Planning a visit to The Wilds in Ohio?
If you’re looking for a quiet place to stay after your safari, The Inns at 8th and Main is just 28 minutes away in historic McConnelsville. Enjoy a slower pace, walkable downtown charm, and a full breakfast before your next adventure.
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What's Waiting When You Arrive
Two beautifully restored 19th-century properties on Main Street in McConnelsville — the Stone House, built in 1835, and the Morris House, built in 1844. Together, they have been welcoming guests for 190 years.
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Every morning, Dan is up before you are, cooking a scratch-made breakfast served on vintage china in our historic dining room. It's the kind of breakfast that makes you linger over coffee longer than you planned.
Amy will know your name before you arrive and remember how you take your coffee before you ask.
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Why Guests Visiting The Wilds Choose The Inns at 8th and Main
• Full breakfast before your safari tour
• Quiet historic setting after a full day outdoors
• Walkable downtown dining
• 5-star guest experience
• King suites with luxury linens
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The Land Has a Story
Before The Wilds was home to giraffes, rhinos, and painted dogs, it was something else entirely.
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From the 1940s through the 1980s, nearly 10,000 acres of southeast Ohio were strip-mined for coal by the Big Muskie — the largest dragline excavator ever built. At 22 stories tall, with a bucket that could swallow two Greyhound buses in a single scoop, the Big Muskie spent 22 years moving more than 483 million cubic yards of material through what is now The Wilds.
When mining ended, the land was donated to conservation. The hills were contoured, topsoil was added, and animals were introduced. In 1994, The Wilds opened to the public — one of the largest wildlife conservation centers in the world, built on land torn apart and put back together.
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Before you leave the area, stop at Miners Memorial Park near McConnelsville and stand next to the Big Muskie bucket. It weighs 460,000 pounds empty and could hold twelve car garages inside. It is the only piece left of a machine that made The Wilds possible.
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That's the story of this land. And it starts and ends about 30 minutes from your room at The Inns at 8th and Main.
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Plan Your Wilds Visit
The Wilds is open year-round, with full safari tours running from May through October and specialty tours available from November through April. Options include the Open-Air Safari, the Wildside Safari, the Carnivore Conservation Tour, and overnight glamping accommodations on the property.
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Book your Wilds tour at TheWilds.org before you book your room with us — popular tours sell out weeks in advance, especially in summer and fall.
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While You're in the Area
McConnelsville is worth a morning of its own. The 1892 Twin City Opera House, the Muskingum River, unique shops, local coffee, and some of the best small-town wandering in southeast Ohio — all within walking distance of your room.
And the Route 60 River Run to Zanesville or Marietta makes a perfect day trip while you're here.
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How far is The Inns at 8th and Main from The Wilds?
The Inns at 8th and Main is located just 20.2 miles from The Wilds safari park in Cumberland, Ohio, approximately a 28-minute scenic drive through the rolling hills of Southeast Ohio. Guests often enjoy spending the day on safari and returning to the quiet charm of historic McConnelsville, where a comfortable night’s rest and a full home-cooked breakfast await the next morning.
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After a day exploring The Wilds, return to historic comfort and a full breakfast waiting in the morning.
👉Check now for availability.
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