About the Zoo
NOVA Wild is an interactive zoo located in Reston, VA (about 40 minute drive from DC).
It’s a good option for a day trip from DC.
A while back, this place was called Roer’s Zoofari. We’ve gone to Roer’s Zoofari a few times and enjoyed our experience there.
About a year ago, we wanted to go again and found out that the zoo changed names. It was sold to a new owner. The facility is now called NOVA Wild.
As it turns out, the previous owners did not always put the interests of animals first, and there were some serious issues. While the visitors did not see any mistreatment, much more was going on behind the scenes.
We are relieved to find out that the situation has now changed to the better. The new owner, the Reston resident Campbell Lussier, wants to focus on animal conservation and welfare. She has been able to bring several strong zoo experts on the NOVA Wild team. They have been introducing various improvements throughout the facility. The idea is to build an ethical zoo. This is definitely great to hear and hopefully animals are now in good hands.
NOVA Wild is open every day of the week from 10:00 am will 6:00 pm. On weekends, the zoo is somewhat crowded, but weekdays are perfect for a visit.
How does NOVA Wild compare to National Zoo in DC?
Well, NOVA Wild and the National Zoo are two different things.
Compared to the National Zoo in DC, NOVA Wild has fewer animals and much smaller premises. It’s a 30-acre zoo, so it’s not very large. Educational information is currently quite limited. Also, you will not find many food options.
NOVA Wild is also not free. Actually, it’s quite expensive if you want to do a lot of activities. Adult general admission tickets are $20, and tickets for kids and seniors are $15 each. One bucket of food will cost you $20.
If you want to try additional experiences, you’d have to pay $8 for butterfly pavilion, $10 for riding the camel, and much higher prices for some other animal encounter. For instance, encounter with the sloth costs $100 according to the website. We did not try that as it’s a bit out of our budget.
However, NOVA Wild has several important advantages. First, it has much more interactive exhibits. Second, the small territory makes it easy to cover without getting overly tired. Third, there are fewer visitors, so you have plenty of space. And finally, you have an opportunity to get close to the animals which are used to people and happy to interact with you.
If you are looking to interact with the animals, you’d have to go to NOVA Wild. At the National Zoo, you will just be able to watch them.
Things to see at NOVA Wild
As you enter the zoo, you will have an opportunity to buy some dry food for the animals. One large bucket is usually enough for the whole family but you can buy a couple if you are looking to feed a lot of animals. You also get special feed for the chickens and peacocks together with the main bucket.
Once you enter, you will immediately spot some animals you can feed. These include goats, pigs, and cows. All the animals are very friendly and will rush to the fence to greet you and ask for food.
The bird pavilion is also very interesting. It houses chickens of different breeds and several peacocks. Did you know that there are more than 300 breeds of chickens in the world? Turns out, there are. And you’ll find some really cool ones at NOVA Wild. You can feed all the birds with the food which they gave you upfront.
When we visited the bird pavilion, we even saw one of the chickens lay an egg. For a city girl like my daughter, it was quite an experience.
NOVA Wild also offers a safari experience. Unfortunately, you do not get to ride in a cool safari car like at Disney World, and the selection of animals is quite small, but still it’s a good and fun experience. You’ll move at your own pace and see deer, lamas, cows, and other animals.
You will find some additional animals spread around the zoo, including the anteater, capybaras (large rodents native to South America), several types of lemurs, a couple of sloths, a cheetah, and other animals.
A large pond on the premises houses a lot of cute turtles.
Additional experiences
There are several additional animal experiences which you can see at NOVA Wild, but these will be extra.
One of them is the Wild Wings butterfly pavilion. Admission costs $8 per person, but it’s really worth it. You will see hundreds of colorful butterflies flying around you. Chances are, one or two will land on you at some point. I actually got three large butterflies land on me. It seems that they preferred dark colors- I was wearing dark green shirt and black shorts. Other family members did not get butterflies to land on them, and they were all dressed in light colors.
Another experience is riding a camel. This costs $10. We’ve already tried riding a camel during our trips to Egypt, so we didn’t do it. But a lot of other visitors tried it.
The Final Word
Overall, NOVA Wild offers a cool and fun experience for families.
If you are looking for a cool place to get close to the animals, NOVA Wild is a good choice. You can plan on spending 2-3 hours there and have a great time.
I’m so glad new owners took over and are putting the animals first. Looks like a great place to visit!
The animals look happier. I love when zoos actually care for the animals. I’ll add this to my list in case I visit the area in the future.
Sadly, we don’t always know what happens to the animals behind the scenes in a zoo. It’s so good to know that the present owners are prioritizing animal conservation and welfare at Nova Wild.
I’m so glad for the animals that the zoo got a new owner. You always hope that ones taking care of the animals in zoos, take care well of them.
I love hearing that this zoo is genuinely looking after these animals. It looks like a great way to spend a day.
We love zoos. Smaller ones are great to spend more time and see the animals up close. We drive in VA often, so this will be added to my list.