Things to do in Omaha
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Omaha
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months: late April to early June and September to early October, warm, green and everything open.
Worst for a first visit: bitter wind, snow and ice, Safari Park closed, but lowest hotel prices.
Mid July to mid August brings heat, humidity and peak zoo crowds; start mornings and go indoors midday.
Holiday lights, skating and Lauritzen Bright Nights make December a real trip, not a consolation.
What's on
- Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders Meeting early May, first Saturday typically
Tens of thousands of shareholders fill the arena, Gorat's and the Old Market.
- Men's College World Series Usually mid to late June
The city defining event at Charles Schwab Field; book lodging and restaurants months ahead.
- Taste of Omaha late May / early June
Big food festival at the RiverFront with dozens of Omaha restaurants in one park.
- Jazz on the Green at Turner Park Thursday evenings, summer
Free, beloved picnic format concerts at Midtown Crossing.
- Omaha farmers markets May-October, Saturdays Old Market and Sundays Aksarben
Peak produce July to September at both long running markets.
- Maha Festival late summer
Omaha indie music festival born of the Saddle Creek scene; check current year dates and venue.
- Holiday Lights Festival late November-December
Downtown lighting and ice skating, paired with Bright Nights at Lauritzen Gardens.
- Bright Nights at Lauritzen Gardens late November-December
Lauritzen holiday lights programme in the conservatory and gardens.
- Sandhill crane migration late February-early April
Over half a million cranes stage on the Platte near Grand Island and Kearney; book blinds months ahead.
Best things to do in Omaha
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium
World class zoo with huge indoor desert, jungle and aquarium exhibits that fill most of a day.
The Old Market District
Brick warehouse district of shops, galleries, restaurants and bars where an Omaha evening starts.
The RiverFront
Rebuilt linked parks from the Old Market to the Missouri River, free and best walked at golden hour.
Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge
Curved pedestrian bridge over the Missouri where you can stand in Nebraska and Iowa at once.
Joslyn Art Museum
Free art museum, newly expanded, with strong Western, American and contemporary collections.
The Durham Museum
Omaha history inside a grand restored Art Deco train station with a beloved soda fountain.
Kiewit Luminarium
Hands on science museum on the riverfront with exhibits families love and adult evening sessions.
Lauritzen Gardens
Peaceful 100 acre botanical garden on river bluffs, the calm counterpoint to a zoo day.
Where to stay in Omaha
Old Market / Downtown
first trip, all-round base
Walk to the RiverFront, Durham, theatres, ballpark and a dozen restaurants.
Blackstone District / Midtown
food-and-drink trips, couples, staycations
Densest strip of independent restaurants and cocktail bars, anchored by the Cottonwood, 2 miles downtown.
Aksarben Village / Elmwood Park
calm, parking, university and hospital visits
Newer village by Elmwood Park and UNO with easy parking, 15 minutes drive to downtown and the zoo.
West Omaha / Elkhorn
work trips and west-side family only
Every chain and free parking near Indian Creek, but 20 to 30 minutes drive from everything.
Think twice about
- North Omaha as a base
Parts record the city highest crime rates and there is no visitor hotel stock. Visit its institutions in daytime instead.
- South Omaha residential blocks east of 42nd to 52nd Streets
Higher crime pattern in residential blocks. Visit the South 24th Street corridor in daytime, base elsewhere.
- Council Bluffs casino-corridor motel strips
Cheapest motels sit by casinos and truck corridors with nothing walkable and a river crossing to every dinner.
- Interstate and airport motel strips
Cheap headline rates cost the trip evenings in drives and rideshares, with late night parking lot environments.
Best restaurants in Omaha
The Boiler Room
Chef driven flagship in a converted boiler room, the one fancy reservation to make in Omaha.
V. Mertz
Small romantic dining room in the Passageway, the Omaha occasion restaurant for decades.
The Drover
Locals first choice steakhouse, serving whiskey marinated steaks for nearly 50 years.
Gorat's Steak House
Warren Buffett favourite Italian steakhouse, a restored mid century time capsule that cooks well.
Johnny's Cafe
Stockyards era steakhouse since 1922, the deeper cut alternative in the same tradition as Gorat's.
