Lincoln Children’s Zoo is now open year-round after welcoming guests on Friday

It was smiles, cheers and laughter as parents and kids made their way through the new entrance at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo Friday.

Lincoln’s number one tourist attraction will now be open year-round after Friday. 

The President and CEO of the zoo, John Chapo has been to each of the zoo’s 33 opening days. He says it’s exciting to see how far the zoo has come over the years.

“There is no more detour to take to get into the zoo,” Chapo said. “We say thanks a lot to our guests for the past year and a half for putting up with that detour.”

With over 400 animals the zoo saw nearly 250,000 guests in 2018. 

The giraffes, tigers and monkeys are still set to be on display in May as part of the expansion project. Construction is still underway and sections of the zoo are closed off. 

“Seeing the progression, seeing it all evolve and grow over the last couple years during construction has been awesome,” Chapo said. “When you see it every day it doesn’t happen quick enough.”