When looking for things to do as we travelled through Nebraska we found the Omaha Zoo ranked as one of the best in America. With no other zoo on our summer list we knew we had to go. Our day in Omaha ended up being during an extreme heat dome. The temperature was 90F but with humidity the feels like temperature was close to 107F!! Luckily the zoo has a lot of indoor exhibits and a splash pad.
We were excited to see it all but our first few moments did not start well. When trying to purchase tickets, which included all rides and attractions we could not. Apparently we were told when it is hot they may shut down their train and skyline ride. In order to not have upset people they don’t sell the all day passes. Instead you have to purchase each thing separately. What!? Instead of a discount on the movies, sting ray petting, train, tram, and all else on hot days you have to pay more. Umm no thanks. So we bought our much less expensive basic ticket and nothing else, mostly on principle. We were willing to spend over $100 more for all those things we were not going to then spend over $200 more because they might shut down a couple things. By the way we never saw them shut down anything. Not cool Omaha Zoo! Our day was not ruined although we were frustrated. There was still plenty to see and do and we never felt we needed those other things.
As we walked in we asked for a map this is when we found our they no longer have paper maps. This new trend of online maps is a bit irritating to our family. First the kids love looking over maps together. Second we don’t keep our phones out during family activities, except for pictures. Third our maps come home and go in a box to look back on. We walked in the gates and turned right then just went around the zoo. It is in a nice big circle which meant we did not have to worry much about the maps they no longer have. We entered the aquarium a bit irritated but hopping the day would turn around.
After a few exhibits we could see why this zoo has such high rankings. Everything was really well done. The signs told us exactly what we were looking at, all animals were well cared for, and they had so many great animals. Almost all of us found our favorites. They do need to up their ant game, poor A, our myrmecologist, found none of his favorite creatures.
Shark Eggs 
So many butterflies! 
Searching for Ants
We went through the Aquarium and found jellyfish, penguins, puffins, and lots of fish. There were tons of butterflies in the Butterfly Pavilion. The Giraffe Herd Room was great for up close encounters. We saw all the animals rooming the safari elephants, zebras, ostrich, and in their own inclosure lions. The koi and catfish were entertaining and we spent way more time then expected feeding them. We then visited the Asia area, unfortunately with the heat most of these animals were not out. We did get a great view of the tiger though. After walking through the aviary we stoped for lunch of the barbecue chicken quesadillas Jen made that morning. Yum!
Hello Giraffe! 
Goats 
Kids went on a safari 
Pilot D 
Lots of sleeping Flamingos
After lunch we ended up at the splash park. Even though we did not have our suits the kids had a great time and ended up soaked through and through. With the heat though they were mostly dry by the time we left. It would not have mattered though since our house was in the parking lot.
We finally made it to the Dessert dome and Kingdom of the Night. This dome is huge and the most recognized part of the zoo. It is climate controlled and even though it is the dessert it was cooler then the real outside. The dessert exhibits were great, but the Kingdom of the Night was the real jewel of the dome. This space is all for nocturnal animals. It is dark and the animals which we usually never see in the day are busy enjoying the “night”. We saw porcupines, naked mole rats, bats, and other night time animals. Everyone’s favorite though was the beavers. They were so active in the dark coming in and out of the water. One was right in front of C and Jen just hanging out. It was a unique experience.
Our last stop was the jungle. Another large indoor exhibit featuring jungles from around the world. We liked so much of it especially the fruit bats just flying around. One buzzed us, we thought it was a bird until it landed upside down. By the time we left the jungle it was around 4pm we were exhausted from the heat and the miles of walking.
Bats 
Hello hippo
We headed to an early dinner at Spin! Pizza, where we enjoyed some yummy mostly clean eating cauliflower crust pizza and really great service. Then to E. T. Mahoney State Park for the night. It was a nice park by a lake. The State parks we have seen as we travel have made the California parks look terrible. It is amazing what other states offer and ours lacks. The Omaha Zoo was a cool place the policies may have frustrated us, but over all it was a great day.
Our 6S Full Life 