A Day & Late Night At Henry Doorly Zoo In Omaha, NE

There’s no way this short post can do justice to one of the top 5 zoos in the world, but I’ll give a glimpse into the magic so you know what to expect when you’re near Omaha, Nebraska so you can visit Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium.

Being a big enthusiast for well-run and conservation-focused zoos, Omaha Zoo may take my top spot. It may be #5 in the world but it’s #1 in my heart.

Why you ask? Just so many great animals, many you might not always see at a zoo, lots of space and fun activities for both visitors and animals and a full day that completely supports the ticket price. Plus an adults-only night every other Thursday in the summer!? Yes, please!!

The Skyfari

One of the neatest things that I enjoyed from the Omaha Zoo was The Skyfari. San Diego Zoo has a gondola-style sky ride, but the Henry Doorly Zoo’s Skyfari was much closer to the animals and was one of the best ways to see the rhinos. You’re riding a version of a ski-lift and it was a lovely and peaceful way to view many of the animals and the park.

Here’s a video giving a better idea of how great the view is from the Skyfari.

More Animals

Back to the other parts of the zoo. I appreciated that there are animals that you might not see at other zoos, or anywhere in the wild, since they now only exist in captivity. Like the Pere David’s Deer who could be spotted having a mud bath with another rhino.

The Desert Dome and the Night Kingdom that’s underneath it was one of my favorite sections. I feel like I’m saying that a lot – it was all my favorite! I was told the Desert Dome wasn’t all that interesting, but as someone who loves the desert I found it really cool. It went from one desert zone to another with the corresponding sand, rocks and animals.

Then you head down below to see the animals of the Night Kingdom like naked mole rats, beavers, bats, alligators, crocs and more. The attention to detail in the various enclosures, as well as space for natural behaviors, was part of what really makes the Omaha Zoo special.

I spent 6 hours at the zoo and still didn’t see everything it had to offer. I did get to feed giraffes and stingrays during my time and see the baby elephants. I got up to even more than these photos imply – in addition to the animals shown here there are obviously many more, as well as an aquarium. Good thing they also offer “Late Nights at the Zoo” for 21+ every other Thursday during the summer.

Late Nights at the Zoo

The doors to Late Nights at the Zoo open at 7pm. We arrived at 7:10 and learned that we should’ve lined up earlier – 6 or 6:30pm – to maximize how much time we had in the zoo itself since it’s only open from 7-10pm. There were two different food truck rally points with at least 7-8 trucks available to choose from. There are alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages available throughout the park and you get your drink tickets at the numerous zoo kiosks.

I enjoyed showing Stephen the Desert Dome and Night Kingdom, forgetting that the Night Kingdom is night by day and day by night. So many of the animals were well lit and off to their beds. He still got a good feel for what the zoo was like since he didn’t attend with me during the day as he’d had to work. He’s more of a “See it and move on” kind of zoo visitor, while I like to spend time watching, photographing and talking to all the animals, so I’m glad I’d gotten to spend more time there a few days before.

The Aquarium was smaller than I expected, but it meant I was able to see it all in the last hour of Late Nights at the Zoo. We did move quickly, but it’s not huge so there was time to stop and see the marine life while my final drinks settled.

Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium was just amazing. I can’t recommend it highly enough. I loved the animals available to view and feed, The Skyfari and I particularly enjoyed the adults-only Late Nights at the Zoo. If you’re anywhere near Omaha, Nebraska, this is a can’t-miss place to visit.