Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium

Always love going here and one of the best things about Omaha, and a must-see if you're not from here! The desert dome is perfect to go in when it's beginning of Spring or in Fall time honestly due to it getting so hot. My boyfriend and I walked the whole zoo in about half a day, being able to enjoy everything and this was when it was still under construction, about mid March. He is from California and says he's likes this zoo way more than San Diego Zoo. We are currently planning to go back sometime, its great experience and exercise! Recently went with my nanny kids too and they always have a blast when going, mainly stayed in the area with the small 'town' , as they call it, popcorn was great and staff was friendly and quick. A must see is always the aquarium, I will never get over the amazing tunnel of ocean above my head, my nanny kids were happy to see turtles in there. Thanks for being a great zoo and I can't wait to take my kids someday here.

I can easily see why they are overall one of the best zoos in the United States. From the time you enter until the time you leave the customer service is about a 9. If you're having a problem at the kiosk some will walk right over and help you. Most of the exhibits are indoors so you can't really complain about the heat unless you're just a miserable person. The food is definitely over price so make sure you bring a lunch. Make sure you read the signs on the way to the butterfly area it clearly States no strollers are allowed so a lot of people hold the lineup removing kids from the strollers. Just don't go with a bunch of lazy lobsters that want to sit down the whole trip because they do block the view of the kids trying to see the animals. If I lived in Omaha I would definitely have a zoo membership. I enjoyed my trip so I hope you enjoy yours

Often considered one of the best zoo's in the nation and rightly so. This zoo is absolutely top notch. The dessert dome and accompanied cave exhibit under ground are superb. Tons of animal exhibits and a pristine park. Plenty of family friendly restrooms and kid activities to keep the young ones, and parents happy. Every exhibit is a unique experience, don't expect to see it all in one day.

We decided to visit the zoo with our son for the first time. He was in heaven! There was so much to do and he enjoyed every moment. We ended up getting their premium tickets with the free rides on the train and skyline, the entry into the sting-rays, etc. We got to feed the stingrays and rode the train. The train had a little bit of an issue with it's steamer while we were riding and they had to take a break for about 15-20 minutes in the middle of the ride, but aside from that everything went smoothly. We fed the giraffe, which was fun and new! One complaint we had was how the African grill commissary was set up. Everything was digital for ordering, which is fine, but the pick-up was insane. They had two lanes one I assume for things that were taking longer and another should have been for quick pick-ups like just a drink or some drinks and ice cream. It was unclear how you were supposed to line up so some people were lining up in the "quick" lane just waiting for their turn. I feel that it would have been more beneficial for someone to have been out there showing people how to line up or signs to make it more clear. Like, "Only line up here if you've received a text message that your order is ready for pick-up." as an example. My son's favorite was the Gorillas and Monkeys.

The most incredible zoo meant for all ages. Free parking. $25 entrance fee for adults, kids two and under free. Beautiful and well kept. We went on a Saturday during peak hours and saw the Apes, Aquarium, the Jungle, creatures of the night. There is so much to enjoy here. Little nooks to get up close. Plenty of spots to sit down as you’re walking around.

The zoo was really fun. We liked the animal exhibits, they were really big and the animals were mostly easy to find and seemed happy. We really liked the penguins, and the desert enclosure, the cave area was fun and we liked the vampire and fruit bats, including the very large fruit bats. Be aware that in the cave area there is a water pit with no barriers, it's extremely dangerous for a toddler. The lions were really cool, especially high up on their rock. I liked the beavers in the cave area, that's something you don't see in zoos a lot. The aquarium is very well done, we liked the sharks and sea turtle and touching the starfish. The tunnel is great. Only negatives is that most of the food places were closed, and the line going in was very disorganized. I think the line issue could actually be solved by getting a better bar code scanner, that part took so long. All in all it's a great zoo to visit!

