I have been to The Wilds 3 times (last year) and I...

I have been to The Wilds 3 times (last year) and I will be going for my 4th time this coming week. My 4 year old is completely obsessed with animals so we decided to give The Wilds a try last year. We thought for the price of the Open Air Safari (the ONLY way to go in my opinion!!) $30 per person we might as well get the membership. We buy the Family Plus (which includes the 4 of us and 2 guests each time). This is WELL WORTH the money, especially if you plan to go more than once each year. Each of the 3 times that I have been to the Wilds so far we have had a slightly different experience (seen a different animal up close and personal). One time it was the baby camel...so cute!! Another time the giraffes were very far away but the next time they were up close and personal, watched them eating the leaves off the trees right by the truck. Another thing I like about the tours are the guides who drive are very friendly and knowledgeable and tell lots of interesting facts about the animals. My son may be giving them a run for their money this time (since it will be his 4th time there...haha!) We also like the 2 stops that are planned into the tour...first one is a stop at the Lake where you get to walk down a path to the lake and feed the fish. This year I read that there is an aviary where you can feed birds as well. The 2nd stop is at the Carnivore Center where you see the African Wild Dogs (NOT hyenas as some other lady said!!), the Cheetahs and the Dholes. This is a fun stop b/c there is a large (shaded) snack bar with plenty of seating and a lot of area to walk around and check out these beautiful animals. Yes, I will admit the cheetahs pretty much just lounge around in the sun/shade and part of me wishes they would put a rabbit in the enclosure and let the cheetahs (and us!) have some fun! haha! But seriously, this is a wonderful place that focuses on Conservation of endangered species and we will keep going back again and again! Each time we go we try to take someone new with us. Oh, my recommendation would be to try to go on the first tour of the morning (10am) b/c it is usually cooler at that time and we've had good luck at that time of day with seeing lots of the animals...up close and personal most of the time. The huge rhino came right up next to the truck and we could have touched him (but you're not allowed obviously!!) Check out The Wilds...I hope you love it as much as we do! What a treasure to have in Ohio!