Leesburg Animal Park and Pumpkin Village- Updated for 2014!

Welcome to Pumpkin Village!

If you're looking for an alternative from traditional garden center and farm-style fall festivals, Leesburg Animal Parks "Pumpkin Village" is for you!  The fabulous new indoor play areas and expansive zoo, in addition to the the gigantic fall festival area, make this festival one you don't want to miss. There are so many attractions and activities that a family could easily spend an entire day exploring.

I took my 4 year old son on a Friday afternoon.  It wasn't crowded, and my son didn't have to wait to participate in any of the activities.  When we purchased our tickets ($11.95 for children and $13.95 for adults), we also bought a cup of animal feed, a bit pricey at $5 a cup (they also have smaller sizes), but the large cup was worth it when entering the animal exhibits.  The animals were healthy and well-cared-for, and included many beautiful and rare species; gibbons, lemurs, and sloths, in addition to dozens of farm animals.  My son enjoyed feeding the many varieties of cattle, deer, and goats the interactive exhibits had to offer, and the feed was gone before we knew it.

We then ventured into the festival area, and sampled some delicious cider and apples (free) before making our grand entrance down one of the giant hill slides.   First, my son jumped on the various high-quality moon bounces, which included a giant jack-o-lantern.  We then checked out the camels (rides available!) before climbing up a mountain made of hay bales.  One of his favorite exhibits was a kid-size maze made out of hay-bales, with a playground in the middle.  He also loved racing around the go-kart track, with several high-quality and easy to use pedal-karts for children and adults alike.  The hay-ride was nice and long, shaded, and passed through fun halloween exhibits. My son got a kick out of the giant, realistic T-Rex "attacking" a school bus.

Indoor Seating by the Playground

The last thing we did was explore the inside the brand-new indoor play facility, animal enclosures, and shop, which opened earlier this year.  The highlight was the modern, high-quality playground, complete with trampoline, three fun levels, and other features.  An additional large play area for toddlers is located next to the playground.  We also stumbled onto an arts and crafts/ educational room, where kids can use all sorts of craft supplies to make fun creations, read a book, or, like my son did, put together a giant floor puzzle.   Regularly scheduled animal shows are also held in in a small auditorium inside.  

Before we left, we went back outside to snag our free pie-pumpkin, and check out the farmers market.  My son summed up our day nicely by saying "Mommy, can we come back tomorrow?"

Leesburg Animal Park's Pumpkin Village Fall Festival is open daily 9:30-6 (5pm once Daylight Savings time begins).
19270 James Monroe Highway, Leesburg VA, 20175.
(703) 433-0002


*I was not paid or compensated in any way for this article.