Seconds With Steff

I just don’t even know where to begin today… After a really quick breakfast at Louie M’s Burger Lust, a really cool little diner, we headed straight to the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium for the 9:00 am opening.  Henry Doorly is nationally ranked as the best zoo in America… people think the San Diego Zoo is the best… but if you look back on our Pacific Coast Highway trip, you’ll see my feelings about that. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. You can’t do anything about overcrowding, but the layout was terrible… buses constantly running over… no room for anyone to walk… just not great. Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo is one of those places that completely lives up to the hype. It’s regularly named the best zoo in the country, and honestly, plenty of people call it the best in the world — and once you’re inside, it’s pretty easy to see why.

What I love most is that it actually ties back to the Lincoln Highway era. The zoo opened in 1894 as the Riverview Park Zoo, so travelers driving the early highway could have stopped here long before it became the massive, world‑class attraction it is today. The name changed in 1963 after a major donation, and that kicked off decades of expansion that turned it into the powerhouse everyone knows now.

Upon entering the more than 130 acre zoo, Hunter made a beeline for the Omaha Wild Kingdom Pavilion, which was basically your standard educational area about dinosaurs. Nice… not super impressive… little kids could learn things.

Next, we walked into the Desert Dome, but instead of heading straight in, Hunter brought us downstairs into Kingdoms of the Night, the world’s biggest nocturnal exhibit. It was a really cool exploration into bats, caverns, swamps, and bayous, and notably, it’s the first bat house I’ve ever been in that didn’t reek. It started with a small maze… then turned into a cavern… then into a swampy bayou. It just kept getting cooler and cooler; we even saw an albino alligator. It was so dark it was nearly impossible to get pictures, but I tried.

Then we went up into the Desert Dome and… wow. Just wow. Everything they say and more. It is the largest indoor desert on Earth and sits under this giant glazed geodesic dome you can see from forever away.

The Lied Jungle (leed) feels like you’ve stepped straight into the rainforest. With two levels One balcony and one at ground level, I’ve never experienced anything like it. I don’t even have adjectives anymore. It was unbelievable.

Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium, with a walk‑through tunnel, sharks overhead, glowing jellyfish, and a penguin habitat was super atmospheric. Unfortunately, the toucan that Hunter was most looking forward to seeing is no longer with us nor does the zoo have any toucan! That took a few moments!

The Butterfly & Insect Pavilion. was simple and bright, just a quick walk‑through space with butterflies drifting around you — pretty, calm, and exactly what you expect.

The African Grasslands were big, open, safari‑style spaces and one of my favorite parts because it just keeps going. You follow a trail… the animals are on both sides of you… you see them from different angles… it’s not just one little viewing window. It’s immersive and thoughtful and beautifully done.

Then we went to the aviary. There is nothing I hate more in life than an aviary… until I went into this aviary. It was beautiful. You have no idea. It’s gorgeous. My words are gone. My father always said one day my words would be gone… today my words are gone.

And I thought my words were gone until we went into the gorilla pavilion…. Hubbard Gorilla Valley features glass‑walled walkways where gorillas wander right beside you. Sincerely, truly, absolutely the most amazing habitat I have ever seen in my life. It was so incredible I made Hunter go through it twice, so I could videotape it going backwards. My only regret is that it’s backwards… but honestly, it doesn’t matter. The buildup to the expansive area is breathtaking. And it leads right into The Hubbard Orangutan Forest with high climbing structures and huge viewing windows.

Expedition Madagascar was fantastic… a circular path walked you through the landscape as a Jun Kaneko installation welcomed you into the land.

Hunter really wanted to do the children’s trail. I fought him on it… until I saw there were animals throughout it. So I said okay—but he wasn’t allowed in any of the apparatus. This place is riddled with climbing structures, splash pads, sand pits, grass areas… places for kids to just chill out and be kids. It’s huge. Absolutely huge. So much thought has been put into every single corner. There’s a massive splash park too, but we stayed away from that. I did take a picture though.

We also saw other animals, but honestly I don’t even know anymore. I’ll put the pictures below. It was just really amazing.

There were self‑operating cooling stations. I’ve never seen one before. I had to watch someone else use it to figure out how it worked.

I have now waxed poetically about two zoos. Basically my is that the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo is a solid 10/10! Gorgeous, clean, well-themed, and fun, but on a smaller scale with 40 acres and about 1,000 animals! And then you have the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen with more than three times the size of Fort Wayne at 130 acres and 17 times the amount of animals! The theming and presentation is just as good!

We arrived at 9:00 when the zoo opened. Hunter was done at 12:30… but I still had a mission: Skyfari. Good thing we did it, because if we hadn’t, we would’ve missed the lions. Hunter navigated us through the entire park except for one teeny tiny turn… and that was the lion pavilion. After everything else, he had one final request: go back into the Desert Dome. I don’t think Hunter has every asked to do anyhting again (other than Big Thunder Mountain Railroad). So we did one more loop in both the desert and Kingdoms of the Night. I got some decent video. And just as we were leaving the swamp area, the last animal we saw was an American beaver. Please remember it is very dark… just red lights. And Hunter loudly announces … .several times, “We found a beaver in the dark.” I will leave that untouched.

After the zoo, we went to see the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge between Nebraska and Iowa. GPS brought me to what I thought was under the bridge. And it was. Let’s be very clear: it was under the bridge. I just didn’t see the parking area on the left… only the right… so I kept driving around and around. Omaha is riddled with construction. I finally asked a construction worker who was super nice and told us to park in the lot of some coliseum. It took five tries because of road closures, but I eventually got us there. No idea how.

We started walking over the bridge and when I looked down, I saw the parking spot I had driven right past. But that’s okay. Hunter and I walked across the bridge to Iowa. The bridge is actually named Bob… and there’s a spot where you stand between the two states called “bobbing.” So that’s what we did, and it really is a beautiful bridge.

And then you have to get your picture taken with the Omar The Troll. Yes, there is a troll who lives under the bridge.

We explored a couple downtown stores recommended by Josh and Pops. Amazing Imaginarium was basically everything you’d find on the show floor at Comic Con shoved into one space.

RAYGUN is the coolest store I’ve ever seen, and they call themselves, The Greatest Store in the Universe… unapologetically progressive, cleverly designed, cultural jokes around every corner. They so get me! They are conquering the Midwest so they can get to New York!!!! I will be the first person in the NYC flagship store!

Lastly, there was Hollywood Candy. It held so much more than candy… part museum/part … honestly… I have no idea… look at the pictures. There was even a room where you could play pinball. And a diner!

Then we went to see the The Fertile Ground Mural … Nebraska’s Largest mural at 32,500 square feet. Stunning!!!

And one more sculpture that I knew Hunter would like… a 15-Foot-Tall Fork with Pasta –

And finally ended our night at Block 16 , which has been voted the best burger in America. Hunter got the Block Burger – Earn your street cred by diving into this 1/3 pound -Swiss-American cheese, mayo, mustard, ketchup, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle, but with only cheese, tomato, and ketchup. I got the French Onion Smash – smashed patty, smashed into caramelized onions, with extra gruyere, thyme sherry dijonnaise and steamed in red wine jus. And we got the Funky Fungi Fries – herb salted fries topped with griddled curds, truffle aioli, FCF fried shrooms, house gravy, fried shallots, toasted rosemary, grated parmesan cheese, and green onion. Yeah… once again… no words!

Unreliable Summary – a Zoo, a Bridge, and a Burger