Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium

Ok. I live in San Diego, but I'm a Nebraska girl. You all hear people rave about the San Diego zoo and yeah, it's fine.

I have to say, I really enjoy the Henry Doorly Zoo. I love the variety of exhibits: the Desert Dome, the aquarium, the indoor rain forest. It's a great zoo!

Absolutely love this zoo! I've been to zoos all over the Midwest and this one is definitely my favorite. Completely understand why it's been voted the best zoo for the 2nd year in a row!!

Best exhibit is hands down the Lied Jungle (sorry dessert dome). It's like botanical garden meets zoo, plus there's bats without the stink. Dessert dome is very cool as well, mostly with just how unique it is. Also love the aquarium. It has a lot more animals than I thought there would be for a zoo aquarium. And of course, the baby elephants. There's so many young ones. Absolutely adorable.

I will continue to be make many times! Love this zoo.

Crowded, yes, for a reason, also yes!

This is the cleanest most well kept and run zoo I have ever seen. It was so respectable and the animals all seemed happy and well cared for
The park employees were more than happy to help you out, and everyone was super nice.

YOU CANNOT RUSH THIS ZOO. I ran through it due to a time constraint and it took me an hour and a half. That said, you can bring your own snacks and sealed water if you don't want to pay zoo prices.

Overall, would come here every time I find myself in Omaha.

Did you know the Henry Doorly Zoo got voted best zoo in the WORLD?!? Yes, we are very lucky here in the Midwest to have access to an amazing zoo that is always adding new attractions.
We have had the annual family membership for many years now and come here often. For a family of 4, it pays for itself after going twice a year. We don't walk the whole zoo every time but pick certain exhibits to spend lots of time in and let our children explore and learn about the different regions in the world and about the animals that live there.

This place is truly a must-see when coming to Omaha. Food is a bit pricey as in most places like this, but you are allowed to bring your own, and they have water filling stations throughout the zoo.

So make sure to add an extra day to your trip when coming to Omaha and check out this wonderful zoo with areas for children to play and animals to see

We are so fortunate to have such an amazing zoo here in Omaha! Even when the weather is not so great, there is always so much to do. I am so thankful that relatives have purchased my family a zoo pass for the second year in a row. I am a stay at home mom and take my toddler here at least once a week when the weather permits.

The zoo is constantly adding new attractions and exhibit to help keep things interesting, which I appreciate. My new favorite exhibit is definitely the sea lions. Is there such an immersive and fun experience to see them in action in the amazing habit that has been created for them.

Being a former teacher, I also love that the zoo is always about educating. You could go into any given exhibit and be able to ask questions to a employee regarding the animals and I always find they are a wealth of knowledge and help you really understand how the animals live and play!

The only complaint that I really have with the zoo is their accommodations for people with disabilities. They really could do better. For instance, my mother has a handicap sticker and is getting her second knee replaced soon. She would really love to come to the zoo with us but would have a tremendously difficult time getting around. They do offer motorized scooters, but at a fairly high cost. They are $30 to rent for the day. Most times we are just at the zoo for a couple of hours tops. I feel as though this really could price some people out of the zoo given the higher cost of admission and adding something to eat and their mobility on top of that would be astronomical.

***Zoolightful Event Update***
Lots of beautiful light displays set up. Great for all ages. The aquarium and basement of the desert dome were open but no decorations. Compared to the Lincoln Zoo lights, it's probably about the same amount of stuff to see, but Lincoln decorates more of the environment (lights strung in trees etc) where Omaha has more stand alone decor. Was a little disappointed that we had to pay extra for some things. $3 for the slide, $20 or $25 to decorate at gingerbread house, $20 for a movie.

I came for the aquarium and stayed for the butterfly house. Those two attractions were my fav!

I highly recommend engaging with the folks who work at the aquarium and you may just learn more than you ever expected. I can now identify shark egg "purses" (which used to be rumored to be mermaid purses), and I got to see a live baby shark move around inside its little egg. I've seen a starfish with 6 legs. And I learned that a strawberry anemone is indeed NOT an anemone because it can't retract.

The butterfly house is great for admiring beautiful plants and a plethora of butterflies. I could have stayed in there for hours.

The dark "night" exhibit under the dome is worth wandering through. The fruit bats are HUGE! They have vampire bats too. There is a large number of different animals I've never seen until now.

BEST ZOO IN THE UNITED STATES (and I've been to over 10 of the major zoos). You pay about $25 per person if you aren't a member, but if you make a day out of it it is really worth it. It's great for people of all ages, and many of the animals have both summer and winter habitats for year round viewing. Obviously warmer weather is better, and there's a few more things to see like the sea lions and the splash park, but still fun no matter what. They also have seasonal light options like Halloween and Christmas (for a younger crowd) and weekly in the summer they have an adults night which is very fun.

A visit to Omaha isn't complete without a day at the zoo.

The best zoo I have ever been too!

This giant and diverse zoo is home animals from the far reaches of the earth. Different sections dedicated to different biomes make the the walk through the expansive park an adventure at every turn. All ages can have a great time viewing all animals in a fun and safe environment. My only gripe was the bad food.

Hands down one of the best zoos I've been to and half of it was closed for the season, so that's sayin something! Loved the walk through exhibits. The bat cave was the overall favorite.

I was completely worn out after visiting the Doorly Zoo & Aquarium. It's huge, with so much great stuff to see. This review would be very long if I was to write about everything you can see there, so I will just stick to the highlights.

My first stop was the desert dome. It's unlike anything I have seen at any other zoo. It gives you that feeling of walking around the desert without the heat. Plus, the snakes are safely behind glass. There are so many snakes. Any snake lover will be in heaven. There are also snakes in a separate Madagascar exhibit. I've never seen so many snakes in any zoo.

It was great to see a family of elephants. Elephants are becoming rare at zoos these days. The gorilla exhibit was great. They get right up on the glass to say hi. There is a fun sea lion and seal show. There are tigers and lions as well, but they tend to stay in the distance.

The fun doesn't stop after the zoo. There is an aquarium to visit as well. The aquarium has a great shark tank. Sharks are the star of any aquarium, and you will see plenty of them here. The penguins exhibit is another good one. There is a nice collection of jellyfish as well.

I didn't even have time to check out the theater. This is one of the best zoos in the country combined with one of the best aquariums in the country in one place. It doesn't get any better than that!