Omaha Zoo for toddlers? (Valley, Butte: rent, to buy, theater)

[Penguin_ie]

We are visiting relatives in South Dakota for Thanksgiving, and it is a long drive from Arkansas, so the plan is to do one drive overnight and break the other one up with a long break or maybe an overnight in Omaha, as we have heard nice things about the Henry Doorly zoo there.

But we have 20 months old twins, so I am wondering how suitable that zoo is for young toddlers? For example does it have a petting zoo area, playground, etc, easy to get around with a stroller? Some zoos are more suitable for adults, I find. How long would you think we'd spend in the zoo?

Also, we'd visit the zoo either Friday after Thanksgiving or Sunday (27th or 29th November). What day would you think is less busy (I realise it's a holiday weekend so both days will likely be busy!).

[dsrich98]

Originally Posted by Penguin_ie

We are visiting relatives in South Dakota for Thanksgiving, and it is a long drive from Arkansas, so the plan is to do one drive overnight and break the other one up with a long break or maybe an overnight in Omaha, as we have heard nice things about the Henry Doorly zoo there.

But we have 20 months old twins, so I am wondering how suitable that zoo is for young toddlers? For example does it have a petting zoo area, playground, etc, easy to get around with a stroller? Some zoos are more suitable for adults, I find. How long would you think we'd spend in the zoo?

Also, we'd visit the zoo either Friday after Thanksgiving or Sunday (27th or 29th November). What day would you think is less busy (I realise it's a holiday weekend so both days will likely be busy!).

We took our daughter this summer when she was about 14-15 months. She loved it!! Zoo is very accesable by stroller. while I don't know of any playgroud there are planty of open areas for kids to run and explore. There is a petting zoo which my daughter loved. The Omaha zoo is great for visitors of all ages. I highly reccommend it!!!

[Sandhills Guru]

End of november you could be looking at some undesirable weather. Henry Doorly does have a lot of inside attractions also, may want to contact the zoo.

[vpandora]

Our zoo is huge! That is the only thing that might make it less friendly for haulilng around kids in strollers. However, there are plenty of things for both kids and adults to enjoy.

Even if the weather is questionable, there is a lot of stuff to do inside. There is an IMAX theater, Rainforest, Desert Dome, Aquarium with Penguins and a walk through tunnel, Butterfly/Insect Pavillion, Gorilla Valley, Wild Kingdom Pavillion, Cat Complex... all are inside attractions and would only require short walks outside to go from exhibit to exhibit. I believe you could spend most of your day just between those indoor exhibits alone! Some of these places have interactive exhibits that lets young kids get closer to some of the animals, such as a touch tank in the aquarium, or a tunnel in gorilla valley that is 4 feet high and leads to a plexiglass dome that peeks straight up into the gorilla habitat. There is a petting zoo, but it is on the back end of the zoo. If the weather is nice enough and you go there, there is also a carousel with different zoo animals that is really neat. Also, there is a train most kids enjoy that takes you around the whole zoo. There is no playground really, but there are many bronze sculptures of animals, such as the lifesize lion pride near the entrance. Kids love climbing on the lions!

I definitely recommend the zoo to EVERYONE. A couple of things to remember -- some tips I have from my own visits to the zoo.

1. get a map! If you venture past the indoor exhibits to the older parts of the zoo, you may have trouble navigating as the zoo is on hilly ground and it expanded gradually as they aquired more land over the years.
2. If you end up on the other end of the zoo and are tired and ready to leave, it is worth the small fee to ride the tram back to the entrance.
3. There is an elevator between the gorilla and orangutan complexes which will save you an extremely steep walk uphill which I imagine is torture with a stroller!
4. You can save money by packing your own lunch and snacks! The zoo has a real restaraunt and tons of snack bars selling the normal overpriced food and drinks. But visitors have always been allowed picnic in the zoo, some even bring their own wagons to haul around kids and coolers. You can also rent wagons and strollers at the zoo if you do not want to bring your own in.
5. Visit their website for more info! Home | Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

I hope you go, and I hope you have fun! As you can tell, I am VERY enthusiastic about our zoo! I am not sure how the day after Thanksgiving would be, but you are sure to have much more managable crowds that time of year than if you were visiting in the summer. I think either day would work well for you.

[skidamarink]

Oh, you'll be fine there. I would of course suggest going in the day time and bringing your own food so you don't have to buy the overpriced food there. The Doorly Zoo is VERY child-friendly. There is a petting zoo and when I went this summer, they had the billy goats out. But since it's getting colder, I don't know if they'll have them out. My guess is that the Friday would be less busy than Sunday simply because it is a weekday and a lot of people still have to work. Both will be very crowded though. My guess is you'll spend any where from 2-4 hours there depending on how crowded it is and how patient you guys are. The Omaha zoo is very big and spread out. They will probably also have a buncha fun (and expensive) activities for the Thanksgiving holiday.