Columbus zoo? (Cleveland, Toledo, Findlay: amusement park, live in, ferry)

[TheresaJ]

Helllo. We live in Michigan and we are looking for somewhere within driving distance to take our kids for a long weekend. I have read very good reviews about the Columbus zoo and wondered if the auarium is also as nice? What should we expect?
Also, is there anything else in the area that is fun to do with kids?
Thank you,
Theresa

[ImaMichigander]

I live in Findlay, so just as close to MI as Columbus... Our family's favorite zoo is Toledo.

But if you are looking for a day/weekend trip, I like the Cleveland Metro Park Zoo a lot. It is a beautifully kept zoo. They have an indoor Rainforest exhibit that is FANTASTIC! And if you go in the summer, you could actually sleep on the African Savannah in a Platform Tent. We did this with my Girl Scout Troop a few years ago and it was AWESOME-- for the kids and the adults! We got to go on a night hike, play with night vision goggles, use hand held GPS devices and were able to touch an Anteater, Sloth and Porcupine!!! It was great!

And Cleveland has all sorts of neat things to do, like the Science Center and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

For me, the Columbus Zoo gets a lot of hype and doesn't quite do it for me... It's sole saving grace for me is the new Arctic Exhibit. And that is just because the Polar Bears there are the twins, Aurora and Anana, who were born in at Toledo a few years ago. We saw them one of the first weekends that they went onto exhibit in Toledo and watched them grow!

Also if you are looking for a fun trip-- don't know the ages of your kids, but mine are 10, 6 and 4-- we love the African Safari Park in Port Clinton. It's a drive thru Safari and tons of fun! Also close enough to Put-In-Bay that you could take the ferry across and hit the caves, putt-putt and other fun things all while tooling around in a golf cart! The kids like the golf cart best! (But do remember to bring a carseat for the cart if you have little ones still in one...)

Have fun!

[Momotaro]

The Zoo is well worth going to. It is my favorite zoo and I have been to many. The aquarium is a good one not great but the best is the animal exhibits outside. I would probably wait till late April before going to ensure all the animals are out.

[RVAtoCNC]

The nice thing about the Cbus zoo is the amusement park next door if you have younger kids. Used to be called Wynadot Lake when I lived there but think it's called Jungle Jacks now - it's a small amusement park with rides for youger/med. age kids along with a water park and slides (at least they used to have a water park - it's been over 13 years), but you can kinda do a 2 for 1 deal - zoo and amusement park.

Favorite time at the zoo back in the 90s was packing up at night, when it was 5 below zero, and heading to the zoo to look at the Christmas Lights - loved the reptile and amphibian exhibits - - to warm up.

[cmhgirl]

Actually the small ride area is called Jungle Jacks but the water park is now called Zoombezi Bay. Much bigger than it was.
If you want to come to C-bus, do one day at the zoo and one day at the water park, stay overnight, have a dinner someplace local. I think it would be a fun weekend. check out columbuszoo.org
But I would suggest, if you do 3 or 4 days, go to Sandusky and Cleveland. Plenty to do there for a few days.
nice thing about it is ther are both close to you and you have all summer!

[Bodycount]

The zoo will take all day to tour but after that you'll want to find something else to do.

[Clt1774]

We really enjoy the Columbus zoo! The aquarium isn't huge, but the nice part is being able to get so close to the tanks. The Manatee exhibit is one of the best we've seen, and again you can walk right up to their tank to see them. My daughter's favorite animals at the zoo are the Polar Bears!! We have a toddler, so haven't tried out the water park or Jungle Jacks Landing yet. If the weather is nice and you aren't so keen on the idea of a whole water park, there is a Splash Pad in downtown Powell near the zoo that is fun.

Other kid friendly activities in the Columbus area that we enjoy are COSI - the science museum, the Columbus Museum of Art's new Wonder Room (family gallery), and the Franklin Park Conservatory. The Metro Parks around town are also really good for outdoor play time. I think the closest one to the Zoo would be Highbanks Metro Park.

Depending on the age of your kids, if you're looking for a place to rest in between Powell (where the zoo is) and downtown (where the other museums are), we really like the Firefly Play Cafe - at least the adults can rest and have a coffee or something while the kids play.

Hope you have a good trip!