Dr. James Surrell, Journal columnist

I am pleased to report to you that Oswald’s Bear Ranch is now open and is located just north of Newberry and it is a very famous tourist attraction. This great Upper Peninsula attraction is the largest bear ranch in the entire United States on a large 240 acre site. The bear ranch is a proud accredited member of the Zoological Association of America (ZAA). The owners, Dean and Jewel Oswald, and their family run the bear ranch and it is open to the public from the Friday before Memorial Day to September 30th every year. The Bear Ranch opened to the public in 1997, and they have been caring for bears since 1984. It is such a great fun learning experience to see the bears, truly in their natural habitat.

At the present time, Oswald’s Bear Ranch has over 40 bears and they are in four very large fenced-in areas that truly reflect their natural habitat. In one of these areas where the yearling bears are located, there is a wonderful small waterfall that the bears obviously enjoy. To get a great view of these many bears, there are numerous raised platforms from which visitors get a barrier-free view of the bears. These raised platforms also give visitors a great spot to take photos of the bears. For very good reason, Oswald’s Bear Ranch is considered to be one of the top ten family friendly Upper Michigan Tourist Attractions.

The Bear Ranch certainly offers a great educational experience for all of us, including the visiting youth. To help the wild life education of our youth, they also graciously offer “Free School Bus Field Trips.” On these visits, they educate the visiting children about their rescued bear cubs and how the bears are raised from cubs to become grown bears. They also emphasize how we all need to protect the Black Bear population and their natural environment. Further, in appreciation for their service, the Oswald family also offers free admission for all active military personnel.

A very popular additional activity at the Bear Ranch is to take the opportunity to have one’s photo taken petting and feeding one of the small bear cubs. This is a very special experience for us kids of all ages, and is offered to the Bear Ranch visitors for a small additional charge. They also have a great gift shop with all kinds of bear-related items that may be of interest to the many visitors. You may wish to check out their very informative website at www.oswaldsbearranch.com.

Again, the Bear Ranch is open daily from 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. After Labor Day, they are open from 9:30 a.m. until 4 p.m., until they close for the season on Sept. 30. The admission to the Bear Ranch is only $30 per vehicle, regardless of the number of occupants, and $15 for a single person admission. Of course, the Oswald Bear Ranch is not open in the winter, because, as you might imagine, these bears who are occupants of the Bear Ranch do their natural hibernation.

If you have not been to the Oswald Bear Ranch, or have some visiting family and friends in our great Upper Peninsula, I strongly encourage you to visit the Bear Ranch. It is also a great place to take the children. You will not be disappointed! Many people also tie in their visit to the Bear Ranch with a visit to Tahquamenon Falls, as the Falls are located only about a half hour drive from the Bear Ranch.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Jim Surrell is the author of “The ABC’s For Success In All We Do” and the “SOS (Stop Only Sugar) Diet” books. Contact Dr. Surrell by email at sosdietdoc@gmail.com.