Visit Omaha Courtesy of Visit Omaha
This remarkable Heartland city-the the “Gateway to the West” - was founded on the wide Missouri River, about ten miles north of the Platte River, in 1854.
Identified by Forbes as the nation’s #1 “Best Bang for the Buck City,” the Cornhusker State has been a favored tourist destination for many years: in 1883, it hosted the first official performance of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West, and in 1898 welcomed more than a 1,000,000 visitors from across the States to the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition, a world's fair that lasted more than half the year; notable Omaha inventions include the bobby pin, raisin bran, cake mix, and the tv dinner!
Visitors of all ages flock to the world-famous Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium-home of the incredible Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Pavilion, Kingdoms of the Night, the largest nocturnal exhibit on Earth, and Lied Jungle, America’s largest indoor rainforest; this amazing menagerie was voted #1 zoo in America! Ameritrade Center, the home field of the Creighton University Bluejays and the Omaha Nighthawks, steps up where Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium steps off as World Series Venue-the championship event has been held in the city since 1950- and fabulous baseball and softball complex Haymarket Park is home to the iconic Cornhuskers and fan-favorite Lincoln Saltdogs at Hawk Field. Aficionados of “all things Omaha” will enjoy a tour of the Durham Museum, dedicated to the preservation and display of the history of the United States’ Western Region, located in the Historic Old Market and housed in Union Station, one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in the Midwest.
A mother-lode of family fun and waterpark amusement opportunities await vacationers in versatile Omaha-the Amazing Pizza Factory features 60,000 square feet of rides and attractions; Coco Key Water Resort, Family Fun Center and Fun-Plex serve up everything under the sun in the way of fantastic water and amusement park entertainment. Omaha tenders the habitual browsers, professional shoppers and dedicated hedonists in your group experience beyond their wildest expectations-art galleries, malls, specialty shops, day spas, shopping centers, and delightfully unique boutiques abound in this marvelously Midwestern shopper’s mecca. The city suffers no shortage of great eats; before your Heartland holiday is over, be sure you’ve treated yourselves to at least one beefsteak bonanza at any one of the dozens of authentic regional steakhouses. Beef-it’s what Omaha does best!
