Mobility:
The Omaha Zoo has both electric scooters and wheelchairs, which they sometimes run out of. The zoo is hilly. To the see the entire zoo you will go up and down about 3-4 times. Also, within the Desert Dome (see above), some of the path is very narrow so a person needs to be careful while navigating with an electric scooter or wheelchair. The zoo is also large, so even if it did not have hills, it would be a long walk for someone with mobility issues. To get a full accounting of the zoo we took 2 days.
Food and Drink:
There are several places to eat at the Omaha Zoo, however not all places are open everyday. Also, only abbreviated menus are available on some days. Due to these limitations, I do not feel I can evaluate how well the different places to eat do with gluten free, dairy free, and vegan items on their menus.
The Omaha Steaks Grill and Durham TreeTops Restaurant were near the main entrance. We did not go in so I can not comment on the food there.
Outside of the aquarium is the Sea Turtle Cafe. It seemed to mostly have Italian dishes like pizza and spaghetti, however we went by there just as they were closing for the day.
We ate at Tusker Grill, however it had limited fare. Mostly hamburgers, chips, etc. That was on the Friday we went, however the following Saturday there menu had blossomed into various African dishes.
In the Glacier Bay area they had several places to eat. Both of these locations were closed the Friday we went, however just like the Tusker Grill, the following Saturday they were both open with menus of fish and chips, burgers, and other items.
Souvenirs:
There is a souvenir shop at both gates, with the main gate having the larger of the two. At the main gate gift shop there was a good selection of t-shirts, mugs, magnets, stuffed animals, and various other things. The gift shop by the other gate had mostly stuffed animals but a few other things as well. As with the places to eat, it looked as though other small gift stands but were not open on the Friday we went.
Safety:
The water play area in the Alaska Glacier Bay area, had the normal safety issues of kids slipping and falling. However, there were several zoo personnel monitoring the area. With such a large zoo, and minimal shade, it would be important to bring sun block and stay hydrated. A popular place to sit out of the sun was outside the aquarium.
Miscellaneous:
The zoo has a ray petting pool for kids and adults. As well as a train that goes around the zoo, the zoo also has an overhead tram. There is a children’s zoo called Bay Family Children’s Adventure Trails (see below). The zoo also has animal shows, the one I went to in 2021 was on reptiles. Near the main gate there is a large screen theater where they were playing a documentary while we were there.
