Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo Review

What a fantastic zoo! And there's so much to do. It'll take two days to walk through.

Love going to this zoo! 2 young kids love seeing the animals!

An Omaha native, I grew up spending most of the summer riding my bike to the zoo with friends at least once a week. Now due to the military, we live in Texas and still make the 900 mile trip every year with our children!! Greatest zoo I have ever seen, and we buy an annual membership every year.
One of the few zoos that allows you to bring in a picnic lunch, snacks and drinks. Extremely well taken care of, clean facilities and excellent staff. Tons of volunteers who are ready to answer questions or help you out.

This zoo is absolutely amazing and no wonder it is rated the best zoo in the world. I grew up going to this zoo and I have been over 30 times. This zoo is pretty awesome but, there are a few things you should be warned about before going.

Never go during the weekend. This zoo gets so extremely crowded it's just crazy, it's so crazy and so packed that it isn't even fun. Also, unless you want to park in the landscaping (do not suggest or condone) or park a mile or a half a mile away, you have to get to the zoo early. The admission prices are also really expensive, that's why I suggest buying a membership. This zoo has a lot of activities and things to do and I would definitely suggest going if you live in the area. I hope these things will help your trip and travel go smooth.

Best zoo in the country. Habitats from across the world and more to see than be taken in in a day.

My favorite Zoo. It is worth going here because not only are there some amazing and life like exhibits, but one of the best aquariums ever.

Over of the largest and interesting zoo I've ever visited. The indoor rainforest and desert environment was mesmerizing and extensively detailed. A lot of exhibits were closed due to construction. I only wished staff would've posted area that were closed at the entrance and offered discounted tickets. I'd recommend everyone who's near Omaha to take a while day and visit this zoo.

Absolutely my favorite zoo of all time, been here 5 times now and the diversity and wide range of animals is spectacular and they keep adding more and more to the fun.

I'm a member and the last two times I've gone was terrible. My fries were not done, this time, we got our ice cream before I paid plus the ice cream was already soft....it melted all over my hand, clothes, on my kids too. Plus i bought souvenir cups, got refills and they mixed them all up.

One of the best zoos in the nation! My family has been taking our children here since they were little. It has grown into a world-class zoo. All the animals, rides and exhibits are amazing!

This is a really cool zoo and aquarium!!! I love the sky fairy. Also the train ride. I love the penguin display. I love the giraffes and the elephants and the Lions!! This is really the best zoo I've been to. Plan on spending a full day here!!!!!!!

New stuff added since last time I was here. Enjoyed the tiger exhibit. Rode the sky ride.

Great updates since I was last there! Can't wait for summertime to see the finished in progress product.

super fun! The animals look so happy, the zoo is large and clean... there is some construction and upkeep going on right now but not overly in the way. We walked about 5 miles and didn't even notice, we were having such fun. Definitely going again.

Huge zoo with lots of interactive activities for the littles! From animals to play grounds & anything in between. They allow you to bring your own food and drinks as well to make it an affordable outing for families

This zoo trip had several disappointments. Expecting certain issues because of Covid, it would be nice if the zoo would made updates to their website when entire habitats (elephants, zebras) are closed. Also be prepared to stand in line for the few food places that are open. I waited 45 minutes for popcorn and a pop. It s nice they have staff that walks around and picks up trash and scrubs the sidewalks, but they need more help at the food area if they are only going to only have a few open. People were getting angry. The biggest disappointment was when we leaving, they had closed the gift shop 15 minutes early for no reason. I asked an employee and she could have cared less. My daughter was extremely disappointed and several little kids that had wanted stuffed animals were crying.

Best zoo in the midwest! The splash pad was so much fun!

Interactive experience for people of all ages. It is continually being improved/expanded. Anything you could imagine or want in a zoo is here!

A few animals off exhibit and wall-to-wall people, but still a very nice zoo.

Amazing place. Clean and well maintained. Staff was professional.

The zoo is the best! It's not just for kids! We got caught in a rain shower while on the skyfari and laughed and laughed!

One of the best zoos in the country and it keeps getting better.

Absolutely fantastic and massive zoo. Comfortable shoes are paramount as you'll be walking a lot. The only thing missing (for me) is a proper coffee place.

