Henry Doorly Zoo

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Deer Park
3701 South 10th St, Omaha, Nebraska 68107(402) 733-8400

Description: Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo is home to a host of superlative exhibits. Here you’ll find the largest cat complex of any zoo in North America. The zoo’s “Kingdoms of the Night” exhibit is the world’s largest nocturnal exhibit...Read More

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Theaters and Movies, Zoos and Aquariums
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Playing on a Safari Jeep Photo - Henry Doorly Zoo, Omaha, Nebraska

User Reviews

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Amazing Zoo!

by danielisa

park city, Kansas

March 29, 2010

Best of IgoUgo My family loves visiting zoos. Whenever we travel, we always make it a point to visit the local zoo. We’ve been to over 20 different zoos. And out of all of them, the Omaha Zoo is the best.If you visit the Omaha Zoo, bring some good walking ...Read more My family loves visiting zoos. Whenever we travel, we always make it a point to visit the local zoo. We’ve been to over 20 different zoos. And out of all of them, the Omaha Zoo is the best.

If you visit the Omaha Zoo, bring some good walking shoes and plan for a full day. There is so much to see that you could almost spend two days at the zoo. And, there will be lots of walking involved.

If you don’t get there early enough, you will have a long walk from a parking spot to the front gate, and there are long lines of people waiting to pay admission. This is what happened with us, so I dropped everyone off to get in line, and went to park, very far away. Already the good walking shoes were coming in handy. By the time I got up to the gate, my family was still in line and we still had another 20 minutes of waiting to pay and get in.

The admission fees are slightly hirer than other zoos, but we used our reciprocal zoo membership to get a discount. There is also an IMAX theater in the zoo which costs extra, but they do have Zoo/IMAX Combo packages, which is what we purchased. Make sure to get a map on your way in too, you’ll need it.

We were also given a small card with a timeframe that we would be able to visit the new Butterfly/Insect pavilion. Apparently since the exhibit was fairly new they were staggering visitors in, which I thought was a good idea.

The Desert Dome is one of the most visible parts of the zoo, and it is billed as the world’s largest indoor desert. It’s a huge dome, 13 stories tall, with a path that you walk through. The dome is climate controlled and houses all kinds of animals and insects. While there are some pretty cool things to see inside the dome, for me the dome itself was more impressive.

One of my favorite parts of the zoo was the aquarium. There was a very nice penguin exhibit, where we stood for a long time watching the penguins and taking pictures. There was also a shark tunnel at the bottom of a 17-foot exhibit where we felt like we were on the ocean floor, surrounded by coral and sharks and stingrays overhead and on two sides. There was also an octopus exhibit, as well as an interactive place where my kids could touch a small stingray.

The Jungle Exhibit was great as well, and it was billed as the world’s largest indoor rainforest. You walk through several different types of rainforests and get to see animals close up while walking on a trail. Next to the Jungle exhibit is the Tree Tops restaurant, which had cafeteria style food. In the dining area one entire wall was made out of glass so that you can watch the animals while you eat your food. The food was a little pricey, but it was convenient and the view of the jungle animals while you eat was a unique experience.

There were so many other great things to see and do at this zoo. The Gorilla exhibit, the Lion-Tiger exhibit, the Orangutan exhibit, and the IMAX theater. Everything we visited was top notch. The only problem was that we only had about ½ to ¾ of a day and we didn’t get to see everything. However, we really want to plan another trip and spend a couple of days there, which is not something you can say about a lot of zoos.
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Henry Doorly Zoo

by kyrie2005

Papillion, Nebraska

October 2, 2006

Best of IgoUgo Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo was selected by Family Fun magazine as the best family zoo in the country a few years ago, and I think they have the right idea. Located in the Midwest, the zoo has to contend with at least 5 months of cooler, if not COLDER ...Read more

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo was selected by Family Fun magazine as the best family zoo in the country a few years ago, and I think they have the right idea. Located in the Midwest, the zoo has to contend with at least 5 months of cooler, if not COLDER weather, and it has developed some attractions that makes this zoo attractive year-round. There is the Leid Jungle, a two-level indoor tropical rainforest. My kids love it—birds and monkeys roam free, and many animals can be seen in their natural habitats, not cages. In the middle of the winter, it is always a treat to take a walk in the balmy tropical humidity. The Desert Dome and the Kingdom of the Night exhibits share space in a huge Geodisic dome—the Kingdoms of the night is like taking a trip in a huge underground cave—it takes a while for your eyes to adjust to the dark, but once you do—wow! You see bats and other nocturnal animals in their own homes. There is a replica of a swamp, complete with a shack and alligators. The desert dome is just that—an indoor replica of a desert habitat. There is a gorilla exhibit that is enclosed too. Another feather in the Zoo's cap is the aquarium—there is a really neat penguin exhibit, and an underwater tunnel running through an immense fish tank—sharks, rays and other fish surround you as you walk through it. It is really a work of art.

During the summer, there are also all kinds of great outdoor exhibits - too many to list in a 500 word essay.
It is not the easiest zoo to navigate with small children, though. A lot of walking is involved in a visit there, and there are many steep hills. There is a tram, however, that is available—as of right now, it costs 25 cents to travel from one stop to the next—definitely worth it if you have little ones and a stroller. Admission to the zoo costs no more than a family trip to the movies (speaking of movies, there is an IMAX theater there too - what a way to embellish an already great experience!) This zoo is wonderful, for Omaha natives and tourists alike!

From journal Yes, Omaha is a Great Place to Visit!

Henry Doorly Zoo

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Amazing Zoo!

Henry Doorly Zoo