Lincoln Children’s Zoo

Good Zoo For The Family. The Animals Are Awesome. Brought Back Memories From My Child Hood.

I am not a child, but I had such a great time here! As others have said, it’s small and definitely designed for small kids, though everyone can find something fun. There are free shows (penguins, seals) every few hours, and those are entertaining. There are also a lot of little playground and climbing things, so tiny tots have things to do in addition to the zoo. The train is great, I just hated the recorded scream in the tunnel.
Also, free parking!

The Safari Café at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo has a decent selection of food: Pizza, burgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese, PB&J, and some healthy and less-​healthy sides, plus ice cream and Icees. They also have a small gluten-​free menu: pizza and chicken fingers. Prices are really reasonable, not the jacked-​up rates you usually pay as a captive customer (I’m looking at you, Henry Doorly Zoo). The pizza was so-​so — the crusts were undercooked — but the grilled cheese and kettle fries were good. For zoo food, and with the low prices, I had to go with four stars.

Visited here with some friends when we noticed we were visiting several days before they closed for the winter. This is a nice small zoo mostly containing small animals. The name Children’s zoo says it all. The largest animal, I think, are the camels. Most of the other animals consist of birds, monkeys, and reptiles. They have a lot of play areas for kids. The place is very shady with a lot of trees so it would be great during the summer. The train ride goes around the outside of the zoo and shows how small the zoo is. The zoo is geared to small kids and is worth a couple of hours.

It is a small zoo, but a nice one. My nieces love coming here. I’m so happy they have red pandas!!!

A very nice little zoo designed for kids, as the name implies. More than enough to keep your kids occupied for some time, they have a nice variety of animals for a small zoo. Their special events for kids throughout the year are great too, but can get crowded.

Not one of the nation’s grand zoos but a great way to spend an afternoon and a season pass gives several fun times for the year.
Actually while small I think they HAVE played an important role in the preservation of a couple small monkey species.
And in recent years they have been remodeling the place in a very interesting way. Destroyed some of my nostalgia but it is for the better.

I love to take the kids here. My toddler enjoys exploring the paths and sandboxes and my 12 year old loves the classes and exhibits and it’s small enough that she can venture on her own on uncrowded days.
All of the animals seem in excellent health and are very well cared for. The staff is always great, and so are the «zoo crew» kids that help out with pony rides and the such. Every time I go we learn something new so it’s always a great experience.
This is also a fun place to volunteer. I actually volunteered with the butterflies and even engineered the train one year. If you are looking for something to do in the summer, you should go into the office and see what is needed as this is yet another very fun and fulfilling way to enjoy the zoo!
The gift shop has a lot of really great stuff and the prices aren’t bad either. We always end up buying something even though we are there a lot with our zoo pass!

Is it wrong of me to be amused that someone keeps changing the «emu» sign to «emo»? Probably. The zoo staff fights back, as they must, but I’m afraid it’s a lost cause. Monkeys! Snakes! Bats! Bats!

One of my favorite zoos. Its pretty small but definitely worth a visit for children. I loved going here when I was a kid. I remember crossing the sandstone outcropping on the creek a hundred times to get there and the smelly indoor zoo they had next door when I was little. Oh and also for the rec center building at antelope park where you could ride the little 4 wheel scooter things. Anyways, All the animal displays are pretty intimate. This place is another reason I think nebraska is kinda cool. Also, I’m glad there getting a penguin or two this year cause I watched a penguin cartoon today and it cracked me up. My 7 yo son thinks the train ride is the cats ass. He loves it.

Gibbons and camels and seals, oh my!
Good for kids & adults alike, but designed with kids in mind.
Plan on it taking approximately at least an hour to get through the whole zoo (not including stops for meals or playtime). Bring a stroller if you have little ones. This is no San Diego Zoo, but it’s fantastic for a city the size of Lincoln, & we treasure it.
These will be the highlights for your kids, aside from seeing the animals:
— The train ride around the zoo
— Watching the seal show (11am & 3pm)
— Playing at the playground at Zooville Square (parents will love the «sit on the shady bench & take a break» exhibit here, too.)
— Feeding the goats or camels
— Walking through the butterfly pavilion
— Making a wish at the Stegosaurus fountain
Their website has a lot of handy info, including a printable map you can take with you.