York’s Wild Kingdom is probably better known amongst locals as a zoo rather than an amusement park. In fact, in advertisements primarily focuses on its zoo over its lackluster assortment of rides, and I can’t blame them. However, York’s is home to one sole ride located in the zoo section of the park, a paddle boat ride. And boy is it a great set of paddle boats, in fact, they’re the best I’ve been on anywhere!
Located in the zoo section in an algae-infested, green pond, the attraction fits in flawlessly with the zoo section, really capturing the essence of a jungle cruise in my opinion with the lush landscaping and trees hanging over the attraction. Not only that, but there are a ton of ducks swimming around interacting with some of the boats and plants that just make the attraction even nicer to look at. Another plus is that it’s actually included with zoo admission and never has a wait, though I could foresee a wait if the park ever did get crowded due to a low number of boats.
Once seated in the paddle boats, I disembarked on my journey. Now the park really isn’t all that strict on how long you stay out, especially since lines typically aren’t an issue at this small park, but most people typically take a leisurely 10-15 minute excursion around the pond, and I fall into that group of people. Unlike most paddle boat attraction which simply consist of an open pond, this one is much better thanks to an oval shaped layout complete with some bridges and tunnels to pass under that really heighten the experience, along with the interaction with the native birds of the park. Really, while the layout is seemingly simple, it really does make the experience a stand-out for this type of attraction.
York’s Boats are a very nice, relaxing attraction well worth experiencing during your visit thanks to the tranquil, peaceful experience they provide. This is easily the best paddle boat/swan boat style attraction I’ve been on anywhere thanks to the unique, very well shaded layout that is just a joy to travel around during each of my visits to the park. So is it a must ride? Yes, but only if you choose to visit the zoo, since this attraction alone isn’t worth the extra fee for entering the zoo section of the park.
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