Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park and Wildlife Safari Review

This is pretty much the perfect place to take your kids (or just yourself, it's fun for adults too!) during the pandemic. You don't have to get out of your car or interact with anyone (other than at the admission window). The animals are in much larger and more natural habitats than at the zoo, and in some cases you can get up very close to them. The cranes especially seem unafraid of cars.

The short hiking trail loop is nice, it's about halfway through the driving route, so it's an ideal spot to get out of the car for a bit. The drive through the park is surprisingly scenic for eastern Nebraska, even including a rocky "canyon" area.

Smaller than expected. The elk were fun to see, but the bison were too far away to see well. The pelicans and the cranes were the highlights during the drive-thru. Halfway through is a park where you can get out, use the restrooms, walk a trail to the caged wolves, owls, and bear. The wolves and bears were hidden in the trees though. There is also a cage with eagles at the rest stop that was interesting. The gravel road was pretty rough at times.

Awesome experience. Was able to see animals that you would not normally see.

One of our favorite places to visit in Omaha. Especially on really hot or rainy days. Get out and walk the bear and wolf canyon trail up to frog lake. So much fun!! Great experience for all ages!

It was really fun. The goat area wasn't open, because of the pandemic, I believe. It was great to drive around and look at all the animals. Make sure to look at the prairie dogs, they were adorable.

Great chance for families/kids to see wildlife up close.

WOW JUST WOW.... The animals here are amazingly beautiful and very photogenic lol. They have bison, swan, grey wolf, prairie dogs and more. Definitely a fun adventure for yourself, couples outing, group trip or family fun. This is a place where you take your time and enjoy your surroundings. Make sure to stop at the visitor center and check it out lots of cool gifts inside as well as a few little animals . There's also an exhibit to church out. Definitely going to drive 8 hours to see this again this year!!

I came to this park thinking I could ride a Buffalo, apparently that wasn't the case. It is a full on drive through safari with a few opportunities to get out a walk around, Buffalo area not included. I was able to drive next to a Buffalo and look eye to eye, really evaluate I could snap a quick pic or if he was going to charge my truck. Happy to say I got the shot. Overall it's a beautiful route, I was even able to witness a WWE Crane fight with 4 cranes! I'll tell you what they do not mess around when it comes to food thats for sure, I put my peanut butter and jelly sandwich in hiding after witnessing that just to be safe. I recommend getting there as early as you can if you don't like being bumper to bumper, it can get pretty wild on days off of school and what not. Great for both older and younger kids, although my younger one was more interested in eating things off of my truck floor instead of looking at the Buffalo grazing peacefully.

I love the safari park! So glad we went today on this cold rainy day, so many animals were out, up close and personal. They have made some updates to the roads and added a new stop, so fun!
***The bathrooms were really disappointing, otherwise I would have given 5 stars, they looked like they hadn't been cleaned well for days, maybe even weeks.

I love bringing my dogs through the safari and enjoying the close-up views of our native Nebraska wildlife. This safari is a part of Omaha's Henry Doorley Zoo and has lots of behind-the-scenes projects supporting the zoo. From cheetah breeding programs to growing food for the grazing animals, they are an incredible place to stop. While you're in the area, swing over to Mahoney State Park or Strategic Air Command (if open) for more things to do in the area!