My family frequently visits Reston Zoo, so we thought we should try out a different animal park. This past weekend, we went to Leesburg Animal Park in Leesburg, Virginia.

We were among the first visitors in the morning since we got there a few minutes before the park opened. We got my daughter the VIP pass, which included a cup of food and a pony ride. Each adult also received an ice cream cone filled with food for the animals as well.

We headed straight to the animal feeding area, where we were greeted by emus, a camel, llamas, a nilgai antelope, fallow deer fawns, sheep, donkeys and goats. There was also a Scottish highland cattle, but it wasn't interested in our food. My daughter loved feeding the baby goats while I made friends with the nilgai antelope.

We said hello quickly to the peacocks before heading into the contact area, which had more animals to feed and pet, including goats and a camel. I saw on their website that they have camel rides at certain times of the year, but they didn't have the camel ride when we were there.

As we were finishing up in the contact area, there was an announcement that the pony ride was about to start. So we took a short walk to the pony area; three quick circles and the pony ride was done.

On the way to the wagon ride, we said hello to an African serval cat, who was prancing around. It was in a cage, but there was only a rope between the viewing area and the cage, so we watched our daughter closely to make sure that she didn't put her fingers in the cage.

We also visited the gibbons, who were busy swinging around the trees. Then my daughter spotted a dragon moonbounce, so she decided to run straight there. It was very convenient to have a playground and a moonbounce right by the wagon ride; my daughter happily bounced and played while we waited for the wagon ride to start.

The wagon ride took us down the hill to see two zebras before heading to the pond. A staff member gave us more food so we could feed the fish, geese and ducks. We also spotted a Peking duck, an Egyptian goose and African geese at the pond.

If you don't want to take the wagon ride, you can also walk down to the pond by yourself. They did warn us that the geese may be a little aggressive to each other during nesting season, so it's better to stay away from the geese to be safe.

We decided after the wagon ride that we've had enough of animal fun and headed out for lunch. As we exited the park, we said good bye to squirrel monkeys, pot belly pigs, bunnies and ring-tailed lemurs.

We all thought the most fun part of the park was feeding the animals; my daughter couldn't stop talking about feeding the baby goat and the llamas at lunch and the next day.

AT A GLANCE

Location
Leesburg Animal Park is located at 19270 James Monroe Highway in Leesburg, Virginia.

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Hours of Operation
Leesburg Animal Park is open from March to September:
Wednesday – Thursday: 10 am to 3 pm
Friday – Sunday: 10 am to 5 pm

Admission Fees
$9.95 for adults, $7.95 for seniors (55+), $7.95 for kids 2+ and free for kids under 2. You can also get a VIP pass for your kid for $9.95, which includes a pony ride and animal food in a souvenir cup for you to take home. A season pass costs $35. You can get your tickets at the door or on their website. You can also get a coupon online.

Birthday Parties and Special Events
You can hold a birthday party at Leesburg Animal Park, or have the zoo come to you. For a party at the park, it costs $16.95 per child and $9.95 per adult with minimum $200 for the party. Kids under 2 are free. The birthday party package includes a private pony ride, a private wagon ride, a private animal encounter, a souvenir bucket of animal food and a goody bag for each kid. You can book your party online or call 703-433-0002.

To have the zoo come to you, it costs between $299 and $699 depending on the animals that you'd like to have at your party and the number of hours.