Police officers, firefighters and EMTs get into Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium free on Friday, September 11, 2026, and they can bring up to five family members with them. The offer covers the Lee G. Simmons Wildlife Safari Park as well.
What you need to bring
The zoo is asking for a valid badge or an agency-issued credential at entry. If the credential does not carry a photo, bring a photo ID alongside it. The offer is for currently serving officers, firefighters and EMTs.
Tickets are available in person only, at four places: the zoo’s Main Entrance, its North Entrance, the Guest Services lobby, and the drive-through entrance at Wildlife Safari Park. The zoo says it kept the process at the gate to make the day as easy as possible for the people it is thanking.
Part of a citywide effort
The free day sits inside Heartland Honors 9/11, a volunteer-led initiative marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. It runs across the Omaha metro from September 1 through September 11 and brings together the City of Omaha, local nonprofits and organizations across the area, with yard signs, volunteer projects and remembrance events.
The zoo’s reasoning is straightforward. Care is the common thread: the daily work of looking after animals, and the work first responders do for the people around them. Rather than build a ceremony, the zoo decided to open the gate.
It has also said it will announce how it plans to recognize veterans and active military members around Veterans Day in November.
Planning a visit that day
A party of six covers a lot of ground at either destination. The zoo campus holds the Desert Dome, the Lied Jungle, the Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium and Hubbard Gorilla Valley, most of it under a roof if the weather turns. Wildlife Safari Park is a drive-through experience and a different kind of day out. The free admission applies at both, so the choice is open.
Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium has spent recent years investing in what happens behind the scenes as much as in front of it. ZooReviews covered the opening of its Grewcock Animal Hospital, the building where much of that care work now happens.
Details and hours are on the zoo’s announcement page.
Quick answers
- Who gets in free at Omaha's zoo on September 11, 2026?
Currently serving police officers, firefighters and EMTs, plus up to five family members each, at both the zoo and Lee G. Simmons Wildlife Safari Park.
- What identification is required?
A valid badge or agency-issued credential. If the credential has no photo on it, bring a photo ID as well.
- Can the tickets be booked online?
No. They are available in person only, at the zoo's Main Entrance, North Entrance and Guest Services lobby, or the Wildlife Safari Park drive-through entrance.