Lots of different animals. Many cool spots. Worth the money

Great zoo! Can get very busy, people start leaving around noon. I suggest going then or later if you don't want to wait in line to get in.

Great family experience. Updates to the facilities are fantastic.

They did allot of new thing and doing more. LOVE IT

We always renew our season passes. So much to do with the family

Amazing zoo that puts you really close to the animals they have. The desert exhibit has a lot of different animals as well as the primate exhibit, bird exhibit, and aquarium. You should visit the Lagoon if possible. They have food dispensers and for $0.50 you can feed the Koi, catfish, and the invasive ducks and geese from the bridge.

We went on a Monday, which was good and bad. Low foot traffic butt not all snack bars were open. Actually only your main attraction were. If you go, go early, head off to the right and see the giraffe elephants and then Africa to thai. You'll see the animals when they are out, the cool off last in the desert dome, night crawlers and aquarium. We did the opposite, missed a couple of the larger animals due to the heat. Their attractions were awesome, they did well showcasing the animals.

Been going here for 30 years. Deservedly the best zoo in the world for so many different and wonderful reasons!

If you are local we all know to buy the membership. Last year was our first year upgrading to the Patron membership. Not only does it include the zoo and Safari, you get 10% off basically everything at the zoo and here's the payoff: WRISTBANDS FOR EVERYONE. Y'all that pays itself. Trust me on this.

I love this Zoo! The food and souvenirs are expensive as all can be, but the attractions are fun. The train, Skytram, and Tram are all reasonably priced and the guides know their stuff. The Aquarium is wonderful, as is the Jungle and Desert. They are really good about having the misters going to help folks keep cool during the summer, which helps a lot.

I mean, there's a reason it's on the lists for the best zoo in America. If you hit at the wrong time the animals might all be sleeping, but even then you can usually spot them. They have great information, they're readily available, and there's no obvious mistreatment anywhere.

Mostly it's a fun place to go see animals you'll never see anywhere else, and they keep things as updated as they can. Everyone should go here if given the opportunity.

Best zoo in America. They keep changing it making it bigger and better. Fed the giraffes today. I wasn't even aware you could do that! Stuff like that is the reason I continue to buy annual memberships.

Always a memorable spot from childhood but they're constantly changing and modernizing it and it's not as homey and the animals aren't in the greatest of areas when they have to be inside

Been going there for years. Always a good time, lots of updates. Best zoo in the country!

I've been to the Omaha Zoo probably close to 20 times and each time it just gets better! I grew up going here each summer with my grandparents, and it has come so far since then. The Kingdom of the Night is by far by favorite exhibit as it's spooky and dark, but the entire zoo is absolutely amazing. Best zoo in the world for sure!!!

Great mix of indoor and outdoor sights. Lots to see and do for all ages. Good price, no charge for parking.

Myself and 2 friends visited the Omaha zoo last weekend (8-17-19). I expected the long lines (not my first visit), I expected overpriced concessions, what I didn't expect was to spend almost $70 dollars only to see several animal exhibits without animals. Not to mention the less than thrilled lady who was not so gingerly handling the baby gorilla as if she drew the short straw on that job.
However, the gift shops were fully staffed, even though the elephants were no where to be found you could purchase elephant paintings and souvenirs.

I am not sure I will be driving through 2 states only to pay for lodging, gas, food and entry into a zoo that has fewer animals than my local zoo (for 4 times the entry fee). Very disappointed.

On if the best Zoos in the states. Does not have the foul odor like most

One of the best zoo's ice ever had the pleasure to visit - our continues to add new & exciting exhibits every year.

The zoo is always fun. Today we saw a peacock with her babies!

Other then it was a hot day we had fun will be back in the fall

Excellent service, friendly staff, fascinating species, only downfall is captivity

This zoo is amazing. I have taken my family here many times and we have loved it.

Kids love this! Beautiful time of year with all the leaves changing! Always making improvements to keep us the #1 zoo. Great for a nice long walk about!

So much to see. The animals are well cared for and the habitats are clean. A great day for the whole family.

While slightly disappointed from past visit, is still an excellent zoo. Elephants and zebras were not out due to pen maintenance and one elephant looked fairly thin. The concession stands weren't open for the first 3 hours of the day, (90degrees) so heat was a serious problem.
Skylyft is excellent and gives an amazing view of animals I couldn't otherwise see. New exhibits look amazing.

