Frying Pan Park

We come with the small ones and we like the low key setting. There are mostly farm animals but in addition peacocks. The pigs and their piglets are really cute but kinda smelly. We like a bare bones merry go round which runs every hour but lasts for a while. Above all, entrance to farm is free.

Frying Pan Farm Park is our go-​to farm animal experience. Every time I go, I marvel at how something so cool can be free.
This is a must see for anyone with toddlers or kids interested in farm animals or farm equipment. There are tractors, combine harvesters, and apple presses galore. There are pigs, cows, goats, chickens, and other assorted birds. They always seem to have a new baby or two that are playing around and looking adorable.
Parking is always plentiful even during horseback riding events that utilize the barns.

Great place to take a toddler — my three year old had a blast running around looking at all of the animals, and then spent an hour on the playground. Definitely a popular spot, as entrance to the farm is free. Older kids would probably get bored, but this is a perfect match for the pre-​k crowd. Stroller friendly, don’t have to walk a lot unless you want to. Bathrooms near the playground and at the visitor center, which has also has some exhibits, unfortunately those were lost on my toddler, as the animals were the main draw.

A little country in the suburbs! Such a great place to bring the family. Its free, lots of fun farm animals, playgrounds and room to run around. Its a legit farm, so wear shoes/​clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. Check out the cow milking at 4 everyday!

Been going here every couple of years since I was in elementary school. Every time I come, there is something new. It is is also a great place to bring a friend, especially if they like the outdoors. A good variety of animals to see. And as a bonus, its free admission, unless you want to attend some of their events. Lots of fun, a great place to admire the animals and the farm in general, and a nice place to get some walking in too.

I brought my 2 and 4 year old here on Columbus Day to finally check out the farm and see what they had to offer. This particular day, they had a couple children’s activities (drum session at 10, dancing at 11, and a storyteller at 12); these all took place in the visitor’s center, about a quarter mile away from the main farm and playgrounds. We stayed for a couple of the activities, but my kids were not interested. It was a nice effort on the farm’s part to invite these children’s companies to participate but it was super lame.
So we walked over to the main farm. There were a couple goats, cows, pigs, and chickens out, but for a working animal farm, there really weren’t too many animals present; maybe it’s because it was in October. Their carousel was super old looking and didn’t really seem worth the cost. We couldn’t find the playgrounds and started to leave and then saw them upon exit so we found another spot to park and played a bit. So I would note that the playgrounds are a little hard to spot behind the carousel.
Overall, I was not too terribly impressed with this park. Perhaps if we lived closer and visited in the spring the appeal would be greater, but the playgrounds aren’t cool enough and there aren’t enough animals present to float my children’s boats. But I will keep my ear to the ground on any future events happening here to give it another shot.

I love this park! It’s a nice place to walk your dog when the weather is good and the animals are friendly.

This is a fabulous farm that offers children the opportunity to see animals in a more natural environment. I actually grew up with livestock and can appreciate how well these animals seem to be taken care of. They all look healthy and have lots of space. My toddler really enjoyed looking at and petting all of the farm animals. It’s not too crowded, inexpensive, and the facilities are clean. We loved it here and will be back soon!

A wonderful place, beautiful setting and always something fun going on. Hay rides, the animals, play area and merry go round, space to run around and not feel crowded even on the busy weekends. If you check the website regularly you will always see something going on-​puppet shows, evening concert series, carnivals and all kind of educational events for children (most everything is free except some of the educational classes which are a very small fee).
Love living so close to the park/​farm!

One of the view places in the area you can go for a nice long walk or hike and get lost back in the trails. Or pet some baby animals for free. Farmers market too. the history of this place is kind of neat and deserves to be preserved.

This is an amazing, free working farm that is open to the public every day. Stop by to walk through the animal barns, ride the carousel, take a hayride, or take an easy hike on one of the trails. check the sign at the entrance to see if there are any baby animals to see, and don’t miss the daily cow milking at 4 p.m.
They host horse shows and other competitions in the building on the back of the property, and a farmer’s market sets up here weekly. It’s great to have this right in the heart of Fairfax County, tucked in between neighborhoods and just off Fairfax County Parkway.

One of the most hidden and under appreciated gems in all of FFX. This is the best place to take the family and introduce them to what a working farm out to be.
They have a decent array of animals, farming equipment and land to keep kids busy for a while.
This is a ‘working’ farm in Herndon. The animals are wonderfully managed and everything is kept clean. You can watch them milk the cows, and see baby animals in the Spring!
Kids can stay here all day. They have a small store that sells. well nothing useful, but its there. Playground for kids, horse arena.
Just one of those places where you’d take your family to, to enjoy a nice picnic and also to just getaway from the hectic city surroundings w/​o driving for miles.

Great park for kids and best of all it’s free! I’ve been here twice with my son. My son loved the playground and he loved seeing all the animals. We went in the spring and again at the beginning of June. There were definitely more animals out and about in the cooler weather. There are wagon rides and a carousel (both have a fee). There is also a small country store (I didn’t go in). We were there on a Wednesday and there was a small farmers market. It’s definitely worth the trip!

