Autumn Conservation Festival

Today I finally made it to the annual Autumn Conservation Festival held the first weekend in October at the Smithsonian National Zoo's Front Royal facility.  I had planned to go last year, but the government shutdown put an end to those plans.

There are plenty of tents set up through the facility where you can learn about many of the zoo's conservation efforts.  There were also lots of children's activities, food, and even a live band.

But for me, the highlight of the visit was getting to see two 5-year old clouded leopards and three of the five baby red pandas they have on site.

It was a perfect autumn day, with the leaves just starting to turn and a bit of a nip in the air.  I enjoyed the visit a lot, but not the traffic I had to deal with on the way back.