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You know those family outings that aren’t planned in advance, that are just spur-of-the-moment, “look at this place I found on the internet”, “cool, we should go” spontaneities? The days that aren’t perfectly planned, but just happen to go perfectly? (note to self: maybe I’m on to something here…) For us, they always seem to happen when we least expect (read: when they are needed the most). As a family of five with three overscheduled super busy kids we rarely have a day with nothing planned. And when we do, it quickly fills with impromptu gatherings with friends, checking things off of our grown-up responsibilities list, and the like.
But, on the tail end of a recent long weekend, we found ourselves WITHOUT PLANS.
So we packed up the minivan and drove to the Catoctin Wildlife Preserve. We have visited our fair share of zoos and this is by far our favorite (so far!). Located about 20 minutes north of Frederick, MD, it is a convenient daytrip destination for families in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania, and anyone visiting the area.
The quantity, variety, and proximity of the animals on exhibit coupled with the availability of actual animal interaction really set this place a part from the others.
The heavily forested (and so, mostly shaded) grounds are organized into global regions that are connected by mostly dirt and gravel paths – we brought the stroller for our two year old and it was only contested a few times by rocks, tree roots, and muddy spots (she walked 90% of the time anyway, which is a feat in and of itself). There were also several patrons using wheelchairs successfully. I don’t know how many people visit the park daily, but it did not feel crowded — we had our own “private” viewing at nearly all the exhibits.
Each enclosure we encountered had clearly visible and mostly active animals within surprisingly close proximity (some were snoozing, but still easy to see!).
Whether behind a fence or glass, every single animal was up close and personal. Beyond the “look, don’t touch” animals, there were several stations set up for animal interaction – feeding, petting, and even riding. Bring cash and quarters – the animal food is dispensed from those crank machines that sell candy in the grocery stores and the camel ride and feathered feeding enclosure were a few dollars each. They also have animal encounters and keeper talks scheduled (we will be going back to see some of these!). The kids were never bored which is probably why they didn’t even think to complain about the walking or fight over the stroller seat, which makes for a happy family day trip. (For reference, they are 2, 6, and 7).
Guests are welcomed to bring a picnic lunch and coolers inside the park (make sure to leave glass at home) and there are plenty of clean places to sit and eat. We stopped in Frederick, MD for lunch on our way (partially because it was so last-minute and we had nothing in the house but mostly because we love Frederick, MD in general – definitely a great family destination!) and evidently there are places to eat near the park in Thurmont (get your hands stamped for same day reentry). We did stumble upon one food vendor inside the park serving a variety of hot food that took Venmo! After nearly three hours of exploring we were ready to hit the road but I can envision spending longer if we plan it well.
For a family of five (Emily was under 3 and so was free), admission was around $80 and we spent around $20 in cash/quarters in the park. We made the mistake of going into the gift shop – if you don’t plan on getting any souvenirs, avoid it or you may have to deal with a brief meltdown because our kids wanted PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING. Memberships and birthday parties are available, too (details are on the website). We will definitely be going back and will probably combine it with an overnight in Frederick because, like I mentioned earlier, we love it there and there are a lot of other places to explore in Thurmont.
Check out the rest of our pictures below! I was able to get a lot of pictures before my phone died… but one of them was NOT a family picture (because #storyofourlives).
Have suggestions for family outings near OR far? Let me know in the comments below! We’re always looking for ways to entertain our rowdy crew in the summer.
