How Omaha Built One of the World's Greatest Zoos

Here is a claim that surprises almost everyone who hears it: one of the very best zoos in the entire world is not in New York, or San Diego, or some far-off capital. It is in Omaha, Nebraska. Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is regularly ranked among the top zoos on the planet, and for countless families it is the single best reason to visit the city. But this world-class attraction had the humblest of beginnings.

The zoo's story starts back in 1894, when the city established a modest public zoo in Riverview Park on the edge of town. There was nothing grand about it. In those earliest days, the young zoo's collection grew one animal at a time, with the city paying small sums for its first residents, including, as the old records tell us, a moose purchased for one hundred and fifty dollars and a bear for twenty-five. From a moose, a bear, and a small park, something extraordinary would eventually grow, though it would take decades and a great act of generosity to get there.

That turning point came in 1963. A woman named Margaret Hitchcock Doorly made a transformational gift of seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars to the zoo, with one heartfelt condition: that it be named in honor of her late husband, Henry Doorly, a longtime leader of Omaha's newspaper world. The city agreed, and Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo was born. That gift lit a spark, and over the following decades the zoo embarked on a remarkable rise, fueled by bold vision, scientific ambition, and a community that decided its zoo would be second to none.

What followed is the stuff of legend among zoo lovers. Omaha built the Lied Jungle, one of the largest indoor rainforests in the world, where you walk beneath a living jungle canopy. It built the Desert Dome, opened in 2002, the world's largest indoor desert housed beneath the largest glazed geodesic dome on earth. Beneath it sits Kingdoms of the Night, the largest indoor nocturnal exhibit anywhere. It built the Scott Aquarium, Hubbard Gorilla Valley, and so much more, each exhibit pushing the boundaries of what a zoo could be. A small park that began with a single moose had become a global leader in animal care, conservation, and family wonder.

What makes the Henry Doorly Zoo so beloved is not only its size or its rankings, but the way it delights families. It is the kind of place where a child presses a hand to the glass and watches a gorilla press back, where you can stand in a desert and a rainforest and the deep ocean all in a single afternoon. It is educational without ever feeling like a lecture, world-class without ever losing its warmth. For generations of Omaha families, a day at the zoo is one of the happiest traditions of childhood.

And that is precisely why, if you are looking for a reason to bring your family to Omaha, you could hardly do better. The Henry Doorly Zoo alone is worth the trip, a full day of awe for kids and parents alike, and proof that you do not have to travel to a coast to find something truly world-class. Pair it with the Old Market, the riverfront, and the city's other treasures, and you have the makings of an unforgettable family getaway.

So start dreaming about that trip. Come see how a moose and a bear in an 1894 park grew into one of the greatest zoos on earth, and let your kids experience it for themselves. Before you plan your visit, take a look at everything happening around town on our Explore Omaha event calendar, and start planning a family trip to the city with a world-class zoo at its heart.