Is Reston Zoo really a zoo? I'd say almost, but it doesn't matter whether it's technically a zoo or not, because kids love this place!

Located right in the middle of Reston (Baron Cameron Avenue and Hunter Mill Road), this 30-acre zoo is situated among suburban homes.

After I was over the "really?" factor, I decided to give it a try and my family loves it! I think we went to Reston Zoo at least 10 times this season. Their website mentions that "there are plenty of places to get up close and personal with the animals" and I completely agree.

When you walk in the zoo, you're greeted by the sound of macaws, sheep and goats. Before you run to the petting zoo area to your right, which is what most people do, look to your left and you'll find spider monkeys swinging around. No fence, just a mini moat. So other than watching your kid to make sure that he/she won't jump in the water to play with the monkeys, you'll have good picture ops.

Head over to the petting zoo area, and you'll find sheep, goats and lambs waiting for you to feed them. The animals are kept nice and cool with the somewhat enclosed area. Right outside, you'll find more sheep or goats, pigs and rabbits. 

You can buy food and bottles of milk when you buy your tickets in the ticketing office/store area. They sell small and large cups of animal food; we generally buy a large one to save for the ostrich during the wagon ride (yes, ostrich! More on this later) and ask for a small, empty cup so we can put some food in the small cup for my daughter. If we don't do that, she tends to overfeed the animals. Many kids also feed the animals straight from their hands.

Note to super clean parents: Reston Zoo has hand sanitizer everywhere! You'll see one pretty much anywhere you can feed the animals.

When you get out of the petting zoo area, go to your left to find some red kangaroos. This summer, there was a baby kangaroo that was a favorite of my daughter. Right by the kangaroos, you'll find a porcupine. 

Walk back towards the petting zoo and you'll find a small reptile house filled with snakes. Back towards the outside petting zoo area, you'll find chickens, turkeys and turtles. Once in a while, we see a few chickens and a turkey roam around for free at the zoo and we saw at least one child petting the chicken. There is no fence around the turtle area, so kids can pet them as well.

A few weeks ago, they had rabbits hanging out with the turtles. That was a great opportunity to tell my daughter about the tortoise and the hare story!

Reston Zoo also offers wagon rides, included in your admission fee. They generally have the wagon ride scheduled for every hour starting at 11 am. People start lining up about 20 minutes before, but they usually have two wagons running at each scheduled time, so we haven't had to miss any wagon rides.

The wagon ride is located to the right of the petting zoo. You'll get to visit some animals on the way there, such as emus, llamas, bintarongs, squirrel monkeys, ring-tailed lemurs and an alligator.

During your wagon ride, you'll get to see zebras, ostriches, camels, bulls, antelopes and deer. Pick a seat on the side if you can to get the most out of your ride. Most of the animals, except the zebras and deer, will generally come greet you and let you pet them. It's always fun to feed the ostrich, which is the main reason for us buying the large cup of animal food.

While there, your kids can also enjoy pony rides, located right across the macaws and ducks.

They do have rest rooms, but not much food. Their store has ice cream and drinks, but I think that's about it. So pack your lunch and snacks if you plan to stay there a while. We generally only stay for about 2/2.5 hours, and then drive to Reston Town Center, which is about a five- to ten-minute drive for lunch or dinner.

Reston Zoo is definitely a nice surprise for us and it has become one of our favorite places in Fairfax County, Virginia. We find it best to go earlier in the morning before it gets crowded and before it gets too hot for the animals in the summer time. Double check the wagon ride, pony ride and animal show schedules when you buy your tickets so you can plan ahead on where to go first.

We like this place so much that we decided to get a season pass for next year. Can't wait for it to open in the spring!

AT A GLANCE

Location
1228 Hunter Mill Rd, Vienna, VA 22182
(Cross street: Baron Cameron Ave)

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Operating hours
Reston Zoo is open from mid-March to end of November. Operating hours vary by season and weekday/weekend, but they typically open from 9 am to between 4 and 6 pm everyday. Last admission is an hour before zoo closing time. Check http://restonzoo.com/schedule.htm for their most recent operating schedule.

Fees
Admission fee is waived for kids 2 and under. Adults pay $10, seniors $9 and kids between 2 and 12 $7. Group rates are available for groups of 15 people or more. 

Wagon rides are included in your admission fee, but pony ride is $4 extra per ride. Animal food and milk are also extra. 

I typically pay about $30 for admissions fees for myself and my daughter, a large cup of food, a bottle of milk and a pony ride. Check their most recent rates at http://restonzoo.com/admit.htm.

Special events
They do hold birthday parties at the zoo. It can get pretty costly since you need to pay for both adults and children (kids 2 and under are still free), while many other birthday places only make you pay for the children. Their birthday package starts at $150 for 10 people. More on this at http://restonzoo.com/birthday.htm.

Food and facilities
They have hand sanitizer everywhere and a sink right outside of the ticketing office. Restrooms are located across from the spider monkeys.

Their store sells drinks and ice creams, and perhaps even snacks, but no big lunch menu. Pack your lunch or snacks if you plan to stay for a while, they do have picnic tables by the pony ride and the wagon ride and also one by the red kangaroos.

Contact information
Phone: 703-757-6222
Email: restonzoo@verizon.net
Website: http://restonzoo.com