Some of the things that I worry about when taking my family out, is cost of tickets, since there are five of us, and if everyone of each age will enjoy something about it. It isn’t easy to please 2 adults, 1 teenager, a school aged child, and a preschooler all at the same time. As I was looking up things to do near our hotel, I discovered Parc Omega, which is a drive through animal safari park, with some hiking trails, and buildings to explore. My family and I went to Parc Omega on March 18th 2022.
Parc Omega Experience
First Impression
As we arrived, we were able to easily identify the parc, by the large sign at the entrance, and a carved bison, and bear. The Price of tickets were $33 Canadian ($25 American) per adult, $26 Canadian ($20 American) per child under 15, and if you came as a family they offered discounted family tickets. Signs and tickets were all in French, with smaller English underneath. As we waited online to get tickets, there was a sign that announcing that you can tune into the radio on one of 2 channels to hear information about the parc and the animals. There was one station for French, and one for English. The line to get in was short, and we only waited about 10 minutes or less to get in.
Parc Omega Experience
Upon entering the parc, there was a store you could stop at, with restrooms. We did not go to this, as we were all eager to see the animals (This was a mistake - stop here first). As soon as we passed the store, I realized the store sold bags of carrots so you could feed the animals. The moment we passed the store there were deer surrounding all of the cars, demanding their carrot tribute before seeing anything further.
It was actually quite amazing, these animals were not shy to humans at all. They would stick their head right in your car, and sniff for the goods. Some animals were roaming free, and you could feed and touch like deer, and boar. Some they have signs against feeding, and on the radio advise that you keep your windows closed, as the animals are wild and quite large, and can damage your car. Some of these animals included elk, moose, and bison, There were also animals that you could see, but could not feed, and were not able to roam near the cars, such as wolves, bears, and coyotes.
Driving through we noticed the terrain was muddy with some steep hills, so it was a little unnerving to drive through. There was crowding and rubbernecking on some areas, and then none at all in others. If an animal decided to block traffic, or start fighting in front of a car, rubber necking could commence. There were several areas throughout the parc that you could park, get out of the car, go on a hike, explore some of the buildings, or buy souvenirs. We checked out a suspension bridge, and the enchanted cabin, which was a little cabin with truly beautiful carvings. We picked up some carrots at the souvenir shop to feed the animals (after learning my mistake in skipping the first one). The staff was incredibly pleasant, and we were surprised with a free gift of a book when we made a purchase of more than $80 in the gift shop. We spent about 4 hours in the park, but we could have spent all day there if we didn't have other engagements.
This park was very entertaining for all of the age groups in our family. The adults enjoyed the culture, the nature walks, & the carvings. The kids enjoyed the suspension bridge, and feeding the animals. Ok, we ALL enjoyed feeding the animals.
Pros and Cons
Pros - reasonable price for a full day out with the family. Fun for adults and kids of all ages. If your kids are high maintenance, you can keep them strapped in the car while still experiencing a good time.
Cons - the roads were a little treacherous, its outside so poor weather could make a poor experience.
Overall Parc Rating
In case you are not aware of my rating scale, let me elaborate, because I don’t want it to seem harsh. I rate 1-5 stars. If you ever have reviews at your job on their 1-5 scale, its kind of like that.
1 star = falls below standards
2 stars= needs improvement, falls short of expectations
3 stars = meets expectations
4 stars = exceeds expectations
5 stars = entirely another category of awesome – way above target.
So essentially 3 stars is good, rather than mediocre.
Category | Rating |
Welcome at arrival | 4 |
Wait time | 3 |
Appearance/crowd/cleanliness | 3 |
Interest level | 4 |
Staff interactions | 4 |
Duration | 4 |
Kid Friendliness | 4 |
Price | 4 |
Overall Score | 3.75 |
Overall score is 3.75, I would definitely visit here again. It was truly a great day out with the family. If I could do anything different, I think I would choose to go either in the summer, when the roads and walking paths are drier and we can picnic in some of the outdoor areas, or perhaps the winter when they have dog sledding, snow tubing, and ice skating.
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