"Gate City"
"Quiet place above all others upon a stream*"
Famous Omahans*
Wesley Addy
Karrin Allyson
Edward L. Alperson
Dana Altman
Laura Anson
Karen Arthur
Adele Astair
Frederick Austeritz
Pamela Austin
Art Babbitt
Buddy Baer
Max Baer
Max D. Barnes
John Beasley
Terrence Beasor
Lee Beggs
Lindsay Bloom
Marlon Brando
Peter Buffett
Warren Buffett
Johnny A. Carson
Dick Cavett
Montgomery Cliff
Patrick Coyle
Chip Davis
Louis Davis
John Domin
David Doyle
William Dozier
E.O.W.B.E.M.B.B.
Jolie Edwards
Michael Lee Firkins
Henry Fonda
William Fries
Wynonie Harris
Pat Hazell
Joseph Henaberry
Mike Hill
James King
Terry Kiser
Chris Klein
Lawrence Klein
Swoozie Kurtz
Harry Langdon
Rodrique La Rocque
Preston Love Sr.
Thomas Mangelsen
Dorothy McGuire
Buddy Miles
Jimmy Murphy
Nick Nolte
Alexander Payne
Mike Post
Ann Ronell
Shirley Ross
Joan Micklin Silver
Skip Stephenson
Don Stewart
Inga Swenson
"Jack" Teagarden
Megan Terry
Frank Tirro
Gabrielle Union
Luigi Waites
Lawrence Welk
Paul Williams
Louis Weertz
Impressive Omahans
Tom Brokaw
Warren Buffett
Ed Creighton
Edward J. Flanagan
John Foster
Gilbert M. Hitchcock
Bob Kerry
Paula Zahn
Fifteen minutes ...
John Carroll
Lovable Omahans
Mr. Cuddles
Sports Omahans
Bob Boozer
Marlin Briscoe
Mark Calchevechia
Eric Crouch
Mike Gibbs
Bob Gibson
Roy Long
Andy Roddick
Omaha Bands
Active
Fishheads
On the Fritz
The Labels
Well Known
Preston Love
Mannheim Steamroller
Luigi Waites
Moved Away
311
Jolie and the Wanted
Retired
C. W. McCall
Johnny Otis
60s Pop still going
Rumbles
Born in Omaha
Leslie Lynch King, Jr.
Malcolm Little
Louis Weertz
Shakespeare
In June and July, we have Shakespeare in the Parks, a popular and established tradition that surely will not end soon. The performances are in Elmwood Park, which is south of the University of Nebraska at Omaha (around 60th and Dodge). Go south (from Dodge) at Happy Hollow Blvd. Performances start at 8:00 P.M. Thursday through Sundays. Make sure you get there early to get a great seat. Bring a blanket, picnic, turkey leg ... eat, drink, and be merry. You can bring some money too, not because of the performance, because of the concessions stands; the performances are free. How can you beat that?
Parks
From the early days of Omaha's history, we have set aside special areas as our parks. We have some beautiful parks for just about any occasion. Read more about our parks.
Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo
| "We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo, you can go too, too, too." |
| Peter, Paul, and Mary |
One of my all time favorite places is the zoo where some of my closest relatives live.
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo has grown tremendously since its beginnings as Riverview Park in the late 1890s. The Zoo has continued to add important exhibits such as the world's second largest free-flight aviary, the country's largest Cat Complex in the "Wild Kingdom Pavilion", and the world's largest indoor rainforest (The Lied Jungle).
The free-flight aviary allows birds to fly and live in a more natural settings. In addition to the birds, you can see monkeys and other species in the aviary.
In the Cat Complex, you can enjoy cats from every corner of our planet. The Cat Complex has been an important part of Cat Conservation and study. Educational displays explain things such as the white tigers, a rare genetic disorder that does not occur with such great frequency in the wild (only 12 have been spotted in the wild).
The Lied Jungle features rainforest environments from Africa, Asia, and South America. A jungle trail and an overhead walkway give visitors an excellent view and tour.
The zoo also has a great sea aquarium, the Scott Aquarium, where you can see sharks swimming over your head as you travel through the 70 ft. underwater zigzag tunnel. The aquarium also displays other aquatic life such as stingrays, jellyfish, and three species of penguins.
