Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo Review

Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo is the most impressive zoo we’ve visited, and is number one on our list. This is the largest zoo we’ve traveled to (and I believe is still the largest in the United States). While their outdoor exhibits are impressive, what makes this zoo stand out (besides how big it is) is how tremendous their indoor exhibits are. Although we normally hit the outdoor exhibits first and see if we have time for the houses, this is a zoo where you need to schedule visits to the houses as well.

Highlights:

Asian Highlands – This is the newest exhibit at the zoo. It opened in 2019. This area contains tigers, snow leopards, sloth bears, and takin. The scenery in these exhibits is perfect.
Creatures of the Night – Phenomenal indoor exhibit, in the lower level of the Desert Dome; you walk through legit bat caves, and then in almost total darkness on creaky bridges through a swamp with alligators. Very unique experience
Lied Jungle – Another indoor exhibit, and this is impressive as well. The free-flying bats and tropical fish are just two of the things you’ll see in here. If you come in after 4pm, you can literally walk through a tunnel of bats on the lower level.
Africa – Similar to Columbus, their Savanna is amazing. We started our day watching the giraffes walk through the savanna while gazelles pranced by – completely breathtaking. The elephants have what seems like miles to traverse throughout the day, and the keeper mentioned they transport large tree trunks to different parts of the exhibit to simulate what the elephants would do in the wild.
Gorilla Building – This building is the best gorilla exhibit we’ve seen. There are both indoor and outdoor exhibits, but the visitors remain indoors at all times. In total there are more than a dozen gorillas to view.
Lemur Island – I love lemurs, but lemur island allows you to walk around inside an area for two types of lemurs, allowing you to get up close and personal with them. After that, head over to the Madagascar building to see more lemurs and other species of animals that live in Madagascar.

Splash Pad – Normally I wouldn’t highlight a play area in a place where we’re trying to view and learn about animals, but Omaha knows how to build a splash pad! It is Alaska-themed, and is very cool! The zoo is building more exhibits around the splash pad that play into the Alaska theme.

Lows:

Definitely the walking. We arrived at 8am and rotated our three kids through our double-stroller with water/snack breaks every 30 mins, and left at 5:30. At two points in the day, we were completely exhausted. That said – we accomplished our mission of seeing the entire zoo in one day. So if you’re planning a trip, be prepared for a long day – or stay a second day if you can! We returned for a Fall visit (with the kids a little older) and stayed from 9:30am-5:30pm. Definitely recommend two days.
Navigation – In addition to the walking, I wish it was a bit easier to navigate through this zoo. The biggest challenge is that the gorilla and orangutan buildings are the only connection point from the front to the back. These buildings require stairs or an elevator. That said, the signage in this zoo is terrific, so you won’t get lost. It’s just a bit difficult to work your way through a zoo this large due to the setup.

Click here to read more about the Henry Doorly Zoo.