Discover Omaha

Omaha can be discovered through a wide range of experiences: expansive habitats at the zoo, city history in a museum and neighborhood, and parks and interactive exhibits at the RiverFront. For planning your trip, it helps to consider these highlights separately: a museum visit offers a different focus than spending time outdoors or exploring exhibits on your own. This can help you decide which sides of the city you’d like to include in your stay.

The Zoo: Habitats and Indoor Exhibits

At Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium, visitors can explore 160 acres of plants, animals, and immersive habitats from around the world. A notable part of the visit is the world’s largest indoor desert, which visitors can walk through. In addition, the zoo includes seven acres of indoor exhibit space, offering year-round experiences. These two figures refer to different areas: 160 acres describes the grounds and their habitats, while seven acres refers to the indoor exhibit space. This helps distinguish the expansive grounds from the year-round indoor offerings as two different aspects of a zoo visit.

City History at The Durham Museum and the Old Market

The permanent exhibits at The Durham Museum explore the many generations who have shaped Omaha into what it is today. The Benson streetcar exhibit offers a vivid way to experience a particular historical setting: visitors can board an authentic streetcar and imagine a ride through Benson in the 1940s. Significant parts of the Byron Reed Collection are also on display at the museum. City history, a transportation exhibit, and collection pieces each offer a different focus here.

The Old Market Entertainment District offers a different historic cityscape. This lively neighborhood is characterized by cobblestone streets and brick buildings. Seasonal events take place in the Old Market throughout the year, including the Omaha Farmers Market, festive light displays, and parades. If you’d like to include one of these examples in your trip plans, check the event dates for your travel dates.

Parks and Activities at the RiverFront

The RiverFront brings together three parks in the heart of downtown Omaha under a shared identity. Each area has a different focus: Gene Leahy Mall features a state-of-the-art playground. Heartland of America Park offers panoramic views of the Missouri River and extensive walking paths. The Skate Ribbon there offers year-round opportunities for ice skating and roller skating. At Lewis & Clark Landing, a sandy urban beach and fire pits are among the offerings. The playground, paths, beach, and skating activities illustrate the range of the three parks without suggesting that their offerings are interchangeable.

Independent Exploration at Kiewit Luminarium

Kiewit Luminarium is located at Lewis & Clark Landing on the RiverFront in Omaha. More than 125 open-ended exhibits invite visitors to explore topics for themselves. These include light, shadows, colors, and bubbles, which younger children often find especially appealing. This makes a visit to the exhibits different from the historical themes at The Durham Museum and the outdoor activities: here, exploring the exhibits independently is the main focus.

Discover more destinations: Boys Town, Ralston.

Return to the broader travel overview: Douglas.