Those Wild Animals, And Zoo Animals Too!

We went to the Omaha zoo last weekend for my company picnic.  I heard lots of great things about it.  So, I had high expectations.  

WTF were we thinking?  Seriously.  It was a Saturday, of all days to go.  And the very Saturday before most kids went back to school nonetheless.  At least it was a mild day in the upper 80s, I believe.  But still.  It's been a long time since I have been to a zoo.  I love animals.  More than most people, if I'm totally being honest.  No offense.  So I thought it would be great.  

I do have to admit that I have a hangup about most zoos.  Caging animals make me sad.  But then I think of the situation like the 3 legged big cat, who would have died if the zoo hadn't taken her (and she has had at least 3 litters, so how awesome is that?).  So that makes me happy.  And I think, surely marine critters are "happy" because water is water and they are safe.  But I wonder, how bored are they really?  Swimming around in the same circle probably does get old.

The Omaha zoo has an aquarium, so I thought at least that would be neat to see, and I will not be sad to look at those animals.  Penguins are hysterical to watch.  I think you could have two of them in a box and they would entertain one another.  So I thought that would be fun.

Think again.

About 3pm, every person in that zoo under the age of 10 had a catastrophic melt down.  I'm not kidding.  And I was a witness To. It. All.  It was not a pretty sight.  We had 4pm tickets to see the 3D Imax film called Kenya.  It was OK.  I kept dosing off because I too *needed* a nap.

Anyway, we tried to hit the aquarium an hour before the movie, and that just wasn't going to happen.  Mid-afternoon is peak time for visitors to any attraction.  Note to self: remember that next time.  We walked into the building and peeked at the puffins.  We turned around and I swear every stroller sold in the US was in that lobby accompanied by every adult owner and kid in tow.  I suddenly felt claustrophobic in an uncontrollable sense.  I knew the aisles to maneuver through the exhibit would be narrow and dark at times because we had just visited the Desert dome.  I felt like salmon swimming upstream to spawn as I walked back OUT of the one-way-only crowd to get the heck out of there.  

Never again.

But we did have a GREAT time in Omaha.  Holy cow town, that city is FUN!  We stayed at the Hilton, which was the newest & biggest hotel, and it's in the downtown area.   There were SO MANY restaurants and shops within walking distance.  It was amazing!  We can't wait to go back.  But we'll skip the zoo, thank you very much.

Highlights of the weekend include seeing an aardvark dig a hole (highlight of the zoo experience by far, that hole was cool).  They leashed this guy like a dog!  They bring him or his buddy out on Wed. and Sat. afternoons, because "they like to dig".  That is pretty neat!

The dirt was flying out of that hole!

This Aardvark didn't want to leave his hole-digging adventure

 

Leashed for a walk, just like a dog

This guy was BIG

I didn't take a picture of the actual hole, but it was pretty large and he was starting to curve around in the hole so pulling him out, if the leash had been any longer would have been more difficult.  Can you imagine if he had gotten free?  He would have tunneled his way right out of there.


Did you know, and aardvark is not closely related to an anteater although they look alike?  They naturally live on different continents.  I learned that tidbit from the lady announcing what was happening.  So at least I learned something.

Spots on a giraffe are like finger prints... no two are alike.  I learned that, too.

See all those people?!?

Cool birds with a funny name, but sadly I don't remember it

This little guy looked pissed off

Cute little things, whatever they were

Snapping box turtles, I believe

LOVE this guy

Burrowing owl--he was actually trying to burrow under the shavings on the ground

hoot hoot

beep beep

Massive desert tortoise, he was massive

So most of our pics are from the Desert Dome, go figure.

And now for the BEST THING I EVER ATE in Omaha, we learned about this place on an episode of Shark Tank. eCreamery is the best ice cream, I think I've ever eaten in my life.  It was AMAZING.  Todd, who does not have an affection for sweets, got a dip and LOVED it too!  It will make non-sweets-loving people into ice cream fans, this stuff is THAT good.

I was giddy with anticipation as we found the store.

My cone: Cherry Cheesecake on the bottom; S'mores on the top.

So happy to finally have it!

Fun ice cream bars too!

I went in expecting to love the Sea Salt Caramel with Chocolate-Covered Pretzels flavor and I tried it.  But the pretzels were chewy and the texture left me scratching my head.  The sea salt caramel ice cream was good, but I didn't care for the pretzels.  

So I tried the Cherry Cheesecake and instantly loved it.  The cheesecake flavored ice cream was dreamy, and the tartness of the cherries positively made me happy in contrast to the sweet cream.  There was a bit too much graham cracker chunks for me, but I could easily pull them out.  

The other flavor I decided on without even trying was S'mores.  That day happened to be National S'mores Day, so it was like an omen.  When I ordered that flavor, the guy behind the counter said that was the staff favorite flavor.  It is marshmallow flavored ice cream with graham crackers and chocolate chunks.  The graham crackers were even dispersed throughout and very "mixed in" so I actually liked that part.  The chocolate chunks were nice because they weren't too big and did melt in my mouth when I was eating it, in contrast to the cold cream.  VERY, VERY good stuff.  This is what Todd got a scoop of too, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

So if you ever find yourself in Omaha, you gotta try the place.  You will be happy you did.

I'll blog later about our dinner and shopping the next day.  Just wait and see what we bought.