are kept in captivity. A good effort to bring the place as close as possible to these animals' natural habitat, but one can only do so much.

Randy Kunath. AfterAnotherAdventure

This was a wonderful day taking a open truck throughout the Wilds , our guide was great at getting close to the wild animals and speaking about their origins and habitats.

Mari Schroedinger

Booked the Sunset Horseback "Safari" for 2 people $140 plus $12 parking. It was a nice 2 hour ride, I saw a deer, a heron, and several monarch butterflies. How that counts as a safari I have no idea. They need to say upfront that the rides are across the road in a bird preserve. I have no idea what "herds" of animals we were supposed to see. Dinner was cold and really badly prepared. I'll eat pretty much anything if it's at least hot. Neither of us ate much despite being pretty hungry. And the kicker was they had another sunset tour come in after us and there wasnt enough space for everyone in the pavilion (the views were lovely) so we hard to share a picnic table with people we dont know, DURING COVID. Save your money for a bus tour. Plenty of better places to ride horses.

Tim Pleso

Absolutely amazing habitat for protecting and viewing endangered animals from around the world!

Jen

Always a fun time when we visit! Every single time is different and this time we didn't have as many up close animal interactions but, it was still a blast! Shu-shu is always fun to run into, though she was going to give a kiss to one of the quests this time she was so close! And the ostrich came right up & stuck their head in each window to hi to us all. The ride was bumpy but, it was worth it because the view is Breathtaking. Can't wait to go back & see what animals come up to say hi next time!

Tammi Mustar

Holly was our guide. She made our tour enjoyable and knowledgeable. We can't wait to go back to try the zipline tour and horseback riding tour. Thank you for a great day!

Ryan Santichen

Amazing experience. Will definitely be back. The animals are great to see in person. Our guide was also amazing and very helpful throughout the tour.

denise silva

Educational and fun! We have gone several times and learn something new each time.

Bethany Carter

Such a cool experience! I wish I could've pet the animals though!

Jacob Hookom

Great staff, extremely helpful, enjoyed our stay at the cabins here

Aaron Jenkins

Fun place to visit. Lots of area for the animals to roam. Staff was great.

Sathish Raj

Our toddlers enjoyed the ride.. worth going once..

Jessica Erskine

An amazing experience we won't soon forget. As our own tour started I worried we'd be seeing animals from great distances but in reality, we got some amazing up close encounters! HIGHLY recommend!!

Kimberley Henson

It's a great place to come and relax! Our driver Cassy was fun, full of laughter and made our tour eventful! The little ones have a lot to do to keep them busy while waiting on the next tour bus to come. All the staff was friendly! Cassy won me over!

Bonnie She

The most excellent adventure for everyone!! The entire staff are amazing & very accommodating! The zip line adventure was extremely memorable and fun! The open air safari was more than worth the admission and Jay was an excellent guide!! Highly recommend everyone visit this great place and support the animals and the conservation of the land!!!!

Mallory

It was a fun experience! My son enjoyed it. We should've rented binoculars to see the animals that were farther away but some came really close!

Ely Margolis

An incredible experience - worth a trip from Columbus or even out of state. The grounds and animals are expertly managed, they seem quite healthy and happy and very different outside of the zoo-context in which you would normally see a rhino or zebra. This is a great trip to take for anyone who can stand a few hours of bumping around on dirt roads in an open air bus.

Amanda Hykes

Very cool place to see animals up close and personal. With several different ways to explore you can get real close to the point it could Make you nervous. They offer zipline tours and even overnight adventures put you with the animals while you sleep.

Betsy Patterson

Wonderful day learning and having an adventure. Perfect addition to our zoo membership.

Carla Stewart

Awesome experience! Hubby surprised me for our anniversary with a trip to The Wilds. Jack Hanna and the Columbus Zoo have put a significant amount of work into making this place a success. Congrats!

Cynthia Valles

Very beautiful place! None of the animals have low energy like the zoo. You can tell they really enjoy there habitat, and they're just as curious about you as you are of them. It was very fun and the tour guides are very knowledgeable. The views are breathtaking. Love it, I will always recommend this place time and time again.

Nikk Spiert

What an amazing place! Rose (our tour guide) was the best, I wish we could have tipped. All the staff was very helpful and excited to be there! The animals themselves were very exciting and interactive, loved learning the history and reasoning behind then all. The half a school bus you ride around in is fun in it's own way! But if you can't handle a little dust and roadbumps, don't go. I do not recommend taking later tours (330pm or later) as most of the food and exhibits along the trail are closed or closing while your showing up. I am definitely interested in renting a cabin out on the property sometime on the future. If you get a chance to go; do it! You won't be disappointed. After doing the open air tour, I want to go back on a more exclusive tour in the pickup trucks where you can get a bit more up close with the animals. Thank you guys for an amazing job, we'll see you soon again!

Ben

It's quite a long trip to get there. And once you're on the tour, the majority of the tour is spent gazing at scenery, not the animals. I would recommend the personal tours that get up close which are significantly more costly.

Brittany Price

So cool to see all the animals. Great place to take your family. We had a blast and are already planning our next visit!

Maria Dagenfield

This place is amazing. The tour guide was great, I could really tell she enjoyed her work and yet took knowing the facts details fun facts etc very seriously and wanted to provide tourists with everything she knew personally. The fact that Ohio has such a beautiful place for these endangered animals to reside, reproduce, and roam is in itself amazing and makes it worth visiting and supporting. The only thing that someone may consider inconvenient is the parking/shuttle service. Definitely recommended to go on the tour, and if you have the money go back and experience all options. They have a zipline tour, horseback riding, stop and pet and see animals up close. Stay overnight do a sunset tour. It's amazing what they have to offer, and it's in boring old Ohio!! About 2 hours from Columbus I believe. Make it a weekend and stay at The Garland Hotel outside of the recommended hotels for tourists. Worth the extra distance and drive. Take the backroads it's a beautiful ride through the country

Derek Fawcett

My family took the basic bus tour and had a great time. It rained halfway through, which was the best thing that could have happened!! After the rain, ALL the animals came out and we're really active. We even got to see the cheetahs and painted dogs up close!! If possible, plan your visit during a rainy day so you will be able to see all the animals.

Avinash Jayakumar

It’s tough to describe something that’s so beautiful, well maintained and provides a connect with Mother Nature and all her other living creatures. We chose the wild tour, there was a bogo offer; so just had to pay 120$ for 2persons. We got little lost on our way and hence arrived about 10mins late of our scheduled tour time. Kristine was so amazing, she took a van for just us; and helped us meet with the tour. Not just that, on our way; she even stopped to show species of deer, and provided great insights about the place and how these animals are taken care of. Our tour guide was also fantastic. She patiently answered all our questions and it is very evident that she loves being with animals and taking care of them. We saw cheetahs, dholes in our carnivores stop. As part of the tour package, she took us to Rhino farm; and made us feed one of the baby Rhino and even pet all the Rhinos there - about 5-6 of them. It was an amazing experience; though these Rhino look so huge; they are so gentle. Once they knew we were petting them by rubbing their belly, their ear lobe - they were so calm and allowed everyone in our group to play wit them. Our final stop was at giraffe barn - we met Tuffy the giraffe - interestingly was the only one giraffe who allowed us to pet him. Our tour guide gave us lettuce to feed all these giraffes. Time flies when you’re playing with these animals. Kudos to The Wilds management and all their staff - they do an amazing work of preserving all these different species and that too by creating a natural habitat for them. We’re definitely coming back here in summer. This is a must visit spot; even if you’re not an animal lover, visit this place - it will surely change you for good. A must must visit habitat if you’re around Columbus

Garith Scott

If you have not been thee it is amazing you get to learn so much and see beautiful ani.als and the staff are so willing answer any questions you might have. If you have time I recommend the wild side get to feed alot of the critters!

