Lincoln Children's Zoo

This zoo is incredible. Its clearly catered to children hence the name.We have an annual pass and it pays for itself. My son loves feeding the camels and giraffes, riding the train, watching the cheetah run, and penguin feed time!The playground is a hidden gem in the winter. We love the zoo so much! Ps- the zoo lights at xmas time are 100% worth it kids or no kids

The animals were great! Not the BEST zoo I've been to but it was fun to spend time here. The biggest complaint I have is we had a group of 5 and we rode the train and honestly it's not worth paying for. The conductors and everything are super nice and are just doing their jobs but the train is super squeaky, you basically just see the facility buildings and a couple of the animals. The zoo in itself was cool though!

We often go to Lincoln for swim meets and see that there is a zoo there but we usually don't take the time to go. One weekend during a swim meet, my son and I made a plan to go check it out one of the days we were in town. We were certainly not disappointed with our visit! Since we are members of the Omaha Zoo, we were able to use that membership for a discounted rate at the Lincoln zoo! We were also able to purchase train rides and tickets to feed the giraffes right from the ticket office. The first thing we went to see were the red pandas. They were in an enclosed air conditioned building, so they were actually out and about! The zoo isn't too big, but we still had to come another day to see the exhibits we missed and to ride the train! Some of our favorite things we did here was to see the new baby penguin and to see the red pandas. In all, we really enjoyed our visits to the Lincoln Children's Zoo and will more than likely visit again when we are in town!

We visited here on our second day in Omaha. Just an hour from Omaha to Lincoln so not too far. We enjoyed this one far more than Omaha zoo since it was free and many offerings like train and giraffe feeding at nominal price. Train was $5 or less per person and had stroller parking and did loop twice through tunnel. Also giraffe feeding was $3 for 3-4 large lettuce leaves. We broke it down so son could stretch out feeding. Food was also reasonable with plenty of options. Son had soft pretzel and we split a sandwich wrap. Parking free and nice walk to visit all the animals. There is even an indoor playground with balls to catch and sent up tubes to trees. Rain showers then released the balls back down. Nothing like this at Omaha zoo.

I really love this zoo! The name suggests it's for just kids and families but I believe anyone can have a good time there. For me the best parts include feeding the giraffes, seeing the majestic tiger, and those adorable red pandas. There's a lot of classic fun and variety. A childhood favorite was the train which was still fun and a nice cool trip that goes twice around. Especially good on a hot day like yesterday. Definitely would recommend the zoo which is a stones throw from the beautiful rose and Sunken Gardens across the way. :)

Cute little children's zoo. It's actually pretty big. They have a nice little train ride and animal feeding opportunities. We fed the giraffes and the goats. They give various discounts for seniors, military and zoo members. Even Omaha zoo members get a 50% off.

Lincoln's zoo, in the shadow of one of the best zoos in the world up the road, has wisely chosen to embrace the children's zoo model, and they are excelling! We have kids ages 2 to 8 and have loved visiting this zoo as they have grown up. It's perfect to stop by for an hour or two in the morning when the first open.

First time visit and it was really really nice. The facilities are well taken care of and the animals appear the same. Granddaughters enjoyed feeding the giraffes. Every interaction we had with a staff member was very positive.

I'm new in Lincoln, and I decided I wanted to see all the local attractions the locals are familiar with. Something tells me it's all happening at the zoo. Among the most widely advertised attractions in Lincoln is the Children's Zoo. I'm pretty busy with work, but I found an afternoon recently when I could spare a couple of hours away from clients to visit the zoo. Truth be told, I was fed up enough with human foibles that I wanted to see some healthy animals.I found the zoo on google maps, but I needn't have bothered. There are signs on lampposts directing you toward the zoo from all over the city.When I got to the zoo, I found out it was going to cost me $16 to get in. I knew there would be a fee, but I was thinking to myself, "if I had known it would be such a large investment, I would have come in the morning with a picnic lunch prepared to stay all day." I love zoos so much I could watch just the elephants or monkeys all day. Not to mention the weird snakes and other reptiles.After I entered the zoo, I found it was laid out in exhibits numbered from 1 to 5. #5 was directly to the right as I crossed through the entry gate. It wasn't labeled with what kind of animals were on display inside the #5 building. I wanted to see the monkeys, and it wasn't labeled monkey house, so I figured I'd save #5 for later. There weren't any animals in evidence from the gate, so I walked in toward where the activity was. Maybe there would be camels. "Beware of the spitting camels, I thought." I walked on to find the animals.I found a cute train. When I'm new to an area, I often take a public tour to get a feel for the size of the city or whatever. What better than a $3 miniature train ride around the park to catch a quick glance of all the animals before I would be forced to budget which I would see -- having only the one afternoon to see them.I love trains. I got an extra special bargain, because when I rode it, the train made TWO complete circuits of the perimeter of the zoo. Forest Park, eat your heart out!But I didn't see any animals. Not one. I saw some bicyclists in a canyon off to the right side of the train. I saw some small humans in a playground. And I saw some giraffes. One of the giraffes was very still. I thought he (she?) was a statue of some kind. But I saw 2 giraffes that moved, and one very life-like life-sized replica.I was surprised that the giraffes were the only live animals I saw from the train. When the train ride was over, I decided to become a right wall follower, and find all the animals by following a path hugging the wall to my right. I found a couple of kind of empty pens, and then I happened upon the giraffes. It turned out there were 4 giraffes. And they were all alive! I was thrilled. There was a kind of bridge where I could stand eye-to-eye with the giraffes, and one was incessantly eating hay from a sack at neck's length. He seemed tired and lonely -- maybe even lazy -- but he was a good listener. After a while, I went in search of the other animals.But I found none. I had followed the right wall all the way back to the entrance area. I checked out building #4 -- the one next to exhibit #5. Someone's child said they saw a red fox. I didn't see any animal inside the glass area, but I found out he was right when I left. I caught a glimpse of a red something with black stripes as it escaped the crowd by running back inside the #4 habitat. But I did catch a glimpse of at least that one captive animal other than the lonely giraffes.One woman decked out in expensive jewelry was headed to exhibit #5. But she couldn't get in. The door was locked. Maybe there were no animals there, either, I mused. Then when I left the area near the locked door, someone came and let her in. It turns out exhibit #5 is a private area for the group who runs the zoo. Their cages are decorated like their natural habitat so as to be familiar to them. They look like offices.So it turns out I was initially wrong. There ARE monkeys in the #5 habitat. If they were as smart as chimpanzees, they would have figured out how to have at least a spider or two on display for me AND THE KIDS to see.As I was leaving, I passed through a group of eager young people trying to decide whether to spring for the $16 each to see the animals. I remarked that there were only 4 giraffes, and that came to $4 dollars apiece. They laughed -- thinking I was joking. I didn't have the heart to tell them that those were the ONLY animals on display.FOR SHAME! The people in charge of this zoo should be ashamed! Spanky and Our Gang could do a better job of collecting animals to show the kids with no budget at all!!! Mark my words: If I stay in this town, I'll make it my mission to place at least a few living snakes, turtles and spiders behind glass for the kids to look at. Meanwhile, you primates on display in exhibit #5, just rattle your jewelry!

Brought my kids to play an the indoor space. Hours on the door read 10:00-1:00. We walked in about 10:30. The restrooms were closed fo almost an hour. Coffee shop also supposed to open at 10:00, staff behind the counter cleaning equipment for over an hour, unable to serve anyone. Staff opened boys bathroom for my 4 year old, watched him go in and then out a sign on the door that said Restroom Closed while my kid was still inside.