Folsom Children's Zoo & Botanical Gardens - Lincoln, Nebraska - Zoo

Folsom Children's Zoo & Botanical Gardens is located on 27th Street between Capital Parkway and A Street (27th & B Street) in Lincoln, Nebraska. It is open from 10am to 5pm each day between April 15th and October 15th, and between June and August the zoo is open until 8pm for "Wild Wednesdays''. The zoo is home to more than exotic 300 animals and surrounded by botanical gardens with 400 species of plants.

There is a wide variety of mammals, reptiles, birds, insects and arachnids for visitors to see at this nine acre site. The zoo aims to provide an opportunity for its visitors, especially children, to experience the diversity of the natural world in a relaxed, enjoyable, and safe environment. For example, children can learn how to feed a goat, ride a pony, pet a rabbit or lure a butterfly onto their finger.

Visitors also get an opportunity to watch the seals as they are trained by their keepers or get close to a white-handed gibbon. Older children can find out about excavating bones at Stego's Big Dig, trade natural items at the Nature Exchange, see how to handle an African Brown millipede or even hold a hissing cockroach. There is a play area for younger children where they can run through the willow tunnel and play in the sandbox.

Mammals at the zoo come from different parts of the planet and range in size from the African Pygmy hedgehog or guinea pig to reindeer, camels and the endangered Amur leopard. Also featured are baboons, wallabies, monkeys, pandas, meerkats and many other mammals, not to mention the numerous reptiles such as snakes, crocodiles, geckos and turtles. The birds displayed here are also from a wide range of countries and include eagles, doves, cranes, storks and peacocks amongst others.

Visitors can dine at the Safari Cafy, which has outdoor seating and is located in ZooVille Square at the heart of the zoo. The cafy serves food such as pastas, sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs and special meals for children. There is also a gift shop on site by the zoo entrance called Zoonique Boutique, which is open from 10am to 5pm and until 8pm on Wild Wednesdays, and sells a number of souvenirs such as a zoo t-shirt, stuffed toy animals, nature games and jewelry.

Birthday parties can also be catered for here at 10.30am, 12pm, 1.30pm and 3pm daily, with the Crooked House made available for one hour, although guests can enjoy the zoo for the entire day. Guided tours of the zoo can be arranged as well with a trained member of the education staff leading groups on tailor made tours, focusing on aspects of the zoo that are of particular interest to the group. For school trips a discount is given for groups of 10 or more and groups can bring lunch to eat in the picnic area, which must be reserved in advance as the zoo policy does not otherwise permit food to be brought from outside.