Find hotels near the Omaha Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska, and plan your visit one of the best zoos in the United States.
Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the mid-size Midwestern city and “a world-class facility in every sense of the word,” according to Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Where to Stay: Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo Hotels
The Henry Doorly Zoo is located just off Interstate 80 south of Omaha’s city center, right next to Rosenblatt Stadium, the site of baseball’s College World Series. While easy to access by car and with ample free parking, the zoo sits in an older residential neighborhood without many close lodging options. One exception is the Comfort Inn at the Zoo, 2920 S. 13th Court, 402-342-8000, which is located at the exit off I-80 and half-mile from the zoo’s entrance. The mid-priced hotel has a small heated indoor pool and free continental breakfast. While located close to the zoo and a few fast-food joints, not much else is around.
For budget hotels near Omaha’s zoo, also consider staying across the Missouri River in Council Bluffs, Iowa. A quick 5- to 10-mile drive on Interstate 80 will take you to national chain motels like the Fairfield Inn, 520 30th Ave., Council Bluffs (712- 366-1330?), and other budget hotels like the Western Inn Motor Lodge, 1842 Madison Ave. (1-800-322-1842).
What to Do: A Day at the Henry Doorly Zoo
Get to the zoo early (directions are at the zoo’s website); gates open at 9:30 a.m. and seeing all of the exhibits will take up a full day. Zoo admission fees for 2008 are: free for children 2 and under, $7.25 for children ages 3 to 11, $11 for adults ages 12 and over, and $9.50 for seniors ages 62 and over.
On summer weekends and holidays, this zoo attracts big crowds, so start your visit with a tour of the popular, and often crowded, Kingdoms of the Night exhibit. This dark, underground tour of nocturnal creatures sits beneath the zoo’s Desert Dome. Fun features of the Kingdoms of the Night exhibit are bat caves, naked mole rat tunnels, and an indoor swamp replete with alligators, beavers, and nutria.
Make sure you get to one of the newest exhibits at the Omaha zoo—the Hubbard Gorilla Valley, where visitors come face-to-face with these huge primates at a giant, glass-enclosed indoor habitat area. Curious gorillas often sit near the glass walls and interact with zoo patrons.
The Scott Kingdom of the Seas Aquarium features a huge Antarctic penguin exhibit and a 70-foot acrylic shark tunnel, where visitors walk below swimming sharks, rays and other fish. The Lied Jungle is the world’s largest indoor rainforest and contains winding paths through upper and lower levels of the forest where zoo visitors can observe animals such as pygmy hippos and howler monkeys in naturalistic exhibits. Be sure to cross the rope bridge on the upper level.
Where to Eat at the Henry Doorly Zoo
Durham’s TreeTop Restaurant sits adjacent to the Lied Jungle exhibit, which is viewable through restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling windows. The cafeteria-style restaurant offers hotdogs, sandwiches, salads, and dessert options. Giant cookies are popular with the kids.
New at the Omaha Zoo
Scheduled to open in May 2008 is the Butterfly and Insect Pavilion, a total immersion exhibit where butterflies and zoo guests will mingle in a natural setting. Also, the zoo’s Lozier Imax Theater shows a revolving list of sky-high movies, many in 3-D.
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