Things to Do Near Cedar Point: Why African Safari Wildlife Park Belongs on Your Itinerary

Giraffe feeding through a car window, one of the best things to do near Cedar Point

Thirty minutes from Cedar Point, you can have a giraffe leaning through your car window, eyeing your grain cup like it’s the most important decision of the day. That bucket-list moment is waiting at African Safari Wildlife Park, a drive-thru safari in Port Clinton and one of the best things to do near Cedar Point.

The safari brings a completely different kind of thrill: giraffes at your window, zebras wandering past your car, and wildlife encounters you’ll be talking about long after the drive home. Add that to a Cedar Point getaway, and you’ve got the makings of a seriously fun Sandusky-area weekend. Here’s how to make the most of both.

Cedar Point brings the coasters. African Safari Wildlife Park brings giraffes, zebras, bison, and the kind of wildlife encounter that makes everyone in the car forget about their phones for a while. Put the two together, and you’ve got a weekend with two completely different kinds of adventure.

If you’re looking for things to do near Cedar Point, here’s the one we’d put near the top of the list.

Things to Do Near Cedar Point: More Than One Kind of Adventure

Cedar Point is built for adrenaline. You spend the day climbing, dropping, spinning, racing, and wondering how a roller coaster can possibly be that tall. Then you can trade all of that for open fields and animals that have absolutely no interest in following your itinerary.

That’s what makes African Safari Wildlife Park such a good match for a Cedar Point trip. You’re still getting a big attraction, but the experience couldn’t be more different.

The region is built exactly for this kind of getaway. Between Sandusky, Port Clinton, and the communities along the Lake Erie shoreline, millions of visitors flock to the area every year. If you’re looking for things to do near Sandusky, an African safari deserves a spot near the top of your itinerary. It deserves a whole day.

A Safari You Experience From Your Car

Forget the safari bus. At African Safari Wildlife Park, your car is the safari vehicle. Roll through the Drive-Thru Safari with the windows down and a cup of grain ready. Animals roam the fields around you, and they don’t exactly wait for you to spot them.

A bison might wander up to the door.
A zebra might pace alongside your car.
A llama might decide your grain cup is the most interesting thing happening all afternoon.

And then there’s the giraffe. When one stretches its neck through your open window to take a snack from your hand, you’re not watching someone else’s vacation video anymore. You’re in it.

That’s the moment people come for, and it’s why the Drive-Thru Safari feels so different from a typical animal attraction. You’re moving through the animals’ space instead of standing outside a viewing area, waiting for something to happen.

The Walk-Through Adventure Starts Here

Once you’ve finished the drive, park the car and head into the Walk-Thru Safari. Here, you’ll find capybaras and kangaroos wandering the paths alongside you, a colorful aviary of budgies happy to eat right out of your hand, and some of the world’s oldest and most fascinating animals in the tortoises.

Want more time with the giraffes? The Safari Secrets Giraffe Barn Experience takes you behind the scenes for a closer look at how they’re cared for every day.
There’s no script here. You can’t predict when a giraffe will wander over, which animal will decide to follow you around the park, or what your kids will still be talking about at dinner. That’s not a flaw in the plan. That is the plan.

Conservation: The a Bigger Purpose Behind the Fun

The animal encounters are the obvious draw, but every visit also helps fund conservation work happening in our own backyard and around the world. It’s a nice part of the story, and it never needs to turn into a lecture to matter.

You came for the giraffe. You leave knowing your visit helped wildlife, too.

Why African Safari Wildlife Park Belongs on Your Cedar Point Trip

Llama reaching into a car window, one of the best things to do near Cedar Point

The easy way to think about the area is Cedar Point, plus everything else. We’d flip that. Think of it instead as a weekend with two main attractions that happen to sit minutes apart. One day you’re strapped into a coaster, the next you’ve got a llama’s head through your car window. That’s a solid range of experiences for a single trip.

African Safari Wildlife Park is in Port Clinton, just 20-30 minutes from Cedar Point, so you’re not committing to a long drive or turning your vacation into a road trip. You’re simply exploring another part of the same Lake Erie destination.

Sandusky gives you the Cedar Point experience that likely brought you here in the first place. The point isn’t to cram in as many attractions as possible, it’s to choose ones that actually feel different from each other.

