Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Washington, DC

Guest contributor Beth is a nearly 30 year resident of the D.C. area and enjoys taking her two kids all of the places she loved herself as a child, as well as discovering new places with them.  She's currently focusing on excursions with plenty of available bathrooms to accommodate her newly potty-trained daughter's fascination with public restrooms.

Looking for an eclectic animal-encounter experience in the Western suburbs?  Well, you need look no further than the Reston Zoo.  Located on Hunter Mill Road near Baron Cameron Avenue and Route 7/Leesburg Pike (which I'm pretty sure actually puts it in Vienna), the Reston Zoo is part petting zoo, part country fair, and part wild animal park.  

We always start in the petting barn, populated with goats, sheep, and the occasional diminutive cow.  You can buy food and bottles of milk at the entrance to feed the animals, or just scratch their ears, or, as we tend to do with my skittish toddler, admire them from afar.  Fair warning that these animals are accustomed to being fed and can get a little pushy about it and that the barn gets loud enough to scare the younger kids.  Also be sure to take advantage of the sinks and hand sanitizer dispensers located at the entrances to the barn.  (Actually, this is the sort of place where you will probably want to pack your own hand sanitizer and apply it liberally throughout the day).    

Also near the entrance is a pony ride staid enough for a two or three year old, but with horses big enough to keep the older kids amused.  Monkey Island is another big attraction.  A more diligent reporter would be able to tell you the species of the five or six small monkeys housed at the zoo, but I can report that they are entertaining even for adults, especially when they get to running and swinging around their enclosure.  You will also find a large group of tropical birds, pigs, chickens, a porcupine, camels, and the list goes on.

Included in the price of admission (which I will get to in a minute) is a zoofari wagon ride through the large open part of the zoo, where they house zebras, antelope, bison, and a very friendly ostrich named Tweety (be sure to save some food for him).  The tour is entertaining, even if you sometimes get a better view of the backyards of the nearby subdivision than many of the animals.

Add to the pro column ample free parking, relatively clean bathrooms, room for energetic kids to run around, and a really lovely lake, and it makes for a nice two to three hour trip.  On the con side, however, is the cost of admission: $10 for adults and $8 for children 2-12, which can make this a pricey afternoon, especially once you add on food and bottles for the animals (optional, but you try saying no) and the fact that you are forced to exit through the gift shop.  Also, parts of the zoo are looking a little the worse for wear, and while the animals all seem well cared-for, I am always a little concerned by the grounds.  And finally, try to go early or on a weekday if possible, because when it starts to get crowded it can be, well, an absolute zoo!

Beth blogs (and curses a lot, but she can't do it out loud anymore and needs an outlet) at so the fish said.