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Our family has a condo in Port Clinton on Lake Erie in Ohio. It’s a small little town that’s perfect for getting away for a few days. If you aren’t familiar with Port Clinton, it makes a great day trip from Toledo or Cleveland. It’s less than 3 hours from us here in Dayton and only 2 hours from Columbus.
We typically visit local lighthouses and parks, but with “social distancing” this year we decided to try something new… a drive thru safari at Port Clinton African Safari Wildlife Park! There is also a walking portion, but we decided to stick to the car this trip.
Port Clinton African Safari Wildlife Park Discount Coupon Code
If you know me, you know that I’m always looking for a great deal. I scouted out a great coupon for the Port Clinton African Safari Wildlife Park that saved us 50%. Planning a trip? It’s good through March 25, 2021! This makes your visit for a carload/4 people less than $50. AND you can drive through it as many times as you want in the same visit, so you really get a lot of fun for your money.
What Animals Will We See?
Let’s just set expectations here… you’re going to see a whole lot of deer, alpacas, llamas, cows, and bison. The deer were so sweet and the llamas were super curious. Then at the very end, there were 3 giraffes out on our day (only one was eating) and zebras who wanted nothing to do with anyone. They were still fun to see, but just set realistic expectations about the more exotic animals you might see.
Up Close and Personal Encounters
The animals were super curious and friendly. Carter had a genuinely great time, as I’m sure you can tell. He quickly became my “window man” and enjoyed helping me roll it up and down.
Great For All Ages
It was great for Charlotte too. She was very curious about the animals, but let Daddy do all the feeding because we thought her baby fingers might be a little too delicious since she doesn’t understand to keep them out of the way.
More Favorites
Just Looking
We mostly stayed away from the horns after a bison tried to stick his whole head inside the car. The zebras weren’t too interested, but Carter still enjoyed seeing them.
And finally… Giraffes!
I can imagine that the giraffes are a big draw for the park. You see them at the very end of your visit and they didn’t disappoint!
One Word Of Caution…
Always, always keep an eye on the food. Sometimes it’s the animals trying to sneak extras and in our case… sometimes it’s the toddler! I was eagerly looking ahead to the giraffes with Carter, Daddy was feeding out the window.. and, well, oops.
Tips To Get The Most Out of Your Visit to Port Clinton African Safari Wildlife Park
- Plan Ahead: They currently suggest having reservations if you plan to visit over the weekend to avoid long lines + make sure you get in. We went during the week and it wasn’t a problem at all. There were maybe 5 cars ahead of us when we pulled up, and lots of cars can visit at the same time.
- Budget for Extra Food: You get one free cup of food per car. It’s some kind of pebble food that most of the animals don’t mind, but if you want to really get a good chance to feed the giraffes at the end you’ll need to purchase the lettuce and carrots. Then you’ll want to hide those under your seats so the other animals don’t steal them before you get to the giraffes. If you drive through a second time, you can purchase another set of food for the next round.
- Protect the Food: On a similar note, the animals will try to steal the entire cup of food right out of your hand. Portion some out and help the little kids in your car do the feeding. We put both of our kiddos in our laps while we drove through.
- Roll Up Your Windows: When you’re ready to move on, rolling up your windows makes it easier. The animals would stand there and eat all day and stick their heads in the car looking for more when you pulled your cup inside. Slowly rolling up your window helps and they’ll move on to the next car.
Will the Animals Destroy Your Car?
We hadn’t visited any kind of drive thru park before because my husband was convinced that the animals would destroy my car. However… I’m getting a new car next year anyway {hello, minivan life, I see you}, so who cares? Plus he already backed my car over our mailbox and left a huge scratch in it. I figure, what’s one more?? And at least this one would have a great story behind it. 😉
BUT I wouldn’t let this objection deter you from going. While there are certainly warnings about vehicle damage, our car came out just fine. A few of the animals did try to nibble on the rubber around the windows and side mirrors, but they really were more interested in food than our car. The further you stuck the feeding up out the window, the less likely they were to even come close to your actual car with their horns or hooves. Plus since there was plenty of food to go around, they mostly just kept moving if you stopped feeding them.