M K

Wow. This is a veritable safari in Ohio. We took the wildside tour. It seems pricey at $125 per person, but we touched rhinos and giraffes and saw the wildlife just feet away. Our guide was super knowledgable and accomodating and it was wonderful fun. It is about an hour and 15 minutes away from Columbus, on small roads at times. They have also places to stay, rooms and yurts and is a must for conservationists and animal lovers.

donald wilkinson

We actually saw The Wilds by ziplining thru the park. Has a wonderful time.

Maureen Pulkkinen

Such an amazing place. Our group of four had a great time at the Wilds. The animals were so close it was tough at times to get a good picture. We are lunch there at the cafe, burgers and chicken was very good. We are go in ng back with our grandkids when they visit and I can't wait!!

jennifer dusenbury

The drive out there is a little crazy, but it's a beautiful ride. I didn't get to go on the open air Safari ran out of time but can't wait to go back and try it.

Wendy Rutter

This is a lot of fun! You take a bus from the parking lot up to the welcome center, where you then board an open-air bus for a 2 hour drive around the land. There are a few stops where you can get out and look around. The scenery is beautiful and it's very cool to see packs of wild animals in a natural setting. There is a little restaurant and nice gift shop and observation patio at the end of the tour, and the view is stunning! I'd recommend taking the first or last tour of the day so you have a better chance of the animals being out and active.

Kerry Monce

Really fun adventure. The animals were cute. Had a great time with the family. Staff was friendly.

Pat Evans

Have you ever fed a giraffe? Have you ever EVER petted a rhino?? Well... WE DID AND OH MY GOSH.... the experience was well worth it for the extra cost for the Wild Side Tour!! Our guide Jordan was very knowledgeable and kind and was simply an AWESOME lady!! Even though it was chilly with a misty rain, we would do it all over again. Get there people, you will not be disappointed for sure!! I will renew my membership for sure. Enjoy the pictures ????

Pamela woolum

Had a great time , our bus driver Darwin was awesome !!!!!

D.J. Hans

We love the Wilds. We purchased a family pass as well as a Columbus Zoo pass. Since purchasing our pass we have went four times and it is different every time. Each time our tour drivers have been top notch and very personable. We have never had a bad experience!

Robert Wichtermam

The weather cooperated to a point and the ???? came down. The tour guide was excellent (Keke). The animals were as cooperative as the weather.

Marcia Shaffer

so happy to have lois for our tour guide. she was AMAZING!

Nana73 Carol

This was a wonderful experience! I definitely want to go back to this place again. It is expensive but it is worth it. I would love to go there and go on the zipline sunset tour. The animals are most unusual. The guy we had was very very knowledgeable. It was a great time for my best friend and I to get away and see something we haven't seen before. Well worth the trip and the landscape there is absolutely gorgeous. It made you feel like you are on Safari!

Venkatesh Srinivasaiah

Loved the safari, especially rhinos and giraffes.

Kurt Peters

The Wild's was a great animal park. There should be more like this. Looking forward to returning

David Marschke

Not worth the trip. The route they suggested was horrible. Poorly put together. Tour driver was very very good and exceptional nice.

Pam Alflen

Even tho it rained just as we were going to start, after a short wait, we were able to continue. Guide was most helpful. Will definitely be back! ????

Marcy Matthews

My new favorite place. I cannot believe the work that the Wilds is doing not only for the aniamls in their care but the amazing partnerships with the Columbus Zoo, Alaska, China, etc and their commitment to land reclamation. They have a few aniamls I have never heard including the Dhole and Sichuan Takin. The Scimitar-Horned Oryx which has been extinct in the wild since the mid 1970s will be reintroduced in the next few years thanks to the Wilds. Seeing a rolling hillside with a herd of wild bison or a crash of rhinos (yes a group of rhinoceroses is a crash) is something a picture cannot do justice. All of my kids had a blast. I am so happy we bought a membership!

Angie S

Absolutely amazing day. The sky was blue, the sun was shining and the temperature was perfect. The place is absolutely beautiful and everything is so clean! The staff is very friendly and very accommodating. Layla was our guide and she was so down to earth and willing to answer questions as well as honestly admit when she didn't know an answer. The animals were all beautiful. I didn't want my experience to end. Will definitely be back.

Heather Golembiewski

It was an amazing experience . If you can stay in one of the yurts so cool we could see the animals from the deck! Staff is great.

Jeff Bandy

The tour was great and we good weather

Karen McGowan

We went to celebrate my daughter's birthday. Had a great time! Rosie, our guide, made the open air safari a really good time, lots of information along with lots of laughs. Can't wait to go back. ????????????????????????

ellen hickey

fun place to go to, took my friend and drove 2.5 hours to come here! super fun, only problem was when we got there to pay for the tickets, the first girl was having issues with my card due to the internet going out, but after they knew the internet went out, she asked what my name was to make sure it was my card? the second girl with her questioned why she would ask that and the first girl said she just wanted to make sure and laughed. i know this is not a procedure you guys do and i’m not sure why she felt the need to do clarify the names…

Cheryl Suich

Excellent, Excellent...took the Wildside Tour in the pick up truck with seats. You can stand or sit. This tour is worth the extra money. The animals seem to be very happy in their living environment. Great to see a place like The Wilds. Thanks to everyone, the staff, and the organizations for supporting such a wonderful place.

William Bachofer

The Wilds was AMAZING!! Yhe entire experience was one of the best I have every had it this type of facility. Our tour guide Hanna was amazing and extreemly knowledgeable.

Terry Ray

Seeing all the animals was amazing. The wild dogs were awesome. The young cheedas were very playful. Bit of a bumpy ride.

Joshua Wagner

My wife and I have a membership and yesterday was my first time going. The ride was like going out of the atmosphere it was so bumpy. But other than that, you do get surprisingly close to several animals. It's important to remember that this is a wildlife conservation that does tours, not a zoo. Don't expect the same kinds of amenities. They do have a café stop in the middle of the tour and some bathrooms, but don't expect child play areas and snack shacks, etc. Good day trip and fun for everyone. Make sure your kid can stay seated for the majority of the experience though.

Sharon Wooldredge

We stayed overnight in one of the yurts. We went on the open air safari, went horseback riding, and did the 10 zipline course. Everything was fun, and well run. The yurt is cute, comfortable, and a unique experience. We went for it anniversary, and it was a very special trip. Everyone we met that worked there was very nice and professional. I highly recommend for a fun day trip, or an overnight "glamping" experience that, with the animals, you can't get anywhere else!!

William Zeisset

Great place to visit to up close and personal with endangered wildlife!

Regina Duncil

This is a great place to visit! It is so pretty there! Lots if animals to see!

Mary Spencer

Great bus driver. Saw some of the animals very close. Saw the black rhino with her baby from last year and the white rhino with her new baby.

Kim Nutter

The Wilds is an amazing place to see! I highly recommend the sunset safari. You can get very close to the animals while riding in an open air safari bus. Our guide Lois was very knowledgeable and will answer any questions you may have about each animal. The Wilds also has a magnificent breeding program to ensure no species in their care will become extinct.

Jonathan Bukey

The Wilds offers a unique experience with friendly and knowledgeable staff. An experience at The Wilds is largely dependent upon the weather and what the animals decide to do on any given day so it varies. When we went on our safari, the animals were out and right near the path. The driver did a nice job of answering questions, and nothing felt too fast or too slow. The gift store has some unique items like walking sticks that the giraffes have peeled the bark off of. For those who don't like the idea of zoos, The Wilds is very different. The work they do for conservation is excellent, and they continue to have huge success in their endeavors. This is probably the best of its kind in North America.

