The Wilds - Wildside Tour

Written by Danielle and Andrew Livelsberger

Photography by Andrew Livelsberger

Background:
The Wilds is a non-profit conservation preserve that focus' on animals, trying to provide education to the masses as well as care for and reintroduce near extinct species back into the wild.   They have several tour options.  The most immersive is the "Wildside Tour", in which up to 8 people travel off road into the habitats and get to experience the animals that are there up close.   Kind of like an African or Asian safari in the midwest of the United States.   The Wilds is located about an hour east of Columbus Ohio in a town called Cumberland.   The facility is 10,000 acres and was re-purposed in the 1950's as a conservation area.  It was formerly a strip mining location.

Impression:
The wife and I decided to forgo the usual July 4th (american independence day) festivities and spend the day experiencing The Wilds once again.  We had been here before, but it was many years ago, and we had never taken this specific tour.

Here are a few images from that day.

Pere David's Deer - only survived because of European captive animals programs.  This male is looking down at the alpha and his herd

They attract females by covering themselves in dung and mud, then ripping clumps of grass and flowers from the ground and parading around with them in their rack. This was the current alpha male

Female zebras

Scimitar-Horned Oryx

Female white rhino

My wife getting a quick phone pick of the rhino herd

Male ostrich is very interested in us....and air biting.

We first met a female ostrich, but she was chased off quickly by this male...then he came back up to our truck and wanted to follow us around for quite a while.  He was very curious

Banteng calf hiding in the tall grasses with mom

The Sammy Davis Jr of  Fringe Eared Oryx's

African Painted Dog.  Was hyper active because the facility was currently mowing grass outside the habitat

Giraffe wants his romaine lettuce

18 inch tongue wraps around that yummy stuff

Close up

Dicken's Victorian Village in Cambridge Ohio

Written by Dani and Andrew Livelsberger

Photography by Andrew Livelsberger

Background:
Brainchild of Bob Ley, a local businessman, the Dicken's Victorian Village was his early concepts and sketches that turned Wheeling Avenue in downtown Cambridge into a display of scenes from Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol.  Along with that these displays, the Guernsey county courthouse is emblazoned with lights, light shows synchronized with music early November until just after New Years Day.  Every night through that time frame, the court house's automated light show dazzles and amazes with the strobing lights, paired with holiday songs both classic and modern.

Talking with some of the local residents, they informed us that it can take up to 18 hours of work to sync the light display with just one song.  Each iteration of the "concert" lasts for 1 hour.

Stop into the visitor's center on Steubenville Avenue to see the wonderful staff there, get a gift, a scavenger hunt paper as well as a visitor's guide.  If the visitor's center is not open, most of the shops will have the visitor's guides as well.  This will help you navigate through the area.

Impression:
This is one of those things that really need to be seen to be appreciated.  There is no YouTube video or image that can truly express the fun that will be had by attending the Dicken's Victorian Village event.  And there is no reason to miss it either!  Cambridge, Ohio is only a 1 hour drive from the capital city Columbus.  We have been to other Christmas light shows in Ohio and other states, but we believe this one is by far one of the most entertaining.

Check out the YouTube video that gives you a taste of the lights and music along of the Guernsey County Courthouse Holiday Light Show from our weekend at the Dicken's Victorian Village!

You will be outside, so make sure to stay warm!  Dress for the weather.  You'll want to spend at least an hour watching the show.  It runs daily Early November through Just after New Years Day from 5:30pm to 9:00pm and later on some days until 11pm.  Check the website link Seasonal Events for all the details.

Either before or after the light show, there are some great places to eat and shops to visit.  Our favorites for food were Guernsey Kitchen, Kennedy's Bakery and Theo's Restaurant.
If you want to venture out a bit from the downtown, we also ate at The Bear Run restaurant.  Excellent service and food there.  It is one of the top rated eateries in the area as rated by TripAdvisor.
Some shops of note are Nothing But Chocolate and Penny Court Antique Mall.

We didn't forget about the scenes all scattered through downtown!  We preferred to see them at night, lit up by the street lights.  Walk up and down both sides of a long stretch of Wheeling Avenue and there are scenes from A Christmas Carol.  All these mannequins are hand made locally.  The artists start with a foam head, then apply a type of modeling clay like compound to sculpt the features, then paint and add details.  The bodies are made of wooden frames, covered in bubble wrap, then clothed in their specific scene.  More details about the process can be had at the visitor's center.

These scenes are all over the place.  Some are in shop store fronts, others occupy the street benches while larger ones have their own custom made platforms.

No matter where you are in Ohio, we feel that this is a unique place to see.  Given the fact that it runs every single day for 10 weeks gives you no excuse for not getting there and checking out this wonderful holiday treat and special small town.  Cambridge has a decidedly vintage feel to it that lovers of this time of year will appreciate.

The Wilds - Safari Experience in the Heartland

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is ranked #1 in the country right now.  That is a fantastic accomplishment and something we should all be proud of.

Another great accomplishment in Ohio can be found in Cumberland, and that accomplishment is The Wilds.

Buffalo graze on the plain.
This was taken at a rest area during the tour in the open air bus.

This safari like animal habitat takes you through a very unique area.  Rhinos, giraffes, hyenas, cheetahs in large and expansive habitats can be seen from the scheduled, bus led tours.

There are tons of great photo opportunities and rest stops on the up to 2 hour tours of the grounds.

The Wilds also offers many educational opportunities and accommodations for those who might like to take advantage of their unique lodging.  All the details can be found on their website.

Portrait of a Buffalo.

I personally prefer spending the extra money and getting the open air bus.

The giraffes are a great stop along the way and they are very curious.

The staff there is very knowledgeable eager to help you and answer all your questions.  The trip there is well worth the drive.