Thursday we made the drive from Kansas into Nebraska. We chose to stay at the Double Nickel Campground in Waco. We originally looked for an RV park closer to Omaha, but we had a hard time finding parks taking reservations due to COVID-19 and a park that was okay with our family size. I often hear gasps when I say how many kids we have. Some parks are great with it, some charge more and a few turn us away. I’m always hoping and praying they don’t ask how many kids we have. Once we arrive, park managers almost always seem to like our big family and think our kids are really well-behaved. We’ve found that some of the best parks we’ve ended up in were a result of not being able to get a reservation at our preferred park or location. That was true with this park – the Double Nickel.
We had a big shady spot with trees, grass, a big picnic table and even a swing. There is a nice pool, a basketball court, a volleyball court and a putt-putt golf coarse.
We got settled in Thursday, picked up groceries from Walmart I had ordered online, and enjoyed hanging around the RV park that evening.
Friday morning, we drove an hour and a half to go to the Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo with Oksana. Oksana reads our blog. When she saw we were coming to Nebraska this summer, she commented that she’d like to treat us to the zoo and wildlife safari park. We messaged back and forth and worked out the details.
Oksana was so much fun. She knew everything about the zoo. It was like having our own personal tour guide.
Because of COVID-19, the zoo was taking reservations and only allowing a certain amount of people in at a time. It was set up for everyone to walk through in the same direction.
It was a hot day, but there are many shady spots and our kids enjoyed stopping at the spray stations.
There were many interesting animals to see, and we enjoyed seeing so many different ones.
My family jokes that I can get most any human or animal to look and smile for a photo. Haha.
The carousel was open. A zoo employee sanitized each animal after every single carousel ride. I cannot imagine having to do that, but I’m sure everyone who rode appreciated it.
All our kids, especially our little girls, enjoyed the carousel ride. It took Bravely back to our days at Disney. She loved riding so much. She kept saying, “I like it. I love it.”
The zoo had all the indoor buildings and play areas closed due to COVID-19, but there was still plenty to see, do and enjoy.
After the zoo, we drove 30 miles to the Wildlife Safari Park in Ashland.
Again, having Oksana with us was like having a personal tour guide. She knows where the animals typically hang out and hide. The kids had a blast trying to spot animals as we drove through.
We saw elk, buffalo, pelicans and turtles. We had never done anything like this drive-through safari before, and we thought it was really cool.
Zoos and safaris are very pricey for our family size and are not something we do often. Oksana, thank you so much for treating us to such a fun day! We really enjoyed meeting you and going through the zoo and safari with you!
The Omaha Zoo is supposed to be one of the nation’s best! Looks like you had a great time. Love the pictures!
Love reading your emails! Brightens my day.