Catoctin Wildlife Preserve

We took a day trip prior to school starting for the kiddos. This place did not disappoint. The kiddos wanted to go back the next day. They enjoyed it very much. The staff were friendly and very educational about the animals they care for. I think our favorite part was a tie between the butterfly garden and the Koi pond!

My husband and I were looking for something close to home for us to do for a day trip. He went to Catoctin when he was younger but I have never been. We decided to make a day trip to the zoo. We had the absolute best time!!!! We got there right before 9 so we were the 1st ones in the gates at 9. We saw so many beautiful animals, and we even did the Safari ride. We got to do so many cool things, even as adults we had the best time!! We have never been to a zoo where you could get this close to some of the animals!! Worth every penny.

We took our 4 year old grandson on a very hot and humid day. Boy, we're we pleasantly surprised that the entire place is under tree shade, and it's big! The place is pretty impressive. The animals seem well cared for, and the pens are clean. We did not do the safari ride due to a 4 year olds limit hit. The gift shop had some great gifts and was not super expensive. The staff was very friendly and helpful. It was expensive. 1 senior (65&over), 1 adult, and 1 (3-12) came to $85. They do have passes for multiple entries. The other down side was that the gravel paths make it very hard to push a stroller and would make it almost impossible in places to push a wheelchair with a child or an adult as you get bogged down in the gravel. The biggest surprise was the amount and quality of animals, lions, leopards, lemur, zebras, goats, llamas, lynx, macaque monkeys, reptiles, bats, alligators, wolves, parrots, black bear, owls iguanas, kangaroos, emus, ostriches!. Would be great if there were other food options, but you can get your hands stamped, go into Thurmont and eat, and go back to the preserve. Our grandson's favorite part was the two petting zoo areas. He liked seeing Mimi feed the animals and tried to feed a few himself!

We were on a labor day weekend getaway with no real plans.... On our way home from Hershey we decided to go slightly out of our way for a few hours to visit this cute little wildlife preserve! So glad we found it on Google! Our family has enjoyed visiting zoos for years and we always try to find a new one local to the new places we visit! If we are ever in the area again, we will stop to see the new closures that will surely be finished! Our favorite was the jaguar and the kookaburra!

Still a hidden gem. Great for a day trip alone or with family and friends. Yes the Safari is open on weekends. But it's a great place to get a healthy walk with sitting areas almost every corner. Friendly park staff with a little petting area for the kids and a cool spot to feed the huge KIO fish it's pretty cool for kids and adults. If you haven't been there is perfect for a day trip and locally in Maryland it's worth it .