Kevin Doepker

We rented a cabin at straker lake in early december - absolutely beautiful, did the winter at the wilds barn tour and it was amazing! Hanah was incredibly knowledgeable and we can't wait to come back in the spring/fall! Amazing place, and they do such good work! Also, the accommodations are top notch! Worth every penny and more!

J S

This was an absolutely fantastic experience with our kids. Having grown up 2.5 hours away, I can't believe that I haven't been here sooner. The diversity of animals, beauty of the reclaimed land and amenities make this a great event. I highly recommend this for kids and adults alike!

Nic

I truly love going here. The animals look like they're well taken care of. It's a really nice experience. The tour is about 2.5 hours and the tour guides are great! They offer different types of tours, but I usually choose the bus tour for 30.00. If you google discounts for the wilds, you can save 10.00 per admission, like I did. It's very beautiful here and sometimes, the animals are close by, so you get a good view of them. Great place!

Carmen Friday

We spent the night in a Premium Yurt which was a magical experience. We participated in the Open Air Safari and the Wild side Tour. Our dinner and breakfast options were delicious. We got to see the three week old rhinoceros with her mother, Sonja. The tour guides were fun and knowledgeable. Well worth every penny!

Nichole Armstrong

It's such a nice escape to go experience. They have a great layout across the many acres. Most of the animals get close to your safari vehicle, which is awesome. There are two pit stops along the way for you to get out, stretch your legs, and see more animals. Highly recommend checking them out.

David Southworth

We did the open air safari and had a blast! It was a 2 1/2 hour tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and funny. It was so nice to see and learn about the animals while they were roaming around instead of being in cages. The road on the tour is pretty bumpy so be prepared but the overall experience was wonderful.

Margaret Mullins

The Wilds is a good family day trip. Probably not for a child still in a car seat since the tour ride is very bumpy and long. My active 5 yr old was hot and tired by the end. The tour guides and volunteers are very friendly and knowledgeable. The gift shop is nice and has some nice quality items. They didn't have any child sized Wilds tshirts when we visited, but did have plenty of adults. Bring water on the tour. There is a restaurant, but honestly the food is expensive and terrible. You're better off packing a picnic to eat before or after the tour. There are several nice parks nearby to enjoy, Burr Oak and the Jesse Owens Park.

Kim Ice

Definitely worth the drive from Columbus!! We did the open air bus. Had a great driver that was very knowledgeable about the animals. Not too long, not too short. Great experience!

Kelli Bailey

The Wilds is a great place to go see animals in an open setting. It is organized really well and the staff is really friendly and knowledgeable.

Rebecca Dailey

I had a wonderful visit to The Wilds and can't wait to visit again. I took my daughter for her birthday. We did the basic tour on a tram, a driver/guide takes you around the grounds and explains the various animals. There are frequent stops for restroom visits and to see other exhibits on the tour. Sometimes the animals will come pretty close to the tram, but do not try to touch (safety). We got to see the baby giraffe calf from a little distance! I hope to take the Wildside tour the next time we visit. Since I will very likely never get to Africa for a safari, this is a good place to have a similar experience but more affordable

Kimmarie Baker

We stayed in the Premium Yurt #9 so relaxing. No WiFi in #9 and no TV. Beautiful view. Has A/c and heat. Staff was very friendly. I highly recommend staying at the Wilds. They do have regular cabins with TV on a lake. The Safari was awesome. Our tour guide, Hannah was super sweet and we learned alot of info about the Wilds.

Michael Sharp

Well worth the cost. Amazing to see animals like that. The tour was over 2 hours with an extremely knowledgeable tour guide. Dress appropriately for the weather.

Peter LaBianca

Love this place! Our tour guide, Krystal, was a real gem. She provided good educational info without making it dry - she helped make the trip enjoyable!

Chelsa Lee

I think this place is doing a great thing by saving animals but it is definitely not for small children. We learned the hard way that our children were so bored sitting in a bus.

Eric Duranti

Went on the Wildside tour wonderful experience, very knowledgeable staff. Animals where a little lazy due to the heat but can't blame them for that.

matt reeder

Amazing experience , they not only save animals but all the land was a mining operation and now is beautiful. Really enjoyed the day there.

Cathy Downing-King

Incredible! The staff were great and the animals --- OMG! It's beautiful, well run, the animals are just absolutely perfect.

Tiffany Swartz

Great staffing who were so helpful and knowledgeable. The food was delicious off the one stop. My group of 9 had an amazing time! We will definitely go again.

Rob Pettet

Nice facility. Great people working there. All of them were friendly and helpful. Had a great time. Did the Wildlife Safari. Met the animals up close, including the white rhino and the giraffe. Great trip for all ages.

Kim G

One of the largest wildlife preserve of it's kind. Families can go on safari in Ohio. Open air bus rides, rain or shine, are 2.5 hours. Visitors will see giraffes, rhinos, cougars, dholes, and more. There are several stop with bathrooms along the way. At the end is a concession area and gift shop. The overnight yurt stay is a lot of fun as well. There is currently a week day discount. The overnight includes the safari, dinner, breakfast, and parking.

Alicia M.

Very open and beautiful facility. It is well organized from your arrival to the parking area all the way through your return there. We've been there a couple of times to take the open-air bus tours. The bus tour drivers are exceptionally friendly and knowledgeable about all the animals at the Wilds. You can have (but doesn't always happen) close animal encounters near your tour bus but you are not allowed to touch the animals. Even though it is a two hour bus tour, it's broken up well with two stops throughout your tour ride (with snack options and bathrooms available). The buildings and the grounds have always appeared well kept. The views here are are amazing as well, especially the overlook area. It offers a more quiet, laid back, and relaxing atmosphere.

shelli lipfert

The open air safaris are awesome. Our drive Don was great and you get a close view of the animals, some of which are extinct in the wild.

GBM Mays

Awesome experience. Our guide Crystal was very knowledgeable & kind.

Gretchen Riedel

Awesome! All the kids loved it! My favorite part was the bird house! But..very far out. Some places you couldn't get a signal on your phone! Very long drive, but definitely worth it!

Darlene Mis

Such a great place to go. We took the Wilds Tour. Our pick up truck held 12 people in the back. Seats were comfy. We got up close to the animals and were able to touch some. Closest to an African safari I'll ever be on. Well worth the money.

Larry Holtcamp

The Wilds is an awesome animal experience. A must visit place if you love wild life.

David Striffler II

Loved this adventure, went on the open air safari and was able to see and get close to the animals.The Ostrich even stuck its head in the seating area of the bus !

Reese Martin

The Wilds is not only beautiful and a wonderful family experience, it also is a lovely way to make education fun and exciting. The guide was extremely knowledgeable and her timing was perfect. The tour gave just enough time to see everything and get great pictures.

Julie Wilson

I would totally recommend NOT doing the "open air tour "on a rainy day! We have been going to the Wilds since 1999! My family loves it! Awesome views, very knowledgeable and interesting tour guides! Plus, don't forget the coolest animals ever!

Robert Michaels

Awesome park to see exotic animals in a native habitat. Educational and fun. Nice facility and lots of good folks that make sure your visit is great.

