happyly approved

Roer's Zoofari

1228 Hunter Mill Road, Vienna, VA 22182

Daily 10am - 4pm

$$$

fun-paid-activities, outdoor-adventures

A fun-filled experience awaits at this impressive animal park in Vienna, Virginia (very close to Reston).

We were so pleasantly surprised when we finally made it to Roer's Zoofari. Planning to go for a while, we are amazed we haven't heard more about it.

(FYI: We attempted to do the drive-through on a weekend a few weeks back but they were booked, so keep that in mind if you are planning to visit on the weekend.)

In search of outdoor fun in the DC area, this stood out as a viable option, and boy we were right!! To start, the zoo changed its program so families can now drive through the safari portion of the park in their own vehicles, interacting with a variety of social and sweet animals. Additionally, the other portion of the park is open, pretty large, and laid out in a way that makes keeping your distance fairly easy. This is probably in part because we noticed many of the cars just chose to do the drive-through portion of the park, but also Roer's requires visitors to make drive-through appointments online so you are assured that there will be some limits set on the foot traffic as well. It is also important to mention it was a weekday.

We loved the self-drive safari portion so much we went through twice (as encouraged by the staff). We paid on our phones when we made our reservation earlier in the day, and we purchased two cups of lettuce and two cups of carrots that we picked up when we checked in. There was a very nice woman keeping the animals and cars moving but in a very patient way. She offered information about the animals whenever she was near the car, and we loved knowing the names of the different animals, such as Taco and Burrito the Llamas, and Kelvin the friendly reindeer. The donkeys were so sweet and friendly and she seemed genuinely fond of the animals, which was great to see.

The bison are out roaming in the open field as well, though they kept their distance on this visit, though we were told they will approach the cars at other times. There is a variety of deer, birds like emu and other animals. As you turn the bend to head back there are two zebra in a fenced-in area. Right toward the end of the loop, there was a large white bird (common rhea?) hanging out near a couple of emus so you could get a closer look without a llama popping up in your window eager for a carrot.

After the safari experience, we opted to check out the walking section. There weren't many other people there. The staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming. We wandered through the park for so long and even when we realized the park was technically closed nobody rushed us or the remaining guests at all.

When you first enter, you may pick up prepaid or purchase milk bottles to feed the goats. (Additionally, when we were on our way out we also purchased ice cream for the kids, and we enjoyed all our interactions with the Roer's team.)

There is a walkway across from the gift shop leading up to a large field with at least three separate picnic pavilions for families to have lunch and birthday parties. You may bring picnic food and non-alcoholic beverages. Additionally, the guest services manager kindly advised me that they have a relationship with a nearby restaurant that will deliver directly to the picnic area for your convenience.

From there you can walk through the upper part of the park where we especially loved experiencing the Squirrel Monkeys, and of course the huge Cheetahs. In addition to the outside animals, there is a small building where you will find the resident reptiles, amphibians and arachnids though we did not go inside this time. We were so satisfied at this point and completely forgot there is a whole additional area of the park that you can see from the parking lot.

Make your way down behind the barn where you pass a lake before finding quite a few more animals, including the Barn Owl, Laughing Kookaburra (which gave us quite a show when we made a laughing sound before going back to eating the dead mouse in the cage) and capybaras. There is a bird aviary, which was closed, as was the kangaroo walk-through area, likely because it was during Covid restrictions and social distancing would be a challenge in those areas. Fortunately, you can still look in from the outside. 

We loved the whole experience and can't wait to go back and do it again and probably host a birthday party there in the near future (you can even plan personal animal encounters during birthday parties)!!

Lake Fairfax Park is just two minutes away, with hikes and boating as well as the Water Mine Family Swimming Hole (waterpark) for the summer months. We also encourage you to drop into Reston Farm Market about three minutes away, especially during their fall festival!!

To weave in a little history to your excursion, Colvin Run Mill is only a five-minute drive into Great Falls.

If you didn't bring a picnic, grab a bite to eat before or after at Glory Days Grill also in Reston less than ten minutes away, and Founding Farmers Reston Station is about ten minutes southwest.

 

 

Features

Good for All Ages Stroller-friendly Animals
Thoughtfully captured by:
Randi Banks
Randi (Betts) Banks grew up in New York and graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. She moved to Washington, D.C. more than thirteen years ago with her husband, Eaghmon, and they love to explore the area and seek out adventure, now with their two young children along for the ride. Growing up right near the beach, they are happiest when on or near the water, so exploring the rivers, lakes, and streams in the greater DC area is a favorite pastime for their family. In addition to serving as one of the Washington, DC area ambassadors, Randi is also the Editor in Chief and Co-founder of happyly.
More activities by Randi
A playground, separate climbing area and space to wander near Old Town, Alexandria.
A park with beautiful river views.
Perfect space for little ones close to Old Town.

Recommended Gear