Explore African Safari Wildlife Park in Port Clinton

In 1969, some Port Clinton locals established a lion zoo, but soon realized they had bitten off a bit too much. So, five years later, they sold the business to a family who had experience with exotic animals. Since then, Port Clinton’s African Safari Wildlife Park has grown into a family-friendly and immersive trek that is home to over 800 animals.  

“It was originally modeled after Lion Country Safari in Florida,” says Kelsey Keller, chief operating officer of African Safari Wildlife Park in Port Clinton. “If you spend any time with cats, they do one thing well: sleeping. Very quickly, the owners figured out that it is not fun to see sleeping cats every day.” 

Today, the experience is a much more animated one and offers two different options for seeing the animals. The hourlong drive-through tour invites visitors to roll the window down and feed alpacas, emus and bison from the windows of their car, while the walking tour guides visitors through habitats where they encounter animals such as wallabies, macaws and kangaroos. For one admission charge, visitors have the option to do each tour as many times as they’d like on the day of their visit.  

Add-on animal encounters offer chances to get up-close with capybaras, giraffes and tortoises (who love to be fed by visitors), while the Safari Secrets Barn Tour takes guests into the park’s giraffe barn for a behind-the-scenes experience. Keller says the best part about working at the park is the happiness the animal interactions provide. 

“It is fun to go out in the drive-through on a Saturday and just listen to the customers have a good time,” she says. “It is sort of an infectious feeling. … [You] have fun too.” 267 S. Lightner Rd., Port Clinton 43452, 419/732-3606, africansafariwildlifepark.com

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