Purcellville family's wildest dreams come true after purchasing Reston Zoo

Growing up in Reston down the street from the zoo, Campbell Lussier, 41, always enjoyed visiting it with her family and felt a strong connection to the idea of revitalizing it when she heard it was on the market.

As an entrepreneur with a varied range of work experience – from serving as a doula assisting with births, to owning a tech start up called ARROW and then as a real estate agent – the concept of purchasing the zoo “kind of clicked.” Campbell Lussier was also named one of Loudoun Times-Mirror’s 40 Under 40 in 2021.

“My wheels started turning and my entrepreneurial spirit started thinking about my contacts and dear friends in the zoo industry and I began to put all the pieces together and realized we could do this,” she said.

She called the seller, and said “I think I’m the buyer – and he said ‘I was waiting for you to say that.’”

Since then, they have been working around the clock to reopen it to the public under the new name and with several new experiences in store for visitors.

She wants to make the nonprofit zoo into the community destination she believes it deserves to be.

“Everything has started to fall into place. It’s been a whirlwind six weeks, but really fun,” she said.

She has a team of animal experts on board and an “awesome team” focused on animal welfare, conservation and education.

“We are so excited, the overwhelming response has been incredible,” she said. “We are here to start fresh with a clean slate and create a community zoo that everyone is involved in.”

Currently, the animals who live at the zoo include cheetahs, lemurs, llamas, monkeys, python, goats, donkeys, hogs, Asian water buffalo, emus, watusi and more, however, the plan is to bring in “more cool animals.”

The zoo offers a drive-thru safari experience, which opened Feb. 11 and includes 12 acres to explore by car and visitors can also feed the animals while on the tour.

“It’s fun and interactive,” she said. “The animals come right up to the car.”

Another new nighttime experience designed in partnership with Lumagica called the “Grand Migration Light Show” kicked off Feb. 17 and will run until April 9.

It features 800,000 LED light displays representing wildlife migrations from around the world. Visitors can see and explore 10 animal habitats and more than a mile of trails through the property.

Campbell Lussier said the rest of the zoo — including the walking exhibits — will reopen by March 9.

“We have been working around the clock here. It’s an incredible team behind me,” she said.

Renovations include new bathrooms, paint, paths, landscaping and then rebuilding a large structure which can be used for corporate events or weddings and will also feature a modern welcome center and gift shop.

“We are revitalizing a beloved local gem. The whole place needs a face lift and we have just begun the process,” she added.

They will also be offering an overnight glamping experience at the zoo which she is very excited about.

“Spend the night at the zoo and enjoy a sunrise safari – this is a great VIP experience,” she said.

“This is such a blessing because it’s so tangible. It’s a place to gather with loved ones and interact with animals. That is really cool for me and something I haven’t experienced in my career. I love that people are happy at the zoo,” she said.

Nova Wild is located at 1228 Hunter Mill Road, Vienna. For more information and hours of operation visit Novawild.org.