Ohio Grocery Story Is Part Amusement Park, Part Fever Dream

The one-of-a-kind grocery store has been featured on such major networks as the History Channel, Food Network, and the Travel Channel.

However I happened to stumble upon it via TikTok, of course.

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Judging from its exterior you'd never guess there's a grocery store inside a building surrounded by oversized animals, giant food statues, and there's even a tram! Filled with over 180,000 products from across the globe this Ohio-based store is part amusement park, part grocery store, and all fever dream.

Seriously, had I not seen it with my own eyes I would have never thought a place like Jungle Jim's existed-- but trust me when I say it is very real.

Welcome to the Jungle

On a recent trip to Ohio I made sure to put Jungle Jim's on my to-do list. Not because I really needed groceries but because I wanted to experience this wild wonder myself. Jim's did not disappoint!

There are various animatronics set up throughout the store and yes, they talk. Everything from a giant swinging Campbell's soup can to a talking corn cob to a bear that sings Elvis songs that looks like it came straight from Chuck E. Cheese. Seriously, what kind of drugs was Jim on?

Nothing is simple at Jungle Jim's either. Want cheese? They've got you covered with "The Big Cheese" which is a 762-pound tower of cheese. Need meat? Which animal would you like it to be from? Ground camel, yak, rabbit, ostrich, and some animals I've never even heard of are available in the frozen section.

Who Is Jim?!

James O. Bonaminio was born just outside of Cleveland in Lorain, Ohio in 1949. Jim's mother was a housewife but often went door-to-door selling Fuller Brush carpet sweepers with baby Jim in tow. Jim soon found that he himself had a knack for sales and began peddling pillows, carpet remnants, and purses and eventually graduated to produce.

In 1974 Jim purchased land outside of Cincinnati for the original Jungle Jim's location thus creating one of the wildest shopping experiences around! With 2 stores in Ohio we would love to see Jim branch out to nearby states like Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois.

If you do make it over to Jungle Jim's though make sure you bring some comfortable walking shoes, a friend for moral support, and block off an entire day to shop. I spent about 2 hours in there-- and I could have spent more!