Maryland Zoo in Baltimore

We took a trip to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore last summer. A small zoo covered in shade and a free tram to take you from the entrance/parking to the main area with the animals (why can't the National Zoo have one?). Though small, it offered a lot in the way of different types of exhibits and experiences. You can feed a giraffe, ride a camel ride (offered last summer - not sure about 2010), see cheetahs and monkeys through a wall of Plexiglass, experience a wonderful exhibit of life on the Chesapeake Bay, exploring the woods and caves, and more. They had lots of picnic tables and the bathrooms had a/c and were clean! As of June 30, 2010, they will also have a train running at the zoo.

Extra costs beyond the cost of admission tickets - tickets for the Jones Falls Zephyr train will be $2 for members and $3 for non-members. I didn't see on the website anything about the camel rides, but they were $5 per person last year. You did have to pay to feed the giraffes - I believe it was $2.50 per stem of leaves. Zoo is open 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Parking is free! (Don't worry, parking lot is small and right next to the zoo, very easy walk, and no hills). http://www.marylandzoo.org/
To return to the homepage and find more great places for kids, click here

Cost/Value

Customer Service

Leesburg Animal Park in Leesburg, Virginia

After going to Clarks Elioak Farm in Ellicott City and having such a good time interacting with the animals, we thought we would try Leesburg Animal Park. The website was incredibly well maintained and made it seem like quite a nice place. There were several nice things about this park and several things that we were unhappy with.

The park had a wider variety of animals to see (tortoise, camel, monkeys, etc.) and feed than in other places we went to which was nice. Also, there was a lot of land to roam around, a big pond, a playground area, and a moon bounce on the premises. Additionally, they also had a big sand box with some digging tools, a shaded area to rest, pony rides, and wagon rides. Of all of the things that we saw, we actually enjoyed seeing the monkeys swinging in their cage and feeding the different animals the most.

However, we found the price to be very expensive compared to other places with similar programs. At 10 dollars per adult and 8 dollars per child, we expected to see a wider variety of animals, get more feed for the money, and have a bit more interaction with the animals. Also, the pens that the animals were in were very small and crowded and for a little kid, it was hard to see much more than a mouth between wooden beams in many cases. We also did not enjoy the fact that for a normal sized cup of feed for the animals, they charged an additional 10 dollars. In addition to the already steep entry fee and the additional charge for the large bucket of feed, they also charged for the hay rides and pony rides.

In terms of the staff, they were very young, and other than in the box office and by the ponies, I did not see a single staff person on the premises. If you are planning a trip out to Leesburg in the near future and you have the extra money to spend, it is not a terrible place to go. However, there is definitely room for growth at this place. On the positive side, it is located 5 minutes from the Leesburg Premium Outlets which provides great shopping and a second activity in the area. If you go in the summer bring lots of water as it gets very hot. Also, they have a festival in the fall time called Pumpkinville which has hay mazes, hill slides, zip lines, and several other activities.

Website: http://www.leesburganimalpark.com/
To return to the homepage and find more great places for kids, click here

Cost/Value

Customer Service

Hadley's Park and Potomac, Maryland

Hadley's Park is a wonderful playground that is great for children of all ages. There are numerous different climbing apparatuses to play on and the park was designed so that children with varying abilities can enjoy the equipment. One of the most wonderful features of the park is that almost every climbing structure has at least one ramp for wheel chair accessibility and that the entire playground is built on rubber mats for child safety.

Additionally, the playground has features such as a shaded gazebo, miniature climbing wall, and a large baseball field. The equipment is also well spaced out and many children bring bikes to ride on the rubber matting. We spent about 2 hours at the park playing on the equipment and watching a little league game that was taking place.

Book Recommendations before going to a playground

Please Play Safe! Penguin’s Guide to Playground Safety (Margery Cuyler)

Manners on the playground (Carrie Finn)

King of the Playground (Phyllis Reynolds Naylor)

To return to the homepage and find more great places for kids, click here
Cost/Value

Customer Service