How to Plan a Cedar Point and Safari Weekend

Our favorite pairing is simple:

Day one: Cedar Point.

Go big. Ride the coasters. Stay late if you want. You already know what you’re getting yourself into.

Day two: African Safari Wildlife Park.

Start with the safari while the day is still young, then take your time with the Walk-Thru Safari and any additional animal experiences you want to add. That gives both attractions room to breathe.

You’re not staring at the clock wondering whether you have enough time to make the next ride. And you’re not rushing through the safari because you’ve got a coaster reservation waiting.

What to Know Before You Go

The Drive-Thru Safari runs all season, rain or shine. The Walk-Thru Safari operates from mid-May through early October, weather permitting.

Admission includes unlimited same-day access to both the Drive-Thru and Walk-Thru Safaris when the Walk-Thru is open, plus one cup of grain per vehicle. Hours and pricing vary by date, so check the current daily ticket calendar before you go.

Here’s something Cedar Point planners will appreciate: general admission doesn’t require a reservation. That means you can build the safari into your plans without locking into another complicated schedule. Check the day’s hours, grab your tickets, and go.

A Few Safari Tips

Keep your windows down. That’s how the bison get close enough to say hello.
Have your grain ready. You don’t want to be digging around while a giraffe is waiting at the window.
Go early when you can. Cooler temperatures can mean more active animals, and getting there earlier gives you more time to explore.
Give yourself a couple of hours. The animals set the pace here. If a bison decides to hang around your car, you’re probably going to want to let him.
Dress for the weather. You’ll spend part of the experience in your car and part of it walking around, so check the forecast before you leave.
Don’t rush. This isn’t a drive-by attraction. The fun is seeing what happens next!

What Makes This One of the Best Things to Do Near Cedar Point?

There are plenty of ways to fill a Cedar Point weekend. That’s not what makes African Safari Wildlife Park stand out.

It’s that the experience is a genuine departure from the theme park itself. You’re not adding another ride to a day full of rides, you’re adding wildlife, open space, and a story nobody expected when they left the hotel that morning. And because the safari is just a hop away, you get both without choosing between them.

If you’re planning a Cedar Point weekend, give yourself room for an adventure that doesn’t come with a height requirement.

Make It a Season-Long Tradition

Once you’ve had the giraffe-in-the-car moment, there’s a decent chance someone in your family is going to ask when you’re going back.

A Season Pass makes that easy. Season Pass holders get unlimited general admission, one free cup of grain per vehicle on every visit, and reciprocal discounts at other zoos and aquariums nationwide. African Safari Wildlife Park doesn’t have to be a one-time stop on your Cedar Point trip. It can become its own summer tradition.

A Weekend With Two Very Different Kinds of Awesome

Family feeding capybaras and a Cedar Point roller coaster, two of the best things to do near Cedar Point

A Cedar Point trip already gives you a reason to pack the car. African Safari Wildlife Park gives you another one. Spend one day chasing coaster thrills and another getting close enough to wildlife that everyone suddenly has their phone out for a completely different reason. Neither attraction has to play second fiddle. They’re simply two very different destinations in one very good weekend.

Check current hours and admission for African Safari Wildlife Park, then make room for the capybaras.

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African Safari Wildlife Park is about 20 miles from Cedar Point. That’s a drive of roughly 20 to 30 minutes, depending on traffic. It’s an easy add-on to any Cedar Point or Sandusky-area trip.

It’s possible, but most families get more out of splitting the two across a weekend. Cedar Point rewards a full day. The safari is best enjoyed without rushing through it to make ride times.

Guests can hand-feed animals like giraffes, bison, zebras, and llamas directly from their car during the Drive-Thru Safari. The Walk-Thru Safari adds more species, like capybaras and budgies.

Pricing changes throughout the season, along with park hours, so the exact rate depends on the day of your visit. Check the daily tickets page for current pricing and hours before you plan your trip.

No. General admission doesn’t require a reservation, which makes it easy to add to a Cedar Point weekend. Some individual encounters, like the Giraffe Barn Experience, may require advance booking, so check those separately if you want a specific one.

The Sandusky and Port Clinton area offers Lake Erie shoreline activities, restaurants, and shopping. African Safari Wildlife Park stands apart because it gives you a completely different kind of adventure, with animals roaming around your vehicle instead of roller coasters racing overhead.