Pamela Ellis

Fun and informational, guide was excellent. We came in mid afternoon and seen lots of animals

Joseph Luebbe

I only really have two complaints number one we stayed in a yurt and the bugs were staying in there with us. Something very large bit me on the knee during the night hard enough that it woke me up out of a sound sleep. But I guess you have to expect those types of things when you stay in a yurt. But during our brief stay of one night I literally killed 65 bugs in our yurt. I doubt I got a fourth of them. And my other complaint was really my wife's complaint and not mine that we didn't get to see many animals up close when we took the tour on the bus they were all pretty far from us. So unless you want to see the animals up close as in very close or if bugs really get to you I wouldn't recommend it but it was a very enjoyable experience besides those two things. Just make sure you bring a lot of bugs spray for when you try to sleep at night. The staff was very nice very courteous everything seemed to be very well taken care of the staff was also very knowledgeable about anything you could ask him for tanning to The Wilds. We met a few very nice people and we didn't really meet anybody that was nasty or mean in any way. We will be back and we will bring a lot of bug spray. I do recommend it.

Beth Hall

We had Traci as our guide she was awesome!! Very knowledgeable, very patient with my son who had lots of questions and lots of info to share with her. Was a 10 and 3/4 rate from my 7 year old. Once in a life time tours. Well worth out flight and time

Aaron Kaufman

What a great time! The tour was amazing thanks to Korah-her commentary on the animals, property, and history of The Wilds added some fun information for us to better experience the tour! It was awesome to get a little closer look into wildlife in their open habitat than zoos allow

Keli Tudor

Kelly, our driver, was awesome! She never made the trip feel rushed. We did the open air safari with a 7 year old and 4 year old. Both enjoyed it. I would have liked a little more time at the two stops we made. We loved the feeding the birds! The kids enjoyed the mining. Would definitely return and try the wildside tour. We rented binoculars for 5 bucks each. We rented two pair and had 4 in our group. I would recommend renting them for the open air tour for the animals that are not up close.

Dan Sharp

Was I glad I went? Yes Would I go back? Not at that price Just too expensive for the variety of animals,the best ones are all at the proper zoo

Diane T

Awesome place to visit to learn about some unique animals and conservation efforts to save the species. Cody was our guide on the Secrets of the Zoo Wildside Tour and we had a phenomenal experience. I recommend a visit to the Wilds to everyone.

Kenneth Hancock

Hands down one of the best experiences I ever had. We will be back. I brought my daughter here for her 7th birthday for an open air safari. Don was an amazing guide. The rhinos were right next to the road.

Mickey G

We've gone twice in 3 months and can't wait to go back. Took the Wildside Tour both times. Worth every penny!

Trey W.

More people need to know about this gem in Ohio. A must see for animal lovers and conservationists. Especially with kids. Sitting on over 10,000 acres of reclaimed land, you will be exposed to animals you can not see anywhere else.Their conservation and care of the animals is top-notch. The open air tours have breaks with the option to get off the bus This allows parents of preschoolers and toddlers to expend energy. For parents of preschoolers and toddlers it's all about energy management. There's even an option for food midway through the tour. You will be amazed how how close you can get to the wildlife and the variety of the wildlife. Only one caution, not a complaint. If it's late in the year, get an earlier tour, sometimes the animals have to be sheltered and you don't want to miss them. They shelter some of the animals if the weather will dip below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The Wilds is some distance from popular eateries, so factor that into your planning, but the food served there is great for young kids and their parents and grandparents. Because of the variety of animals you will enjoy a return visit every tour is different. Must see!

Tina Walker

It was very interesting and I saw animals that I have never seen before who many of them have been saved from becoming extinct. I really was impressed

Paul May

What a great day! Lots of cool animals roaming about, Baby freaking Rhinos! And Rosie was an excellent fun tour guide! Totally worth the drive!

Patty Robinson

Very amazing. Our guide was very knowledgable about the animals and the history of the Wilds. Great place to visit.

don vandersall

It depends on how lucky you are that the animals are close to see. Bring binoculars to make the experience better and expect a rough bus ride

Countryside Campground

Very neat experience. Open air ride in the bus was awesome. Our guide was very knowledgeable and stopped to let people see the animals and take pictures. Would be a great overnight stay in one of their accommodations.

Casey S.

My fiancé and I decided to take a trip to The Wilds today, and it was amazing. I'm so glad the employees care about the animals and not just have them for show. The fields were huge, so the animals had plenty of room to roam. We were able to get a glimpse at an animal getting surgery for a check up, which was interesting. Kiki, our tour guide, was phenomenal and very personable. She answered questions in a respectful manner and truly has a passion for wildlife. We wish her the best in college! All the employees were great, and will definitely be back.

Kent Scantlin

Every one of the staff we dealt with were friendly and welcoming. The safari was wonderful. Our driver was Darian, and she was terrific. My wife is hoping sometime to return with other family.

Cassandra Friend

The staff handled my nephews melt down today! They did everything they could to not let autism win. Thanks to our bus driver Hannah who called for a gentleman who came to pick him up and take him to the car. And thanks to him for offering all resources to diffuse the situation.

Amanda DeRussy

We had such a great time - our tour guide Ms Victoria was so sweet and gave GREAT information about the animals. She had amazing patience with our two small kids and made our daughter's birthday very special! Our son even said when we were leaving that he was going to miss her! We got great, up-close views of lots of animals and had the best day ever - can't wait to go back and try one of the many other opportunities they offer there!

Jon Jonson

Best experience ever Must spend the xtra money and rake the jeep up close and take the after 5 trip Animals move more

Sally Riggs

We had a really good time and our tour guide was super! We didn't realize the other activities that you can do

Mark Reiff

Better than any zoo and well worth the trip. The Wildside tour is a must; you hand feed animals right next to you or in the truck! We stayed at a cabin which was wonderful. They sleep 8 and have 2 full baths and a full kitchen. Bring food as there is not much around unless you drive back to Zainesville.

George Myers

The Wilds is such a great place! My family has had a membership for the last 4 years and we have visited every year. The Wilds has never disappointed - our experience has been memorable and different each time. We have seen baby zebras (one jumped around in what looked like a dance), watched the cheetahs eat lunch, had an ostrich peck the back of one of our phones and had a giraffe block our way out of one of the pastures for a bit. The gorgeous land and helpful, friendly staff are the icing on top of the cake. I highly recommend The Wilds to anyone who enjoys animals. If you do visit, get ready for something you would never expect to find in rural Ohio!

Barbara Sweet

Wonderful experience. So much like being on an African Safari.????

Alan Shepard

I was going through some photo's from June of 2018. Our visit here will always be one of our favorites. I took this photo "From the Eye of a Giraffe" from about 8 to 10 feet away. The open air tour was amazing and our guide was very informative. The actual photo was of the entire head, this is just a segment of that photo.

Tiffany Barton

The Wilds never disappoints! Such a beautiful wildlife conservation park with some pretty special animals!

Donna Pushka

What a great place. They are doing research on animals reintroducing animals back into the wild plus education. Staff very knowledgeable about animals here. Tours were great. Take wild side tour if you can it was amazing

Sam Helmick

We love this place. Have a season pass and can't say enough great things about this place, the staff and what they are doing for these animals!

lisa Varhola

The animals and the beauty of the land is amazing! Incredible staff!! A very peaceful place to be!! The wildside tour is the best way to get up close with the animals.

Cathy Johnston

It was great experience. Saw lots of animals up close to our vechile

Ides of March B

Very cool experience! Definitely in the middle of nowhere but worth the drive.

Suzette Wagner

We had an incredible time at the Wilds. The staff was very friendly & they all looked like they loved their jobs. The Wilds Safari was one of the most amazing tours we have ever been on. Our guide Matthew made sure that our experience was top notch. Even though it took us 5 hours to get there, it was well worth the trip.

Andrew Doering

A lot of fun. The tour was nice. The stops were a little rushed but the experience is unmatched.

