Last month our family decided to take a quick spin down to Columbus, Ohio since the weather was so nice. Our destination for this trip was the Columbus Zoo. It is incredible, to say the least, just how far the Columbus Zoo has come in the last decade. No longer is the zoo just a quick visit to see some animals. The zoo has been completely revamped, and has an adjoining water park, making a multi-day visit if one so chooses. It is no doubt the affiliation with Jack Hannah has spurred the success and growth of the Columbus Zoo.

Our family has never visited the water park, but at least once per year we take advantage of our reciprocal discount zoo admission to our zoo to the south. The zoo is now so large, I dare say sometimes a family just can not see every aspect without experiencing physical exhaustion. Our family typically sees the exhibits in a random assortment, and has yet to see the entire property in one visit.

You better believe this family of boys made a stop at the train ride. For a $1, guests can ride around a small loop of the North America area. Unfortunately, there really is not much to see on the train. In addition, the ride is not narrated in any way, making the train nothing more than a rest break. With the whole zoo having been carefully designed and laid out, the train appears like an afterthought.

The Grand Carousel was manufactured in 1914 by the William I Mangels Company with wood horses carved by the Marcus Illions Company. The carousel was first located in Olentangy Park, an interurban-era amusement park in Clintonville. In 1938, the Mangels-Illions carousel was relocated to the Scioto Ranch Park (also known as the Zoo Amusement Park and Wyandot Lake). On June 17, 2000, the restored carousel, with original 52 horses and 2 chariots, began “spinning its magic” at the Columbus Zoo. Of the nearly 5,000 “Grand Carousels” that were operational during the 1900s, fewer than 200 remain.

What we were totally surprised about during this visit, and somehow we overlooked it for years, is the boat ride through the Islands. Our boat ride experience was nothing short of remarkable. I will just let the video speak for itself. We had the entire vessel to ourselves in a nice, quiet, peaceful setting. During our slow visit down the stream, and in the process of trying to capture the perfect video for our audience, we captured some incredible sounds of nature.

As soon as our boat set sail, I no sooner had my phone ring, our boys asked lots of questions, and some guy on the bridge above us asked if it was a good ride. At the end of the video you will even get to hear a lovely boat song by Lan-Shark (1).

We are a first-rate production company here folks, and dive into experiences to truly capture the emotion and feel of the destination.

Throughout the zoo there are lots of great hands-on areas and playgrounds for the kids to expel some energy, just in case trekking them around the zoo is not tiring enough.

Our overall trip to the Columbus Zoo was very rewarding for both the boys and us. The nice thing is that regardless of how many times we have visited, the Columbus Zoo offers something new and exciting that we had not experienced prior.

Save Money, Travel More!