The Omaha Zoo - Friday

On Friday morning we woke up (after a long night!) and headed down to breakfast at the hotel.  Love that my Uncle's hotel offers breakfast!  We got to visit for a few minutes with Uncle Chris then headed back to the room to plan our day.  Since it was cloudy and cool we decided it would be a great day for the zoo.  Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo is world class and I haven't been there since I was a kid.  But Cora and Momma definitely needed a nap first (Daddy did too, but since he drank three cups of coffee at breakfast he had to pass!).  While we napped, Wes and Grammy took a dip in the hotel pool.

We got to the zoo around 11 and our first stop was the Cat Complex where we were greeted by a jaguar and leopard.  It was so neat to see all the animals out and about and up close!

We grabbed some lunch and then headed into the Lied Jungle where you can "Explore the natural rainforest environment as you walk through America’s largest indoor rainforest. Inside this exhibit you will hear waterfalls crashing, see gibbons swinging and feel the tropical environment surround you."

This jungle was definitely the place for Wes!  There was so much to see and climb on and explore.  We walked across a rope bridge, climbed up to a waterfall, and practiced swinging like a monkey.

Mike took this picture of me because, though you can't really see it, the monkey at the very top left had a little tiny baby and was carrying it just like I was carrying Cora, minus the Ergo carrier of course!  Along with monkeys we saw a hippo, alligator, birds, fish, lizards, and lots of other jungle animals.

 

Next we headed to the Desert Dome, which is 

"The world's largest indoor desert, located under the world's largest glazed geodesic dome and has become a landmark for the city of Omaha.  You will see plant and animal life from three deserts around the world: the Namib Desert of southern Africa, the Red Center of Australia and the Sonoran Desert of the southwest United States."

Cora needed to eat right as soon as we got inside the dome, so I didn't see too much since I zipped on through, but I did see a roadrunner with a mouse in it's mouth.  The one thing I really noticed about the Omaha Zoo is that once you are inside an exhibit, there is a ton to see and it takes a while to see it all!

We stopped to take a quick picture on this Lion statue which is at the front of the zoo.  My mom said every year when we came here as kids we would take a picture here.   

Next we headed to the Hubbard Gorilla Valley "where the gorillas roam free and the visitors are on display! This exhibit is a three acre site that includes two acres of gorilla and visitor space.   This cutting-edge exhibit and management facility allows Omaha to be a major player in gorilla conservation.  Omaha’s current research partners include zoos in North America, Europe, South Africa and Australia.

Love this picture!  Not sure how this gorilla felt about Wes staring at him though!

Next up was the Scott Aquarium where you can "Walk on the bottom of the ocean and come nose to nose with sea turtles as sharks circle above you in the 70 foot shark tunnel. Discover polar regions, temperate oceans, coral reefs and the Amazon exploring the largest aquarium in a zoo, the Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium. From Antarctic penguins to colorful warm water fish, you will observe the magical world of underwater life."  The shark tunnel was awesome and was definitely the most crowded area of the entire zoo!

Our last activity was to take the train all around the zoo and see some of the bigger animals.  And this train has been here since Grammy was a kid!  Since we had been talking about riding the train all day, it was a good thing we got there right at 4pm because they were boarding the last train of the day.  Wes and Cora both loved the ride and we got to see the giraffe complex, pachyderm hill, and hoofstock row.

We thought we were done after our train ride, but Wes spotted the Prehistoric Play Park and Fossil Dig Site, so we took a seat and watched him unearth an ancient fossil and climb on the prehistoric sculptures.   

You can also see parts of Rosenblatt stadium from the zoo and since we never made it to Omaha for the College World Series like we always talked about, we'll have to settle for this view of the park.  Omaha has now built a brand new stadium, Ameritrade Park, for the series (a few pics below that Mike took when he walked over from the hotel to check it out before we left for the zoo).

We had such a great day at the zoo!  Wes was such a trooper and walked the whole day since we didn't bring a stroller for him on the trip, and Cora did well napping in the carrier and her stroller.  Much for fun to come!