Rick Miller

We didn't take the tour yet, but walked the grounds and what a cool place. Employees are beyond nice.

Mary Adkins

Wonder place to visit. The tour guide gave information about all the animals and was friendly. The park is huge with so many species of animals. Being able to get up close with each of them was fun. My husband, friend and I really loved the experience.

Julia Hiser

My family had a great time here. It was definitely worth the money. I was a bit worried when we had an older gentleman as our driver and tour guide, but he ended up being the best one for sure. They're all very knowledgeable and take time to answer all your questions. Very safe as well. It's so cool that the animals can just come right up to your bus. I was pecked at by two different ostriches and that made for some cool and funny memories. Will definitely go back.

paul drake

Wonderful experience! Not only were the animals incredible to see, the entire property is beautiful! Hard to believe it's in little old Ohio! Every single staff member I interacted with was kind, helpful, and knowledgeable. Worth every penny!

Akira White

The wait time for this safari was ridiculous! I was really looking forward to it... there has to be a better way to ensure that ALL who desire to participate actually get a chance to!

Rodney Hook

Amazing experience! Perfect day trip getting away right here in Ohio. Everyone should go at least once and pairing this with a Columbus Zoo members makes it that much better.

Jacquelyn Ward

Very fun day trip. It is nearly a 2 hour drive but worth it. We did the open air tour on the big busses. The website says to get there 30 minutes early and you really do need to do that between parking and getting to the right bus. Staff are very friendly and knowledgeable. Out tour guide was Josh and he was a lot of fun. We got to get pretty close to several of the animals. A lot of them are different than the ones you see at the zoo but some are the same too. My daughter is 9 and even though it was extremely hot and we were sweating like crazy, we had a great time and learned quite a bit about these animals. It was a very fun trip and well worth the drive. I hope to go back again but to do the horseback or the wilds tour.

D Bbach

Very cool experience. It's actually a nice break from all the walking of the zoo and it feels a little more intimate with the animals they have. Staff is pretty friendly. My only gripe, if you can call it that, is that they don't give you very long at the stops. But since the tour is over two hours, I understand you can tie up everyone all day

Dana Loretto

My family and I had a took an open air safari at The Wilds in Cumberland, Ohio. It was a lot of fun riding through the park seeing so many different kinds of animals. Our tour guide, Scott, was friendly and informative.

Timothy Shaner

Its great seeing wild animals from all over the world in a place where they have space to roam.

Dan Johnson

This is one of those times when the phrase really applies, "You had to be there"!!! We saw exceptional animals in a majestic spacious setting! Thanks AEP for reclamation of these coal mining lands, and for gifting them, because "The Wilds" team of experts are making the best of the opportunity! I'm glad I bought the membership as I can come back, plus the discounts! Seriously come see for yourself!

Nancy N

I love seeing that the animals had so much area to roam around and run if they want to. Our tour guide Lois was wonderful, super friendly and sweet. We went on a super hot day, don't think I will be doing that again. My daughter enjoyed seeing the animals. It was a great experience. Will definitely be back.

Kassie Bevier

Trina and Jackie were the BEST guides for the zip line course! They made it so easy, fun and carefree! My husband and I had the best time! Would recommend this to anyone!

Nicole Reid

Such an unknown gem in Ohio that needs to be recognized! You can zip line, horseback ride and take small tours to get up close with the animals. Awesome for all ages and the tour guides are seriously awesome !!

Michaela Himes

My family, fiancé, and myself came to the Wilds over the summer. We were all so impressed! The facility is well taken care of & the animals seem to be happy, & hearty! Most enclosures have animals that look nearly skin & bone. It’s nice to see stocky animals, well fed! Our guide for the trip was a hoot! She made the trip 10x more fun & interesting. We grabbed some food there as well & a few sweaters, we all plan to return for the zip line!

Linda Vierow

Wonderful experience at the Wilds. The outdoor bus tour was conducted very safe. Everyone is required to wear a mask and social distancing was enforced. Bus seating was staggered and limited to maintain distancing. Great guide was very knowledgeable and fun!

SUSAN Dora

Enjoyable afternoon for the money. Wish the mom of 8 had more control of the 14yr old boy that wouldn't shut up so we could hear the guide. But nice day despite them.

Tracy Lamb

My son and I went and a ostrich came right up to us and stuck her head right in the bus! Amazing! Do it you will be glad you did!

nancy b

Definitely recommend! Please be prepared for a bumpy ride. I would advise a morning visit, the afternoon is for napping. I enjoyed the gift shop and the prices were affordable. The profit is for the animals. Remember to bring sunglasses and binoculars! Next visit should be ziplining!

Joseph Simmons

Awesome! Better then going to the zoo, it's a guided tour around a wildlife preservation on a bus and so much cheaper than a day at the zoo! Plus you get to ride around on an open air bus so you don't have to walk the entire time like you would at the zoo, they make it fun with the stops along the way to feed the fish and birds and other animals!!

T S

Great family place to visit. Loved seeing all the animals and the stories about them. Don is a wonderful guide and very engaging through the whole tour. Would love to do an overnight stay or send our son to the camp they offer.

Ambrea M

This was my first open air safari ride experience. The staff were very friendly and seemed to enjoy what they do. Our guide was extremely informative and upbeat. This was very refreshing seeing animals in an environment more natural as compared to a typical zoo setting. We are glad we visited The Wilds!

Kari Spiert

This place is a must see, so beautiful and peaceful. Maddison was our tour guide and she was very knowledgeable and awesome. We had the best time, if you never been, you should go.

Kara Ault

Positively wonderful experience! Got the opportunity to stay in a yurt. Accommodations were amazing, tasty dinner, and wonderful staff!! I had pork and my wife had the steak both great! Our tour guide Laura had a great sense of humor and provided an exceptional tour of the grounds. Very peaceful and serene!

Theresa Young

Employees care that you're there. Want you to have a great time so you will want to come back. Enjoyed seeing all the animals. Wish they were closer.

Shay

We took the family here Friday for the 10 Am safari, our guide was Molly and she was great. This place is awesome My kids are 10 and 14 and they loved it as did my husband and I . It was great to see all the animals everyone was so nice. Our guide Molly was very nice and knowledgeable about everything. I just Wish it wasn’t so hot so that maybe the camels and the zebra would have been a little closer for us to see. The only thing i would Like to see change is more time at the two stops. You definitely need more than 15 minutes at the birds and the fish especially with the Hill you have to walk up and to to see the fish. 15 more minutes at this stop would make it much better. Also you need another 15 minutes at the carnivores. If they added and extra half hour to the safari so you could get 15 more minutes at each stop, it would make it perfect. But in all I would Recommend this tour.

Kathy Arnold

Had a wonderful time. Tour guide Lois was great. Only thing was the feed sticks for the parakeets. There was only about 3 seeds on the sticks. Seriously!

Ross Desimone

Excellent 2 1/2 hour ride. Take the wild side tour you get up close to the animals. Alot more pricey but well worth the money.

Scott Phelps

Just had a great day at The Wilds. Took the Wild Side tour in the pickup bed and got up close to lots of animals. Petted and fed Sonya the rhino, petted and fed Toughy the giraffe, fed (didn't pet!) the ostriches, and got up close (way off road) to the many other animals in the park. Great experience. Great young lady was our guide today. Good hamburger later at their grill and ate out on the patio that looks over the beautiful landscape. Also had a coupon for a discount (which never hurts) so look for those.