If you think a visit once a year will cover everything, keep this in mind. H.D.Z. has been an active participant in breeding programs with many other zoos worldwide. This means they may have animals for a temporary period, or they may have animals returned since you last visited. You can hardly ever visit the zoo without learning something new.
Speaking of learning, the zoo is not only a display of exotic species, but also involved with educational programs with schools and universities. The Omaha Cultural and Academic Cooperative organization is based at the zoo. The group is special because it is an innovative partnership of museums that provides educational career exploration programs not found anywhere else. Other zoos and museums in the country should take note as an example. We are lucky to have this great program in Omaha. The zoo also has volunteer programs, and research projects going on full time. All together, these programs are helping to fulfill the zoo's mission of conservation, research, recreation, and education.
The zoo's last project was the world's largest desert biome, opened in 2002. Visitors experience the unique desert environments of the Namib Desert in Africa, the Great Sandy in Australia, and the Sonoran Desert in southwestern U.S. The glazed geodesic dome allows visitors to see a 30 ft tall sand dune, Ayers Rock, a cactus forest, a sandfall, meerkats, pumas, bobcats, rock wallabies, peccaries, klipspringers, and desert plants. In 2003, the world's largest nocturnal exhibit will open underneath the Desert Dome.
The zoo is best enjoyed if the visit is not rushed however starting early requires plenty of ahead of time planning and with our busy lives is not always an option. Admission to the zoo is without a doubt, always reasonable; however, the best bargain is a season zoo pass. That way you get to go multiple times without as much concern for covering every exhibit; you can even sneak in a late afternoon visit without the guilt. As a rule, the people that purchase a season pass so much recognize the value that they continue to do so year after year. If you travel, keep this in mind, the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo Season Pass is also good for free admission to 150 other zoos in the country. That's a rate of three per state, probably one is in yours.
The zoo is situated on 110 acres near I-80 and 10th Street, just across from Rosenblatt Stadium, all within a few blocks of I-80 Exit 454 (13th Street Exit). Except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, the zoo is open from 9:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.. Thanks to the folks that take care of some of my relatives.
If all that weren't enough, the zoo operates the Lozier 3D IMAX theater with a six story tall screen and 12,000 watts of sound to make you feel like you are part of the action. You can visit the IMAX theater separate from the Zoo (they do share parking lots). From children age to elderly, everyone enjoys the experience of the IMAX films. One of the greatest experiences is to treat your folks. If you haven't experienced an IMAX film yourself, I say rush to the theater immediately, price is only about $6.75. The IMAX films have 3D versions of some films. This isn't the same 3D of yesteryear, no blue and red lenses. A tiny optical sensor in the glass frame picks up the signal to open and close electronic shutter lenses to stay in sync with the projected film. This is truly modern 3D. The effect is so smooth that you don't even think about wearing the glasses.
H.D.Z. also operates the Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park and Wildlife Safari just west of Omaha on I-80 Exit 426 near the Strategic Air and Space Museum and the Aksarben Aquarium at the Mahoney State Park. The park is a drive through wildlife adventure with free-ranging North American plants and animals such as bison, elk, antelope, deer, and wolves. A small animal exhibit, visitor center, tram, and concessions are available at the entrance.
| "Mom is taking us to the zoo tomorrow, zoo tomorrow, zoo tomorrow" |
| Peter, Paul, and Mary |
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Girl's and Boy's Town
He ain't heavy...
Omaha Henry Doorly
Zoo
Wildlife Safari Park
Omaha Cultural & Academic Cooperative
Art and Education
Fontenelle Forest
Nature Association
AM Radio
FM Radio
| KVSS | 88.9 | ||
| KIWR | 89.7 | ||
| KVNO | 90.7 | ||
| KIOS | 91.5 | ||
| KEZO | 92.3 | ||
| KRQC | 93.3 | ||
| KQCH | 94.1 | ||
| KGOR | 99.9 | ||
| KGBI | 100.7 | ||
| KLTU | 101.9 | ||
| KSRZ | 104.5 | ||
| KKCD | 105.9 |
