Review & Giveaway {Four-Pack of Tickets to Pumpkinville}

The Puppet Show at Pumpkinville

This giveaway has ended.  Congratulations to our winner, Natalia!

This past weekend, we had the terrific opportunity to visit Pumpkinville at Leesburg Animal Park.  Starting at the end of September and lasting through November 4th, Leesburg Animal Park creates an amazing Fall Festival with fun activities for the whole family!

Feeding the Hungry Antelope

Since my daughter loves animals (at least, from a safe distance!), we toured their “zoo” first.  As you enter the park, you have the option of purchasing food to feed their large menagerie of animals; and, I assure you, it’s worth the investment.  I normally put the kibosh on such extraneous purchases, but my husband pointed out the muttering parents that were headed back to the little store to purchase animal food for their sobbing children.  So, I took his advice, and purchased enough food for the hungry pigs, the overly friendly deer, the slightly suspicious antelope, and the aloof zebras.  The few dollars we spent was definitely worth the excitement my daughter derived from chatting with the animals as she hand fed them!   Tip: Be sure to pack hand sanitizer or wipes to wash your children’s hands after they feed the animals.

Bunny Love!

Somewhere around the chickens, my daughter saw the bubble machine and  shot off to chase soapy H2O.  My husband was beginning to question her sanity, when he noticed the rest of the 5 and under crowd swarming to catch a bubble as well.  It took awhile, but we finally extricated her from the bubble chasing hoard and headed to the Pumpkinville portion of Leesburg Animal Park.

The Cow Bounce for Little Ones

At Pumpkinville, you can choose from a myriad of fun activities, many of which are separated by age.  I’m a paranoid parent – there’s no doubt about it.  And, I worry when I see middle-schoolers jumping in a moon bounce with three year olds.  So, I was very happy that they had a moon bounce, dedicated entirely to the 0-5 year old age range.  As an added bonus, they provided staff to monitor the children and were actually turning away children who were not of the appropriate age.  For those of you with older children, don’t worry!  They have a cool tiger moon bounce further down the hill; and judging from the screams of delight, it was a huge hit!

Fall Isn't Complete Without a Hayride

One of the highlights of the day was their free hayrides!  Each tractor pulls two wagon-loads of people, and they have two tractors in circulation on the weekends.  Their efficient system cut down on lines; and, amazingly enough, we hopped aboard the hayride without any wait!  The hayrides take you on a 15 minute tour of their park, which is gorgeous during Fall!  And, while all the children squealed at the cardboard cutouts of their favorite action figures and Disney princesses in the fields, the parents were grateful for a chance to relax and enjoy the scenery.

The Hay Slides on a Hill

Once we finished our hayride, my daughter scurried off to the hay slides.   Since I am a wimp when it comes to heights, I had visions of “A” rocketing downhill, unable to stop.  But, as you can see from the picture, friction overcame gravity, and most children had to propel themselves downward.  Most of the 5 and under crowd (my daughter included) still thought the hay slide was fabulous, and we trekked up and down the hill multiple times so she could repeat her adrenaline-rushing experience.

As our day was coming to an end, we headed toward the exit to choose our complimentary pumpkins (each person receives one pumpkin with the cost of admission).   The best part?  Leesburg Animal Park has tables set up with all the painting supplies you need to transform your pumpkin into a work of art.   “A” enjoyed painting happy faces on her pumpkin, and I was happy that she was dripping paint on someone else’s table.

Overall, we thought Pumpkinville was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon!   From the hayrides to the complimentary apple cider, Leesburg Animal Park made it a terrific experience for every family member.

ADMISSION RATES:
$8.50 per person weekdays (To save $1 on weekday admission after 3 PM, click here.)
$13.00 per person weekends and Columbus Day
Children under 2 years old are free!

Open daily from 9:00am-6:00pm* (9:00am-5:00pm after daylight savings) from September 22-November 6, 2012

Here is a complete list of the activities they offer:

• Giant Hill Slides
• Hay Wagon Rides
• Kid’s Hay Maze
• Moon Bounces
• Pirate Ship
• Pony Rides* ($3.50 charge)
• Leesburg Animal Park Entry
• Free Apples & Cider
• Free Patch Pumpkin
• Farm Market

On the weekends, they also offer face painting, live entertainment (like puppet shows!), pumpkin painting, mini-tractor rides, a 200ft kids zip line ($3.00 charge), and camel rides ($7.00 charge).

{Giveaway Details}
Washington Family Magazine is offering one of my readers a pack of FOUR tickets to enjoy Pumpkinville!  This will be a fast giveaway, since these tickets expire on November 4, 2012.  To enter, just leave a comment with your email address.   This contest is open to the US and will close at 11:59 PM on October 21, 2012.  {I will mail the tickets out as soon as I hear back from the winner – so, you’ll have two weeks to use the tickets!} I will draw the winner by Random.org, and they will have 24 hours to respond to the email notification that they won. 

For extra entries:
1) “Like” Washington Family Magazine on Facebook. (Leave your Facebook ID.)
2) Follow Washington Family Magazine on Twitter. (Leave your Twitter ID.)
3) “Like” Capitally Frugal on Facebook. (Leave your Facebook ID.)
4) Follow Capitally Frugal on Twitter. (Leave your Twitter ID.)
5) Tweet this giveaway, please include @capitallyfrugal and @familymagdc in your tweet.  (Leave a link to your tweet, please!)

{Disclosure: Our family received tickets to attend Pumpkinville, courtesy of Washington Family Magazine.}