Dragon Fly

We had an amazing time here. The bus ride was bumpy. The driver is also a tour guide and ours did a wonderful job of telling us about the animals. It can be very sunny on the ride. The bus would stop to get good views of the animals, all animals on the ride part are herbivores. There is a carnivore house that is a self guided tour. The carnivore house is also a place to eat, they do offer donatos pizza here. The main dining facility is the standard park food and located at the entrance. The tour takes about two hours. Other things offered (some age restrictive) include night tours, over night camping, zipline tour, and a smaller truck ride tour. It was a day well spent and we had a great time.

Ken Brown

This park is amazing! My only suggestion is to bring a rump donut to sit on. The roads are a little bumpy!

Tina Musselman

We went to The Wilds yesterday and had Rosie as our tour guide. We love watching the TV show behind the scenes at the zoo so I brought my kids to see the animals. WELL WORTH IT! We may have gotten lucky but we saw all of the animals up close. Rhinos passing in the front and back of the bus. Giraffes right beside us. The ostrich poked his head in and tried to eat the seat in front of us. Truly amazing. Rosie was a fantastic guide. Knew so much and has been there 20 years and still sits in awe as the animals come up to the bus. Things to know 1. Get there earlier than your tour or plan on staying later. We made it just in time, but wish we had time to sit there, eat lunch and enjoy the outdoor patios overlooking the grounds. Then it rained so we did not stay after. 2. Print or screenshot the instructions they recommend using. There are several miles with out cell service connection. Was a wonderful trip, well worth the drive.

Helen Brabham

Close and personal trip to see mainly African animals in an open habitat.

Jackie Drake

Really enjoyed both the open air tour and the wildside tour. The yurt was a fun experience and dinners were delicious and plentiful.

Felicia Smith

Spectacular! We will definitely be back! So glad we got a membership!!! The guide was so fun and informative.

Linda Wesseler

Amazing wildlife conservation center on reclaimed strip mining land.

Todd Neff

Great visit and everyone was social distancing and it was amazing seeing the animals so close.

Amy Jackson

Wonderful

Mike Gallagher

We were taken there by our friends from Kentucky. They had seen The Wilds on National Geographic TV and wanted to see it in person. We went up on July 22nd. My first thought was this was not going to be enjoyable. Was I wrong! Our your guide, Don, made this a great adventure. He was very knowledgable and answered all the questions from the people. He also added some levity to the tour during the times we had between gates. If you are interested in a fun adventure and "some close encounters" then this is the place. Kids will enjoy it. The more wild animals are in fenced in areas to protect the people and the other animals. You won't see lions, tigers, or other like species, as this is a place for endanger animals. And Don, I'm still waiting. I will recommend this adventure to everyone!

Kathy Gibble

The wild is one of the most interesting places we've ever been. Many wild animals that you don't get to see very often. We went on a tour and it was interesting because it rained buckets but we still continue to tour.there are tours you can go on where you can actually feed the animals we chose not to do that. The gift shop was fun and had nice things in it.

Peter Xu

Great tour. I believe the giraffes have gone in due to the cold so you can't see them for a while, but there are plenty of other amazing animals to see.

Vinay Krishna

Open air safari, wildlife tours, zip line are some of the adventures offered at the wilds, which they say is the largest conservation center in the USA. Overnight packages available. Advance booking recommended.

angela whitley

The staff is great, the scenery was pretty. We did the sunset trail ride we did would have been lovely except, my horse would not stop grazing. I fought with it almost the whole way. This was my 6th time trail riding. I have never had that ridiculous of a horse. It was sweet but stubbornly only wanted to eat. Fighting a 1400 lb animal for 2 hrs was exhausted and sucked all the fun out of it!

Brandy Kelley

Really cool experience for the whole family. We loved it as much as our kids did. Our tour guide was funny and knowledgeable

Lisa Vogel

I highly recommend the Sunset Tour by Horseback. Our guides were Cara and Riley. Very nice young ladies. They made sure everyone enjoyed their time and shared information on the area. I wish we had planned on making a day of it and gone on the bus tour first, but we will be back.

mike bski

Great for the whole family. They have a kid's adventure area while waiting for the next bus. Can't wait to go back.

Helena Eschrich

Wonderful experience seeing the animals roam free. We took the pickup truck ride where we got to feed and pet some animals. Great experience and fun. Very educational. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable. We did this twice and second time stayed in a Yerk Highly recommended if you enjoy animals and want hands on adventure

Josh Bryant

Was an amazing place and it had great views saw all kinds animals kids had a great time. You could really get some great pics

Shelly R

Great program great experience for adults and children

Katy Super

Fantastic experience. Up close with amazing animals.

NJ Sonick

Let's just say if you want the family to have a great day of togetherness, you will love it. About an 2 hrs on some bumpy road so you might want to bring a pillow. Stops are made for you to stretch and grab a bite. The animals are beautiful and unique and come right up to open bus to say "hello". Make reservations because they do fill up. I'm 71 yrs young and enjoyed every minute ????

Eileen Crowe

The Wilds had been on my bucket list for like 3 years and it did not disappoint! The tour guide often makes or breaks tours of this kind, but Sarah was entertaining and friendly throughout. I was glad I came earlier in the day because the temperature was perfect and it was very sunny. Will definitely come back when I next come to eastern Ohio!

Amber Li

Best zoo experience of my life. Largest wild conservation in North America and the staff do very noble work there. Do the $125 Wildside tour, which goes off road and is well worth the money.

Lois Lundgren

Wonderful tour, guide had great info and extra tid bits of knowledge. Very nice young woman. The Wilds had everything controllable during this time period of a dangerous illness. A very good job.

Gina G

IF YOU'RE READING THIS, PPLLEEAASSEE GO TO THE WILDS! What an amazing experience. The Wildside tour is worth EVERY PENNY!

Roger Sharrock

Great place to go on a safari. The price is very reasonable, the people are fantastic. Gives you the chance to get up close to the animals with out bars or fence between you and them.

Diane Adlington

Must have reservations. Great experience. Seen everything but Giraffes It was 38 degrees out so dress for it. I loved feeding the birds. Guide was great

tonda marcum

Amazing animals, amazing views. The people who run the tours are very informative about the animals and the land donated to the Wilds.

Stephanie Todd

Took an open air Safari our tour guide was awesome. I was very impressed with everything the grandsons loved it I loved seeing their reaction to being up close to the animals

Margaret Ruhl

It wasn't their fault but it rained all the time we were there. Some problems with the gate remotes.

Kenneth Lambright

We had an awesome time with our daughter and granddaughter. Beautiful day yesterday to be there. We started on the tour around 4pm and were done about 2.5hrs later. Three year old Cora had a great time!

Jason Hartz

Today was our second visit, both times we had amazing encounters with animals that beautiful and unique both guides were knowledgeable about the animals as well. Highly recommend and can't wait for our next trip

Leslie Saroya

My husband and I went on the sunset safari tour this past weekend. We had an amazing experience. Josh was a great tour guide. We got to stop and walk and watch a cheetah feed and was only feet away from all the animals. Such beautiful sights . After the ride we had a delicious buffet style meal that was very good and I would highly recommend this experience to anyone who loves animals. We will definitely go back and stay there sometime.

William Lloyd Blair

Excellent place! Highly recommended! Take either the open air bus or the Wildside tour... either is a winner!

Bill Fennell

Excellent experience. Great for kids and adults alike.

Mark

Amazing!!! All the staff were great and passionate. Planning on a return trip. Love to see the impact this organization has on endangered animal populations. Try to choose a time of year where is not too hot and not to cold.

Margie Pugh

Took a group of clients from my workplace, The Wilds is very accommodating to people with disabilities and in wheelchairs. Enjoyed our time there today!!!!

