When we were in Iowa a couple of weeks back we were so happy to go back to the Omaha Zoo, it’s actually where Dustin asked me to be his girlfriend haha that feels like SO long ago! The zoo has changed so much since we were there last and they had so many new attractions and animals! We visited on what felt like the HOTTEST day in July, seriously! We went on a Sunday and I’m not sure if it’s because we were there on such a hot day or what but the crowds weren’t bad at all.
Where to eat
We had lunch at TuskerGrill near the elephant exhibit. They served things like burgers and french fries. For gluten free options, there were pretty much none. I luckily brought my own bread in anticipation of not having many options and I was glad I did. I ordered a cheeseburger with no bun and no side. After wandering a bit more throughout the park we wish we would have eaten at Glacier Bay Landing Grill, this had more options like crab cake sandwiches and fish tacos. Glacier Bay Landing Grill is located near the splash pad.
What attractions not to miss
If you only have one day to visit these are the attractions and exhibits that I think you should add to the must do list!
Lied Jungle
Scott Aquarium (it was being remodeled when we visited but still open with many exhibits inside.
Butterfly & Insect Pavilion
Hawkins Giraffe Encounter - you get to feed the giraffes!
Elephant Family Quarters
Hubbard Gorilla Valley’Asian Highlands
Splash Pad if you have small kiddos
Stingray Beach
Desert Dome
After you complete that I would get on the Skyfari Landing and taking it over the park to see the lions, cheetah and antelope and then get back on and it will bring you back to the front of the park. The Skyfari Landing is a chair lift ride that lets you see the zoo from the treetops!
We did do train but honestly, we didn’t see too many things and it was a bit of a let down. I will say though that our nephew really enjoyed it and that was fun for him! So maybe add it to the must do list if you have small kids.
Overall we loved the zoo and really felt like we could spend the day there as adults without kids no problem! But we also love all zoos, aquariums, theme parks… we are pretty much just big kids haha