Our first stop in Omaha was the Henry Doorly Zoo. We’d been hearing about how awesome this zoo was, so we were pretty excited to check it out!

We spotted polar bears…

and penguins. This was the kids favorite part! I have to admit, they were pretty fun to watch.

Sharks…

and stingrays.

My favorite parts:

The animals are right there! It wasn’t like we had to look hard to find them! We walked around the first corner and boom…there was a giraffe right there. This fence was the only thing standing between them and us…well and a trench of water. But I’m used to having to search for the animals in their habitat. Not so with this zoo!

Rhinos!! These guys were great! They spent most of their time in the mud, which of course my son thought was hilarious!

They were a good substitute for the elephants I had most wanted to see…but that aren’t there anymore.

Jellyfish. I love these!

I also loved this guy! He was in the Expedition Madagascar exhibit and right after this picture, he leapt onto the railing post that was right next to Ellie’s head. She was freaked out…I thought it was great!

It was a hot, hot day at the zoo! The temperature was around 105 degrees. My hubby, the planner, suggested we start at the back of the zoo and work our way to the front, doing most of the outdoor stuff in the morning. We finished up with the indoor buildings as it was getting steamy outside.

6 1/2 hours at the zoo…with no naps, in 105 degree heat and we all survived. I’d call it a success!