Do you ever catch yourself saying, «Man, I’m bored. If only there was somewhere in North Virginia I could go to milk a cow.» Your answer is finally here! Frying Pan Park. And by «finally here» I mean «it’s been there for about a hundred years, but I just found out about it.» Close enough!
The park is fantastic, open and a great place for kids, family or just anyone wanting to experience something new. Even if you just want a scenic place to walk for exercise, it’s pretty much perfect. It’s completely free (with the exception of the carousel or tractor rides) and is open to the public. Just show up, have fun. From horses, goats, cows, pigs, turkeys, chickens… there’s a lot of animals to see and touch. Every day at 4:00pm they do a daily cow milking where kids and adults alike can experience the joy of milking a cow.
They also have a farmer’s market with farm fresh eggs and other goods, but it closes a little early (around 4).
It is a farm, so it’s dirty, muddy and doesn’t smell great. But that’s what makes it what it is. It’s authentic. Wear proper clothing, as you may get dirty. But that’s a part of the charm of Frying Pan Park.
I also want to give a nod of appreciation to the kids volunteering at the farm to help out. They did a fantastic job taking care of the animals, and showed amazing levels of teamwork across the board. They may be kids, but they were completely professional and courteous across the board.

We had a chance to check out Frying Pan Park today because we were out at the Fairfax County Fair… and we had a 50% of wagon ride coupon.
It is a very serence place to be and pretty cool experience for the kiddos to see all of the farm animals. My only regrets are that I just learned of the park and I didn’t plan enough time for us to have the full experience. I can see myself going back again… they had kettle corn… I believe that says enough for me!

What a great place to bring the family! It is free to the public with a zoo, a historically preserved fully operating farm, and a summer camp! The summer camp is only for the day and not overnight.
There is a huge assortment of animals. Note worthy to look for are the 30 some year old horses Mike and Jesse and a peacock family. You are able to interact with the animals and really get a true feel of farm life. Honestly you have every type of farm animal you can think of – chickens, turkeys, peacocks, pigs, horses, cattle, goats, and other miscellaneous animals.
A sign proudly displays when new babies have been born. When you come here make a point to wear tennis shoes or boots like Tisha B. suggested. Enjoy the complimentary visit and soak of the history and er… the farm smell.

wanna get your kids out, maybe have them learn a little bit, see some animals and NOT have to break your wallet. This park is the place! What to expect
–Farm animals, cows, pigs, horses, sheep, bunnies, chickens, roosters, turkey, pea cocks, ducks, beautiful farm land.
–there is a play ground and a picnic area perfect for taking a snack/​lunch break with your kids after seeing all the wonderful animals
–The carousel is an antique, although my 2 ½ yr old was bumbed out that she couldn’t ride it, you can’t help but appreciate it’s history and the old details on what used to please children LONG ago.
over all this place is a very peaceful, fun, perfect place for a walk, a play date, a family outing, family picnic. Some times the farmers market set up and it completes the package. My daughter loves that she can run around with other children at the playground area and is able to hear the horses nay and the cows moo, gets a real kick out of it. just wonderful

My little guy loves this farm. And I mean LOVES it! We drive past it twice everyday and if I forget to say hi to the animals while driving by, he gets so upset with me lol. He loves Michael and Jesse… the horses. We stop by at least once a week and I love our play dates here even if its just us two. He always leaves tired, dirty and happy.
A few tips:
WEAR BOOTS OR SNEAKERS — I mistakenly wore ballet flats on a visit last summer and then stepped in horse &@%#. Needless to say, my son and niece and nephew bring this up often and crack themselves up laughing about it lol. But it was funny… and I shouldn’t have been trying to be cute lol.
JOIN THEIR CLUB — We always get invited to exclusive events such as the one we attended last weekend and its nice to chat with other farm families.
CHECK OUT THE FARMER’S MARKET — It’s open for a longer season than most and I love the options.

My cousins rented the Auditorium at Frying Pan Park for their son’s party. The main hall was actually very large and we seated about 72 guests. There is also balcony seating and we placed about eight tables upstairs (with six chairs each) and there was more then enough room for all of the guests.
Somehow, the kids took control of the balcony seating and stayed up there for most of the party. Since no one fell off of the balcony, I did not have a problem with that at all!
There is also a stage in the front and the sound system is located upstairs on the balcony as well.
The hall is great! Hardwood floors, round and rectangular tables, hundreds of chairs, stereo system and a working microphone! What more can you ask for?

A working depression era dairy farm preserved in a loving manner. Perfectly designed to provide your little ones with a completely false stereotype of American agriculture and animal husbandry.
Is there no county park where my children can play in manure holding ponds, artificially inseminate tightly caged hogs, or be strong armed by Monsanto executives into giving back all the seeds because they are «intellectual property»?
I guess the kids deserve a few more years of myth. Santa will fail them someday, as will the family farmer. Then they will be sitting in a coffee shop reading the book companion to «Food Inc.»