801 Chophouse at The Paxton
White tablecloth splurge steakhouse with dry aged cuts, raw bar and a serious wine list.
Block 16
Farm to table counter spot chefs name first, famous for its burger and Poutine Burrito.
Avoli Osteria
Northern Italian neighbourhood dining room Omahans treat as a special occasion default.
Outdoor things to do in Omaha
Fontenelle Forest
Huge protected river bluff forest with 17 miles of trails and a boardwalk, 15 minutes downtown.
TreeRush Adventures at Fontenelle Forest
Aerial adventure park in the Fontenelle canopy with ziplines and graded rope courses.
Eugene T. Mahoney State Park
Flagship state park resort on the Platte with trails, rides, pool, climbing and cabins.
Platte River State Park
Quieter wooded bluff park with a waterfall, good trails and fall colour near the Platte.
Lee G. Simmons Wildlife Safari Park
Drive through safari park from the Henry Doorly Zoo, best for bison, elk and fall bugling.
Quarry Oaks Golf Club
Championship public course in a former quarry above the Platte, worth travelling for.
Indian Creek Golf Course
Tour hosted 27 hole public course in Elkhorn with country club feel at public prices.
Benson Park Golf Course
Locals favourite municipal course, repeatedly recommended to visiting baseball groups.
Best hotels in Omaha
The Farnam, Autograph Collection
Top rated downtown luxury hotel at the edge of the Old Market, next to Gene Leahy Mall.
Hotel Deco
Glamorous Art Deco boutique hotel two blocks from the Old Market with a speakeasy inside.
Magnolia Hotel Omaha
Dependable historic boutique around a courtyard at the Old Market edge, fully dog friendly.
Hyatt Place Omaha Downtown-Old Market
Well located chain hotel in the Old Market, a reliable points friendly family pick.
Embassy Suites by Hilton Omaha Downtown Old Market
All suite Old Market hotel giving families extra space in the walkable core.
Hilton Garden Inn Omaha Downtown/Old Market Area
Reliable Old Market chain hotel covering the breakfast included, points friendly brief.
Hampton Inn & Suites Omaha-Downtown
Highly rated downtown chain with free breakfast and a short walk to the ballpark.
Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel
Restored 1916 Blackstone landmark with a resort style pool and chophouse, anchoring its district.
Is Omaha expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $90 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $180 a person |
| Splurge | $350 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium: a few days ahead
- Charles Schwab Field Omaha: months ahead
- Steelhouse Omaha: a few days ahead
- Orpheum Theater: a few days ahead
- Holland Performing Arts Center: a few days ahead
- TreeRush Adventures at Fontenelle Forest: a few days ahead
- Eugene T. Mahoney State Park: months ahead
- Quarry Oaks Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Zoo tickets online on peak weekends, College World Series dates and holidays.
- Boiler Room and V. Mertz reservations days to weeks ahead for prime weekend slots.
- Hotels for College World Series in June and Berkshire Hathaway weekend in early May, months ahead.
- Mahoney and Platte River cabins months ahead for summer, and crane blind tours months ahead for March.
Is Omaha safe?
- Visible street homelessness and panhandling in the Old Market; walk busy blocks and rideshare after midnight.
- Do not leave anything visible in a parked car; vehicle break ins are the main visitor risk citywide.
- Take severe thunderstorm and tornado alerts seriously and know your hotel shelter guidance.
- Omaha ploughs well but winter ice and bitter wind are real; drive carefully in January and February.
Omaha travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Airport and interstate motel deals that cost evenings in drives and rideshares.
- Eating only steakhouses and missing Block 16, Blackstone, Avoli and Modern Love by night three.
- Doing the zoo in four hours at noon in July instead of a full morning start.
- Expecting an Omaha Steaks flagship restaurant; it is a mail order company with retail only.
Getting around Omaha: public transport and more
- Base downtown and walk the Old Market, RiverFront and downtown cluster.
- Drive or rideshare to the zoo, Joslyn, Fontenelle and all excursions, 5 to 35 minutes.
- Eppley Airfield is about 4 miles and 10 minutes from downtown.
- ORBT rapid bus runs the Dodge and Douglas corridor to Midtown, Blackstone and Westroads.
Who Omaha suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Omaha your trip
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