Leaving the desert we descended a flight of stairs to view the world s largest nocturnal exhibit. Ki

Omaha has always been one of my favorite cities offering an entertaining downtown with eclectic shops, a variety of restaurants, large waterfront sidewalks, and numerous museums. The Henry Doorly Zoo is a large modern zoological park with outstanding exhibits including the world s largest indoor desert and rainforest, a large Cats exhibit,and a train built by CSX which circles the park.
The zoo is an hour walk from the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Omaha. My coworkers and I decided not to walk since it was a warm day and we took a short cab ride costing only $13. Admission to the zoo is $11. We had only half a day to explore so we did not have time to waste.
This is a great family attraction with baby strollers the popular mode of transportation. The zoo was filled with excited children uk hotels oxford rushing from one spectacular attraction to another. I learned early on that I needed to look down while walking so as to not run into the many young zoo guests. It was refreshing to hear the laughter and excitement of young children.
A large polished black granite ball, with a world map inscribed on its surface, stood atop a pedestal from which water flowed upwards. The water suspends the incredibly heavy globe on a thin film of flowing water. I watched in awe at the wonders of science when a small girl stood on the pedestal and moved the ball with a grunt and a big push of her hands.
Past the large globe is another even more amazing round object standing many stories above the ground, the Desert Dome. The dome is similar to the large ball at Disney s Epcot, but this one is clear, giving a view of the desert within. This is the world s largest glazed geodesic dome. Desert Dome is full of plant and animal life from around the world. Entering the dome I felt as if I was stepping on Mars as I entered the arid and bright environs. I squinted from the amplified sun and bright reflection of the desert uk hotels oxford floor. A path with many switchbacks winds through the desert where you can observe uk hotels oxford animals at every turn.
Leaving the desert we descended uk hotels oxford a flight of stairs to view the world s largest nocturnal exhibit. Kingdoms of the Night is home to many species of bats. Flying around their dark black cage, it was difficult to tell if they could fly out and land on my shoulder. An eerie feeling came over me while wandering through the large damp cave watching winged creatures flying over head.
Cautiously moving past the bats, stalagmites and stalactites came into view. Water dripping from the inverted rocks fell as if in timed succession uk hotels oxford into a large pool, the bottom unable to be seen. I approached the glowing pool with trepidation, not knowing what creatures could be swimming below if I fell in. To my relief the blind cave fish call this bottomless pool home.
Leaving the cave full or bats and a bottomless pool, a swamp opened in front of me. A large floating log bridge with a rope railing bounced precariously on the alligator infested swamp. uk hotels oxford Letting my eyes adjust to the darkness I could see I was being watched, with small alligator eyes peering atop the calm waters. A slight uneasiness in my step was obviously apparent when my coworker who came from behind and yelled boo . I nearly jumped out of my skin. I think she realized I was a little freaked out being in this large indoor swamp surrounded by many alligators. This is one of those exhibits I will always uk hotels oxford remember because of the grand display of alligators.
The cat viewing area is constructed to allow visitors a view of the animals from many different angles. This allows you to see the animals whether they are hiding in a corner or strolling their territory. One of the tigers kept looking at my coworker and licking his chops. uk hotels oxford I assume it must be feeding time and my coworker looked like lunch. As he passed he waved at the tiger, and the large creature suddenly stopped bearing his teeth. I guess the tiger was looking to see if my coworker would put his fingers inside for a tasty snack.
uk hotels oxford Located throughout the Cat Complex are tigers, lions, pumas, jaguar, uk hotels oxford and leopards. uk hotels oxford The heat of the afternoon sun caused most of the large felines to relax or sleep. Occasionally, two of the tigers would pass one another and rub the side of their heads against each other, similar to domestic cats in a house.
Behind the Cat house, uk hotels oxford the Durham family bear canyon houses one of my favorite bears, the polar bear. The hot weather did not seem to stop this large, white, and playful bear from entertaining the crowds. Cooling off in the water on this steaming hot day, the hulking white bear with large paws, swatted at a plastic 55 gallon drum as if playing with a small ball. This bear was truly entertaining, and I think he enjoyed the roar of the crowd when he would perform one of his tricks.
Swimming uk hotels oxford back and forth in the pool, he occasionally looking out towards the crowd to see if he would get a reaction. While the polar bear swam, my camera at the ready, it looked as if he stuck his large black tongue out at me. I hope he was just trying to lick his lips and was not making fun of me. Jumping out of the pool, running uk hotels oxford across the cage, and splashing again into the large water bellow, the polar bear seemed uk hotels oxford to be having uk hotels oxford a great time.
Another very entertaining exhibit is the Orangutan forest, full of playful uk hotels oxford young orangutan s jumping from trees and swinging on ropes. Landing uk hotels oxford on his butt with a loud plop, the baby orangutan caused uk hotels oxford a roar of laughter from the people watching. uk hotels oxford The adult orangutans, high in the trees and looking downward, uk hotels oxford where not as impressed, uk hotels oxford maybe because it took attention away from them. The dexterity and speed of the mature orangutans moving around the cave, gave the impression of them floating from tree to tree. When they stopped and looked towards you, the large brownish orange uk hotels oxford eyes of these animals seemed to peer into your soul.
An active set of monkeys is the Lar Gibbons. Jumping from tree to tree, their long thick tails are used as a hooks enabling these animals uk hotels oxford the ability to grasp items with both their feet and hands while hanging by their tails. People threw food to the fish in the waters below but the gibbons would try grabbing it out of the mouths of the many large gold fish. The fish swimming in the water, uk hotels oxford and the gibbons with bones so dense they cannot swim, fought for the same food to survive on the edge of both their worlds.
The Hubbard Gorilla Valley exhibit is next door and a must see. This is one of the few gorilla exhibits where you can view these impressive primates from all angles. You can even crawl into a hole surrounded by Plexiglas and stick you head up into their habitat like a gopher.
Two of the males decided to get into a wrestling match while we where watching. With a great roar and opening his large mouth to display long teeth, one males scared the onlookers more than his opponent. Jumping and running, bouncing off the walls; this was more entertaining than any wrestling match I ever watched.
Having come to the zoo a little late in the day, we decided to take the train to see some of the other animals we would not have time to walk to. We stopped by to see the truck size Rhino, the tall large spotted giraffe, and the otters swimming in a pool once made for people. Spending so much time at few of the exhibits prevented us from being able to view some of the other very interesting spots. We quickly walked through the aquarium and large tunnel with sharks swimming above, and puffins and penguins parading around in their Midwest home.
When I return again, I look forward to walking with the butterflies in the new butterfly and insect pavilion. I also will remember to come early since this is a large zoo with many entertaining animals and exhibits.
This is an accessible zoo, with wheelchairs for rent at the zoo gift shop. The Lied Jungle, the worlds largest indoor rain forest is accessible uk hotels oxford for scooters in the lower level only. Walking with friends or family you will find there are many places you will be able to see and exhibits you will be able to enjoy with the rest of your family.
If you have a full day and want to see some of the largest and most spectacular zoo exhibits in the world, I recommend your visiting uk hotels oxford the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo. From the world s largest indoor rain forest to the world s largest indoor desert, I am sure you will be amazed by the size of the exhibits and the fun you will have viewing them with your family and friends.