I've been to major zoos in about every state. This zoo had a lot of things that impressed me. The dog kennel specifically, sky ride, and train. We came on a very hot day, traveling with our husky which we were planning to leave at a local doggy daycare until we found out that they had free dog kennels that were first come, first serve. We called guest services and found out that they had openings. A security guard saw us get out of our car with our dog and offered to drive us up to guest services where the kennels are. It was quite a hike so THANK YOU BRIAN!!! Signing our dog into the kennels was pretty easy and they were all still available at 10am. They assured me that they would check on him multiple times. After leaving guest services we booked a time for the IMAX movie. We saw the film about Antarctica which was very beautiful and informative. Desert dome was cool but we were in a queue that moved quite slowly throughout. If I were to give you any advice, it would be to go straight to see the outdoor animals. By the time we got to them in the middle of the day they were almost all hiding from the heat so we didn't see much of the cheetahs and didn't see any elephants at all. My least favorite exhibit was the Kingdoms of Night. The terrariums with the nocturnal animals were so poorly lit with dark blue light that I couldn't make anything out. Wish they would've used red light but there might be species-specific indications that I'm not aware of. My favorite exhibit was the Lied Indoor Jungle. Plenty of wildlife and such a beautiful setup. The stingray touch center was also pretty amazing. If you're only going for a day, I'd advise watching some YouTube videos about the exhibits so that you can prioritize what you want to do/see. We took full advantage of the train to get to the other side of the zoo but it was still a lot of walking. Just be prepared. We would've taken the tram as well but the wait was pretty long. As I said earlier it was really hot when we went but they have a lot of indoor exhibits so you can escape the heat and there are a few misters on the walking path to keep you cool as you're walking outside. They have a lot of animals but not many rare species/breeding projects. It's cool that it's one of the biggest zoological parks in the US but accessibility could still be better. Maybe if they increased the number of trams that would help. I love to walk but I often felt like I was mindlessly walking to the next exhibit. On the trains/trams the staff give more of a guided tour so you know more about the history of the area you're passing through. Overall, not my favorite zoo but they've got a lot of redeeming qualities. Their staff is pretty amazing!

We arrived at 11. The park is open from 10AM-5PM, paid extra to do all the rides. It was worth the money than paying for each ride. The penguins/aquarium is my favorite. The animals look content. They didn’t have a sick animal like the tiger I saw in St. Louis in their dwelling when we visited which is nice. It’s good to know that they’re healthy. I enjoyed riding the lift. Just wish they had better food options but understandably, we’re all still Covid cautious. Also, no way to get to all parts of the zoo in 1 day. So even if we showed up right as it opened and rode all the rides to get to our destinations quicker, we still would not have been able to finish it in one day. We missed the avian sanctuary and the Asian section. I don’t know if I would pay another entrance fee the next day to cover what we missed. I give it 4.5 stars

For the price and the hype for "world top ranked zoo", I expected better. Water bowls in many enclosures were very murky, the size of enclosures seemed too small in certain areas especially in the Desert Dome and many of the animals looked way too depressed especially the gorillas and tigers. The Desert Dome was the most disappointing. For such a large dome, the animals were in small enclosures wrapped with netting, and the interior design of the landscape in the dome was just underutilizing the size of the dome, which makes me wonder if the design of the dome just for flexing from the outside. I also definitely did not see 1000+ species of animals as advertised on websites, plus there were a lot of the same animals in different zones. Food options were also terrible for a top ranked zoo. I've visited many other zoos with less to no cost and still had better animal exhibits, much more species of animals, management, and food options like the free St Louis Zoo, Smithsonian Zoo, Kansas City Zoo and Seattle's Woodland Zoo. Makes me wonder where the $25 per person money goes too.... Despite that, putting the status and price aside, I was still able to have a wonderful time at the zoo. The close experiences with the giraffe and elephant families were an unforgettable experience. Kinda bumped that the Forest Trial was closed during my visit, but the Lied Forest was my favorite exhibit, with an amazing replica of a tropical environment. The zoo can be fully explored within a day if you don't have kids with you and if you fully spend the opening hours in the zoo. I also recommend bringing your own food for lunch.

I love this zoo! The admission price is a little high but that's to be expected with the price of everything going up. The exhibits are AMAZING! Check the zoos website before going as some times a few exhibits may be closed for renovations. This zoo is great for 1-2 hour Quick trips or 8 hour all day events for your self or the family.Visited onWeekdayWait time1 hr+Reservation recommendedNoPrice for adult entry$21–30