Been here 5 times in the 8 years I have lic3ed here. Never disappointed. Always new things to see and do!!!

Aquarium was cool. Over crowded not covid compliant.

Best zoo ever. Just sad that other things cost so much extra. You should pay one price at gate and be able to explore every aspect of the zoo. Bring $150 for a couple to really truly enjoy the park food, rides, feeding animals, water park etc.

by far the best zoo in the area. whether you're just stopping in town for a day or you have lived in omaha for years, I'd highly reccomend a visit!

Finest zoo to visit. Remember Zoo visit is full day activity. Its too big to complete in a less than a day.

We love coming here. I would like to get some more bacon on my double cheeseburger though because the bacon was like five dollars extra.

Nice zoo with lots of upcoming exhibits. Some of the enclosures seemed pretty small though.

Go when it's warm otherwise most the animals are not out. Wish they had stroller rentals at both entrances. We had to walk 2miles with my son before we could get to the stroller shop.

Great zoo. Aquarium is very popular. Food and drinks are expensive.

Great Zoo. Watching the Archer Fish at feeding time was fun. Wishing there would have been signs posted to note which animals were off exhibit outside as it was too cold to make a wasted trip

This one of a kind zoo has so many attractions, you could spend days here!

I am always surprised with new developments and displays when I go to the Henry Doorley Zoo. Certainly one of the top 10 zoos in the world.

Wonderful place to visit! Too much to see in a single visit.

Not so bad after you get through the initial wait for tickets. All the animals looked like they were in good form and health. And there were restrooms at every exhibit.

We picked a hot day, 95 to go to the zoo. The land animals were very lethargic...just laying quietly, If they were even visible. The dark creatures exhibit was not my favorite ; I couldn't even find my companions, and accidentally exited without seeing the water exhibits. They are gauging visitors by charging $3.50 (vending machine) or $3.75 (with tax) at a concession stand. Bring your own...

This is a great place for families to spend a day or a few hours. Plenty of indoor and outdoor exhibits, rides, and food choices.

The food and concessions are expensive and not always the best quality, but the cafeteria in the Jungle building has more a la cart choices and you'll be able to find something for everyone.

The best zoo ever. I definitely recommend the annual pass, way worth it. So much too see and do here. Fun for everyone. Fantastic exhibits.

Fantastic zoo, one of the best places to visit in Omaha. I highly recommend it to anyone in the area.

One of the best zoos in the nation. The new sprayground is fabulous for kids and adults to watch them.

One of the best zoos you ll go to in your life. Wonderful exhibits and something for all ages. You can see it all in a day...even 4-6 hours if you re hustling.

They re always making improvements to exhibits and infrastructure to keep the experience fresh.

Highlights from my kids are always:

- Gorillas
- Aquarium tunnel
- HUGE playgrounds
- Lions
- Elephants

Go every year for kids birthday! ! See something new each time! Love it.!

With the world's largest man-made rainforest, desert, swamp, and cat complex how can you go wrong? Lots of parking and two entrances. I wish we would have had time for the children's adventure trails, but ran out of time enjoying all the animals! The food is overpriced like you'd expect, but really not too bad and the quality is decent. No one does it like Henry Doorly!

Awesome Visit.. Not crowded in the winter. But no Holiday Lights? Denver zoo kills it with zoo lights this season.

Would've given it 4 stars but due to COVID about a 1/3 of the park was closed. Of the parts that were open about 1/4 was under construction. So things were limited. We visited on a hot day, 92 degrees, and at many of the concession stands I was told they couldn't sell me a drink because the cooler was "locked up". Overall I did like the Zoo, maybe it was jus bad circumstance

One of the nicest zoos I've been to. It rain the whole entire day, I was surprised of the amount of people that went. The animals really didn't care if it was raining. One suggestion I would do is go with the flow of the traffic and don't go into the zoo reversed you'll be going uphill on pretty much every attraction. and get a map that will help or you will be going in circles if you don't.

It was very exciting even though it was cold i enjoyed my time there and i highly recommend visiting this place

Most of the animals were not available to see the train wasn t working and I was in a wheelchair not very wheelchair friendly