I LOVE dolphins! They have been my favorite animal ever since I was a little girl… but as a gal living in the Midwest, dolphins in their natural habitat are nowhere near. I was really excited when I learned that the Indianapolis Zoo had dolphins that you could see upclose.
Indy is only a two hour drive from Cincinnati which makes it an easy day trip or nice mini trip. We decided to visit the zoo during a day trip. We had enough time to see the Indy Zoo and still visit a few other places in the city before returning home that evening.
You can experience the dolphins in a few different ways during your visit. You will want to check the daily schedule as soon as you arrive at the zoo so that you can make sure that you are able to attend the 20 minute educational dolphin presentation and the zoo keeper chats.
After the presentation, you will want to watch the dolphins from 17 feet below in the nation’s first underwater viewing dome.
I could seriously watch them all day…. and I might have gone back a second time before we left the zoo so that I had a few more moments to watch them swim.
The Indy Zoo is also one of the only places in the Midwest where you can do an In-Water Experience with dolphins. I would LOVE to do this experience in the future!
I know that I have focused a lot on the dolphins, but there are still plenty of other animals to see at the Indy Zoo. Visitors spend an average of 3.5 hours there during a visit. Zoo guests will love that the grounds are pretty flat which is nice if you are pushing a stroller with kids.
As you walk around the zoo, be on the lookout for zoo babies. It was such a treat to see this baby giraffe with his mom.
The Indianapolis Zoo has the trifecta of accreditation as a zoo, aquarium, and a botanical garden. Your zoo admission also includes admission to White River Gardens.
The shark touch pool at the Indianapolis Zoo is one the largest in the nation which allows plenty of room for the sharks to move around.
In the warmer months, you might want to bring extra clothes in case your kids want to enjoy the splash park. There is also a playground if they need to burn off some energy.
The best way to lock in the lowest admission prices to the zoo is by purchasing them online before your visit. The combination ticket is a better value if you plan on enjoying a few rides and animal feeds.
We enjoyed our visit to the Indy Zoo. I definitely want to come back to see the dolphins again.
You can find out more about the Indianapolis Zoo from their website.
The Indianapolis Zoo is located at 1200 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN.
Thanks to Visit Indy for hosting my visit to the zoo. All opinions are my own.
