People don’t expect Nebraska to be home to one country’s best Zoos, but it turns out the Henry Doorly Zoo is a world class place to see animals from all over the planet. I didn’t travel a lot as a kid, but one place we did go was Nebraska, so I have visited this zoo many times. A couple summers ago we got the chance to take Lucy there while we were on a road trip through the midwest, and she loved it.
Getting to the Henry Doorly Zoo
The Henry Doorly Zoo is very conveniently located to Interstate 80, which is most likely how you are traveling through Nebraska to begin with. Whether you are going East or West on I-80 you take the 13th street exit in Omaha. Head South on 13th street and you are basically there. Just follow signs for zoo parking.
There is a lot of parking at the zoo, some of it is a lot closer than other parts of it. So you can try and get close if it is not too busy when you arrive. We do recommend that you arrive close to opening since it can get both crowded and hot later in the day.
What You Will See at the Henry Doorly Zoo
Like I said, this is a world class zoo. I would compare it to the London Zoo in terms of quality and size. Because it is quite large it can easily take up most of your day, especially if you are into animals.
There are lots of animals to see in the zoo. Many of them are located in outdoor cages like most zoos. But what I think are the main attractions are the indoor habitats. There is the Lied Jungle and the Deseret Dome. These are both large buildings constructed to mimic the natural habitats of the jungle or the desert respectively.
You walk through them to view the animals living in more open and pseudo-natural environments. It is a lot of fun to experience the zoo like this.
Of course there are also lots of other things to see besides these indoor habitats. There is an awesome aquarium with a great penguin show. There is also a butterfly pavilion to get up close personal with these beautiful insects.
Similar to London there are also outdoor areas meant to mimic Asia and Africa habitats. Meagan’s favorite part was seeing the giraffes. You could see some of them outside and also see them inside a very tall barn.
Sum Up
There are two reasons to visit the Henry Doorly Zoo, the first is if you happen to be traveling through Omaha, the second is if you love zoos. Either of those reasons is enough to stop and visit this amazing zoo in the middle of the country.