Kevin Sterling

The Wilds are a scenic tour of mother nature, both with landscape and the" Wild" animals, some of which are curious enough to pay you a visit right at the tour bus. There's zip lining & horseback tours as well as some educational camps that are available.

Doug Piekarz

Our tour guide for a wild side tours name was Matt he was fantastic! This was the best tour I have ever had at the Wilds. Highly recommend

neo mosoeunyane

Great tour guide and very friendly staff.

Michelle Pfeifer

The weather was perfect and we saw all but 1 of the animals close to the vehicle. The price was inexpensive when you consider it is a 2 hour trip. We had an awesome time and would do again.

Dustin Samms

Great place to enjoy close encounters with different animals.. Throughly enjoyable experience.

Kaeli Peoples

Fantastic trip, can't wait to go back and do the up close encounter!

317Ray

The Wilds was such a great experience! It felt like we were in Africa not Ohio! I never imagined Ohio had a 10,000 acres of protected wild life. Looking forward to going again.

Robert Green

Amazing, Beautiful place to visit. The people that work there so friendly and provide so much information. Highly recommend a visit.

Heather Bacula

Loved this place! Huge place and fun safari ride! Had Don as our guide and he was great! Saw lots of animals!

kristen smith

Make sure to take cash, water, and a snack. Great place and lots of fun. Drinks and food were very expensive...water is $3 for a 20oz.

Chris Keene

This was my second visit to The Wilds on the Open Air Safari. Just as the first time it was awesome. If you like zoo's and wildlife it's a must. Some advice, if you ride in the back of the bus it can be alittle bumpy. Enjoy????????

Ludy Caballero

This place is amazing! Very clean. Everyone is very nice, willing to go above & beyond and super knowledgeable. The animals are very well cared for, the horses are beautiful and shiney. Did have a wasps nest next to our yurt and I got stung so we could not enjoy our patio as much as we wanted. They came out and sprayed right away but only did a small area because the person they sent was allergic to bees. So we still had a wasp problem outside. All in all it was a great experience. Definitely a must try.

Cindy Gurska

So cool! A very educational experience. The accommodations were very nice and the food was good. All the employees were nice and helpful. Very organized. The animals are in great condition and really interesting. They are doing great things there!!! I highly recommend.

Kim Carmack

A hidden gem! Wanted to go for years and finally made it this year. It is amazing! My 9 & 11 year old enjoyed the 2 hour safari ride as well as younger and older people on our tour. We had ostriches stick their heads right in our bus. Giraffes, rhinos and many other animals were just feet from us!

Jenn Horvatich

You get very up close and personal with some of the animals. We had a great tour guide. Definitely an experience we've never experienced before. Very worth it. Camera and binoculars would be a great idea to bring. You do stop along the way at two stops so if you want to bring a little snack pack or drinks otherwise you can buy them there. Was a very enjoyable time.

Sonja McCartney

Worth the drive... Amazing experience. Jack Hannah and other leaders as well as donors and the state of ohio are visionaries who really care about saving endangered species. The property is spectacular and has been it appears throughly thought out.. The animals were so close. The weather was beautiful. The guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. Wonderful way to spend 3+ hours.

Lori Durden

We absolutely loved The Wilds. We stayed in a Premium Yurt for two nights., May 2021. The employees were so kind and helpful, the food and menu choices, for those who stay in Nomad Ridge, were excellent. We were very impressed. We did The Wild Side Tour, which I highly recommend, was beyond amazing. Our tour guide, Hannah made our tour so special. She was a wealth of knowledge and you could clearly tell that she loves and takes pride in her work. My only recommendation would be, be prepared for walking. We stayed in Yurt 7 and it has a steep decline and is one of your lower Yurts, with a lake view. Going up to the car from the Yurt was difficult for me. Next time, I would request one with easier access. Yurts do NOT have TVs and cell reception is very hit and miss; which is understandable out in the wilderness! Be prepared for pure Peace and Relaxation. We loved it and would highly recommend!!

Rob Nelson

Didn't see nearly see as many animals as expected. Tour guide was awesome!!! Beautiful area. I recommend The Farm at Walnut creek in Holmes county.

Jennifer Urbanek

GO HERE!! This place is amazing! We did the Open Air Safari first. Huge buses take you through the roads throughout the park. Allison was an engaging and knowledgeable guide. Plan for 3 hours. We took the Wildside Safari next and I completely recommend doing them in that order. These trucks go off road and get close to the babies and animals. The guide, Anna, was able to get us close to babies in another pen that we normally would not be able to see. Sonia, the Indian rhino, was even spotted. We were able to go to the giraff house, as they were not out, and Tippy was a delightful ham that gave us a new appreciation and respect for giraffes. The zipline Safari was awesome . I was nervous, but Joleigh and Connor were fantastic and super reassuring. We got to zip over Pere David deer that were in the water and did the final repell next to a Takon!! I was a complete chicken on the repell, not going to lie, and Connor and Joleigh were great talking me through it. I did all this with a broken foot and my husband has a dropped foot and the guides were do helpful for our needs. 10/10 on all fronts. We are already planning on coming back.

Walter Lichota

It was absolutely amazing Jordan had answers to all our question ,I would so do another tour the wild side tour was great ,they took us right up to the animal

Beth Phillips

Every visit is different. I love seeing the animals roaming in the fields.

Richard Tyk

Great place

scott kaylor

Was awesome but most of scared the cheetahs ???? into sleep mode lol.

N K (Gruvyrissa)

So if you ever get a chance to go here you should. Such a neat experience and you can absolutely tell how passionate everyone is about wildlife conservation! They are so knowledgeable and happy to share that knowledge with you and answer any and all questions you have plus you might get to meet a real TV star!

Angela Snyder

I went on an open air bus tour of the Wilds Safari park back in 2006 and will never forget it. It's so much better for the animals to be roaming free than in cages locked up all day. Very unique and beautiful experience. Makes for amazing photos and you can feel like you've left Ohio.

Charles Otten

Awesome ????

Lisa Geitgey

I would give 4 1/2 stars if I could.. The open-air safari was so much fun! We got to see a number of great animals pretty close up. The camels even stuck their heads in the bus. My favorites were the cheetahs and the giraffes. I loved staying in the yurt. The only reason I'm not giving 5 stars is because the dinner that was included in our overnight stay was sub-par. Other than that, it was a great trip and I highly recommend it!

Nancy Patton

We (my grown kids, grandkids and us) did the Wild Safari tour. We got to see and pet a lot of our favorite wild animals such as a rhino and camel and we fed a giraffe from our home town zoo. Everyone loved it and our guide, Rachel made it the best!!

brian rublee

Great experience. So much better than a traditional zoo

Nicole Shisler

Well worth the drive. Open air safari was so much fun. Rhinos came right up to the truck as well as the giraffes. The cheetahs were gorgeous. So much fun and absolutely beautiful. Very knowledgeable tour guide. A lodge, yurts as well as cabins to spend the night but reservations are required. A really great zip lining tour is available. I suggest getting to the wilds early as the tours do fill up fast.

Derek ODell

Beautiful, fun, and worth the price. Our tour guide Jay was knowledgeable and happy to answer any question thrown at him. Kida are already asking to go back.

Joyce Andre

Fun time. Dress appropriately. Great drivers, Sharon. She is wonderful.

andrew mullins

Great day, our tour guide Annie was great. Stayed overnight in the yurt. Very cool. Came with a tour, dinner and breakfast the next morning. Very pleased with the whole experience. While we didn't do it, there was a zip line tour that looked like it would be fun.

