The Catoctin Zoo and Wildlife Preserve is a 100-acre zoo and preserve with a ride-on safari truck. In other words, it’s a must visit!
The zoo provides kids and families with an intimate zoo experience. Smaller in size and scope than the National Zoo, Catoctin has many kid friendly features which make this a great day trip for parents of preschool and elementary age kids.
The Petting Zoo
For younger kids, the zoo has a large petting zoo with:
- Llamas
- Alpacas
- Miniature donkeys
- Goats
- and pot-bellied pigs
This is the perfect place for the kids to get up close to the animals.
Animal food is available for purchase at several places (so bring quarters!). Another enclosure nearby allows kids to feed miniature deer and yet another feeding area for ducks and swans is a little further afield.
Safari Ride
In addition to general zoo admission, the Catoctin Zoo offers a safari ride. The safari takes you through 25 additional acres of the park and lasts for one hour.
This is advertised as a chance for up close animal viewing and feeding. The ride is not recommended for kids under 36 inches or pregnant women.
Keeper Talks & Animal Encounters
The zoo also has daily keeper talks and animal encounters. We attended a 2pm animal encounter show. The kids and adults got to learn about and touch a chinchilla, hedgehog and a small alligator.
The show lasted around 30 minutes and was a highlight of the trip for my kids ages 4 and 6. There are two animal encounter shows daily at 11am and 2pm.
Rides & Feeding
Two other highlights of our trip were the donkey rides ($5 cash per rider) and the Ochreata Macaque feeding. My kids found it really interesting to watch the macaque monkeys feed on the same types of fruit that they enjoy – oranges, bananas, pears and strawberries.
There was a lot of activity in the macaque cage, a sure hit for kids! Camel rides are also advertised on the zoo map but were not running on the day of our visit. Rounding out the kid friendly features of the zoo are a koi pond and a butterfly garden.
Good to Know Before You Go
Restrooms with changing tables are located just to the left of the zoo entrance. I would highly recommend encouraging your kids to use this facility. There is only one other restroom in the zoo. Many port-a-potties are scattered around for convenience. Hand washing stations or sanitizer are located near all feeding areas.
The Catoctin Zoo has two food concessions and two play areas. The playgrounds were pretty sparse and dated. Our family brought lunch and ate at the picnic area located directly across Route 15 from the zoo.
There is a $3 fee for day use at the Cunningham Falls State Park Manor Area but the picnic area and recycled tire playground make the fee worthwhile. It was hard to get my kids to leave! The zoo offers in and out privileges so you could plan to picnic across the street and return to the zoo if you haven’t seen it all yet.
When to Go
The zoo is open daily from Memorial Day through November. Summer hours are 9am to 5pm, October 10am to 5pm, and November 10am to 4pm.
Pricing & Admission
The admission is $29.50 for adults (13-64 years old) and $20.50 for children (3-12 years old). annual memberships are available
Cost of the safari upgrade is $17.50 per rider. Our family decided to skip this feature. Safari rides are offered daily starting in late May.
I recommend about 2 to 3 hours for a self guided tour of the zoo. You could easily combine a trip to the zoo with a visit to the lake or falls at Cunningham Falls State Park or a hike in Catoctin Mountain Park (the home of Camp David). Thurmont and its environs make for a great day trip from the DC area.
Catoctin Mountain Park is located at 13019 Catoctin Furnace Rd, Thurmont, MD 21788.
