Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

The Perfect Year-round Family Destination

By Ginny Hermann

Around the corner you'll find tropical aquatic exhibits featuring sandy wave pools, invertebrates, birds and fish of every color imaginable. Next up is the highlight of the aquarium – a 70-foot-long, clear acrylic tunnel winding through the bottom of a 17-foot-deep saltwater tank. The habitat is meant to simulate the ocean floor near a coral reef at the edge of the open sea. Here you'll see large sea rays, sharks and coral reef fish swimming on two sides and overhead. As you stand on the "ocean floor," you'll appreciate the sheer beauty and grace of this aquatic world. After exiting the tunnel, you'll see a tank of jellyfish, a 15-foot-tall cylinder filled with beautiful silver schooling fish, a flooded rain forest exhibit and several other tanks before reaching the gift shop, strategically placed at the aquarium exit.

While strolling through this massive park, you'll also enjoy the many outdoor exhibits, including the Cat Complex, home to felines of every shape and size; Bear Canyon, where grizzly bears, polar bears and sun bears frolic in clear, blue swimming pools; Primate Valley; Pachyderm Hill; the African Veldt; the world's second largest free flight aviary and much more.

Before heading to the car, be sure to visit the Lozier IMAX Theater. From the top of Mt. Everest to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, you'll find adventure and excitement in the comfort of the zoo's two IMAX theaters. Projected on a movie screen that's six stories tall and utilizing the latest in digital Surround Sound, the films transport your family to places you never dreamed possible – you'll come nose to nose with an angry T-Rex, take a deep sea dive with dolphins or travel to ancient Egypt without leaving the cozy warmth of your theater seat. The zoo's IMAX feature films change periodically, so no matter what adventures you have to choose from, you're in for a thrill you won't soon forget.

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