Dan Turner

Everyone from the first to the last person we came in contact with was courteous and really wanted the guests to have a good time. Of special note was our tour bus driver/guide who's name I believe was Chad. He said he had only been working there for 3 months and I told him it was obvious he enjoyed his job. He was very knowledgeable and also entertained us with details about every animal. Hang on to that one for sure.

Kelsey Haas

Wow! What an incredible day at the Wilds. After reading other reviews saying the Wildside tour was worth the money, I decided to try it with my mom and boy am I happy we did! You literally get to touch Rhinos and Giraffes ???? ????. Thank you to Jordan for making our experience so fun and special. She was an AMAZING tour guide and knew a ton about the animals. You can tell the people that work there love the animals and want the very best for them. ????

Ash K

This lived up to all hype and then some! The tour guide I had made the tour not only informative but also enjoyable! Have complaints from gift shop to food. Except maybe have a pizza option? Will return!

Troy Hamilton

Had a great time. Took the open air safari. May plan another trip and spend the night or try their fishing safari.

Jen- Loving life

Tour guide was amazing! The only dissapointing thing was there was another tour (a different, "up close" tour) that kept getting close to the animals and ended up blocking our views. Price was expensive but we saved lots by having a Columbus Zoo membership.

Shannon Jacobs

The views were breathtakingly beautiful. The staff was super nice and of course the animals are awesome too!

Shirley Williams

Loved the Horseback riding tour! Very affordable and my family and I had a really nice experience!

Becky Holt

We had a great time on this tour!!! Tour guide was Hayley and she was the BEST!!! She knew all the animals and special little facts about them. We got to see just about all of them up close as they came very close to the tour bus.

Kelsi Bricker

So amazing!!! I loved every single one of the employees. SOOOOO NICE. Our yurt was so cute and hearing the animals was totally amazing. One of the best experiences of my life. My husband and I went zip lining, horseback riding and went on the safari tour! Everything was AMAZING. If you ever have the chance to go, definitely do it.

Aaron Fox

We had Don as our tour guide and he was absolutely the best tour guide ever. He had a lot of humor and made the first experience great.

Molly Feltner

I love the Wilds and try to come once a year. This place is so much better than traditional zoos because the animals can roam freely through large pastures and interact with each other in a more natural way. I highly recommend the Wildside Tour as you can get close with animals. There's nothing like seeing a baby rhino up close or getting kissed by Tuffy the giraffe. The predator area houses some unusual species I haven't seen at other zoos. The painted dogs, who are so social and mischievous, are my favorite. My husband and I have stayed at the yurts at the Wilds and enjoyed seeing and hearing the animals at dusk and dawn. Definitely worth the trip from out of state!

Katherine Arnold

Got to see a baby rhino roll in a mud puddle...5 stars! Did the bus tour and also the horseback ride and enjoyed both. The zipline looks fun and if I'm ever in the area again I'll try that out.

Brooke Bloom

This place is absolutely AMAZING. Great adventure for families and singles. Offerings for camps and overnight stays. Even if you are just visiting the area for a day, it is totally worth it.

Sandi Wethington

Beautiful place! Makes you feel like you are in another country! 10,000 rolling acres with panoramic vistas. Great day trip.

Claudia McCarron

Such an amazing experience to see wild animals in Ohio

K Lego

What a great adventure/experience! Everything is very well organized. Chris our guide was awesome, fun and full of knowledge.

Leeanna

First, shout out to our tour guide Donald, he was amazing! A tour guide can make or break the day, and Donald was funny, very informative and so kind, he enjoys his job. All of the workers we met were kind and helpful. I have wanted to visit The Wild for years, and I hate that I put it off for so long. A wonderful way to spend a day. I took along my parents, who have issues walking, so this was perfect and relaxing for them. There are a few stops and bit of walking, but nothing strenuous. A lot of love and care goes into this park, while zoos are great, it is beautiful to see wild animals in this type of setting, close to how they're meant to live. Just go and see for yourself. In the summer it will be hot, but it's worth it!

E S

We had an open air safari and our guide was Rosie. She was engaging and knowledgeable along with having a great sense of humor. You can tell she loves her job. We were lucky enough to see many of the animals close up and Rosie always had some great information about them!

Kelly Sanor

Our family had a great time. Saw many animals. Mostly ride on an open air safari bus with occasional stops to get close up experiences with animals. A much nicer experience than walking your legs off at a traditional zoo. Kids loved feeding the budgies.(Small cash only fee for bird feed)

Drew

I had a fantastic time. We look the open air safari at 4pm. It was a beautiful day and not busy. Ashley was our tour guide, she was so excited about the animals. She is very knowledgeable about all the animals and her excitement is contagious. I got lot's of awesome pictures. I would highly recommend it!!

George Boyle

A great place to get a safari experience without going to Africa. As tours are part of research find raising they are on the pricey side. But your guide is educated in the animals and work being done. This is not an animal park but a true wildlife safari. The buses used ride rough they get you close to the animals.

Dustin Fry

We started in the middle level yurt for one night and it was cool as we thought. If you live in the city, spend the night. You will not believe the view of the Stars! Breathtaking. As far as the tours, make sure you do at least the half Zipline and the wild side. You can do the wild side for only $60 per person if you are a yurt guest. Skip the regular Safari tour for it. Totally worth it! Also the dinner and breakfast you get with the yurt are surprisingly good. Just don't expect the 19 yo server to know much lol. It was a great trip and keep in mind, no kids in the yurts or on the wild side tour. Yes, that is the best part!

Marge Horrocks

The event I attended was fantastic and beautiful!! It was a very exhilarating experience and will be unforgettable!!!

Mary Weese

My son enjoyed it and loved feeding the birds. I found it hilarious when the camel stopped at and angle and wouldn't let us by until a truck that had food came around then it took off after that truck. Already planning another trip in the warmer months.

Randy Jay

This place is amazing.. If you have not been here you are missing out.. we took the open air safari with Rosy as our guide and she was super awesome.. Her knowledge of the wilds and her enthusiastic love of her job made it 100 times better.. I cannot wait to go back.

Michael Marks

Little slow to start, but later plenty of animals to see. The Rhinos alone almost make the trip worth it.

Sean Wehrle

Had a great time visiting for the first time. Our tour driver was Sherri and she was a great guide

Kristi Armbruster

Second time here. Really enjoyed the Sunset Safari.

Tyler G

Amazing experience. You must go with the wildside tour if you have the ability.

Holli Veltri

We were disappointed for the price. Our 1 year granddaughter was charged the full $35 price. You seen the same animals different times, it was just a different location. Not worth the money. $3.50 for a bottle of water.

Carolyn Starcher

Oh WOW. This place is amazing. If you love seeing animals in the wild, I would recommend going. Our tour guide, Bob, was amazing. Had a wonderful time.

Anthony Evers

Really enjoyed the wilds. Great concept over your average zoo both for the animals and those who are observing.

Joppa Person

THE WILDS WAS AMAZ BALLS!! all the animals were soooo adorable! Not to mention the nice tour drivers! They even told us funny jokes! The food at the wilds was Delish! I had an excellent time at the wilds I definitely recommend going there

Tracy King

We went on the horseback safari and it was awesome. Other than my horse wanting to stop and eat, lol. It was a part at the Wilds you don't usually venture to, so it was nice and relaxing. The horses are very tame and that was a great thing since we were all new riders.

Tonia Dolan

Our tour guide Jordan was Awesome. She did a great job and very knowledgeable. Staff was very friendly too.

Kim Kirsch

Service and staff amazing! We had a little bit of a rain/storm delay and everything was handled amazingly! You get up close and personal to some really awesome critters!

Tony Collins

Every tour is different, but all are great. My family has visited multiple times and each visit is well worth the trip.