Omaha Zoo

Saturday morning we went on a highly anticipated trip to the zoo! Here are some picture collages that only took about 3 hours to edit and organize and in the end I decided to semi-group them into animal categories, because organization in vague ways is one of my top skills. And in case you don't figure it out in the first set of captions, I am no animal expert and am too lazy to go look up the proper names for any of these animals, plus when explaining animals to a 1-and-a-half year old, sometimes you just go with "Yes, it's a BIG CAT! MEOW!" instead of "This is a Jaguar, this is a Puma..."

First, some cold-blooded animals: turtle, lizard, snake, fish

 

Next: Winged creatures: peacock, penguins, some blue thing with spikes, a bat, a parrot (don't kill me if it's a macaw), and some other little spotted bird.

Here we are with Ryan's favorite parts of the day: running around in shorts and sandals for the first time this year, and lemurs. The lemurs in the Madagascar exhibit were actually pretty cool--they are enclosed in a net so they can walk right next to you and one went on the bridge right next to Ryan!

Here's another of Ryan's favorites of the days (and something he repeated over and over all day): Monkeys!  The top right pictures are of the howler monkeys and of Ryan's howling back at them!

 Here are some antelope (which Ryan called zebras because it's hard to tell, but they have white stripes), a polar bear, and rhinos!

This video isn't super exciting, but is a short clip of Ryno meeting the rhinos!


Ryan did a GREAT job at the zoo and was a trooper all day. At 3:00 we decided to call it a day and less than 3 blocks from the parking lot, he was out! It was so much fun experiencing the zoo from his eyes and I think he loved seeing all the animals we read about in real life! We hope to make the zoo a yearly tradition and are very grateful to Andy and Kim for being terrific hosts and zoo guides!

Here are a few tips for visiting Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo:

• Go right away when it opens at 9:00am. It's cooler, less crowded, and gives you a natural break for lunch just when you start to get tired of walking.
• Park in front of the IMAX and enter the zoo through the IMAX building. The lines are way shorter than the outdoor entrance.
• Pack a lunch. We kept our coolers in the van and went out to eat them at lunch time just so we didn't have to haul them around all day, but you are allowed to bring them into the park if you want. There are many picnic areas inside. If nothing else, bring water bottles (especially if you have a stroller to stash them in.)
• Wear sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat. Most of us got burned on the backs of our neck because we forgot to put sunscreen there, but it made me more grateful I remembered to put it everywhere else! Ryan fared the best since we lathered him up with sunscreen (don't forget your feet if you wear sandals) and he wore a bucket hat which shaded his eyes, ears, and neck.
• Alternating indoor and outdoor exhibits helps keep the sun/heat from dragging down your energy. We had GREAT weather, but if it were any warmer, we would have had to take some breaks inside or in the shade.
• Kids as young as Ryan are more attracted to the "big animal" exhibits and could care less about plants or anything too hard to see or not moving. Skip the Desert Dome and insect pavilion.
• Don't expect all the animals to be out. Many were sleeping far away from view, but there was still enough to make a good day. Just don't promise your child you're going to see an elephant, because they don't have any in Omaha right now!
• The petting zoo had about 4 goats to pet and that's all, folks. But it has some great dairy promotion, including a milking simulator. We skipped that one and thought Grandpa could just show Ryan the real thing.
• You can look up the "feeding times" for various animals, but many of the public feedings only run Memorial Day-Labor Day. Andy and Kim suggested watching the Sun Bears get fed oranges at 11:00am if you're there in the summer.
• Some exhibits were a little scary for younger kids. Ryan did not like the tunnel in the aquarium and clung to me like a spider monkey when the sharks started swimming over us. He also did not like the "Kingdoms of the Night" which is understandable since it's pitch black with a bunch of alligators swimming around.
• If you live near Omaha or plan to go a few times, consider getting a membership. It can pay for itself in as little as 2 visits and includes all the IMAX shows. Family memberships including 6 kids are only $99. My BIL and SIL have already made their Dual membership worth it and plan to go several more times. 

And my final tip of the day:

• If the animals don't hold your interest, there is PLENTY of people-watching to do!