Omaha Travel Guide, Nebraska

The city of Omaha ranks among the friendliest and unpretentious cities in Nebraska, a destination that is more than a stopover on your way. It is the state’s largest city with a population of 400,000 residents located on the banks of Missouri River. The riverfront is looking splendid being recently renovated and it is a pleasure walking its paths to the Old Market district.

Founded in 1854, Omaha begun its development when President Lincoln made it the terminus of the first transcontinental railroad. Since then the city has grown a lot and continues its upward movement. A notable proof is that of some of the richest men of the world chose Omaha to be their home.

Omaha is mainly a family destination as children have lots of places too go to and have fun while parents, if they care to join will also have a lot of fun; we are speaking of those more adventurous parents that don’t “feel” old! Its desire to please and cater for the tourist’s needs brought up such attractions like: the Old Market district, the Boys Town, the drive-through wildlife park, the Omaha Children's Museum and the zoo, just to name a few.

Among all these attractions the most notable and the one that brings most visitors is the unique Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo where animals are not kept in cages but they have quite a large space to move around. Probably one of the reasons why people ranked the zoo as best zoo in America is probably the fantasyland of interiors beautifully and ingeniously created to look as realistic as possible. Among the many attractions is the Scott Aquarium where you can see sharks from a short distance without being afraid as there’s a pretty thick glass wall between you and the otherwise “harmless” creature. Another equally “harmless” creature, unless you disturb it, you can see on an up-close view is the gorilla in the Hubbard Gorilla Valley that she calls home. In this section you will also be able to do some bird watching from the huge free-flight aviary.

Then there’s the Desert Dome, which is huge in scale. Visitors will pass from desert plants and animals to a swamp, filled with alligators and other creatures of the night and finish with visiting caves full of creatures of the night. It is a chilling, yet pleasurable and even educational experience. Then you can go on to exploring the Lied Jungle, with totally different scenery. This time you will be in an indoor rainforest, walking around waterfalls, ponds, and lush vegetation and see the specific wildlife going about their business.

Only this attraction will take you most of the day so planning ahead is useful depending on what you want to see first. But in your planning be sure to include the Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park & Wildlife Safari as here you will be able to see other types of animals like: buffalo, deer, pronghorn and elk on a 4-mile, drive.

Another just as fun place to be is the Fun-Plex, a small water park with the typical wave pools, slides and other fun activities.

For the younger children there is the Omaha Children's Museum with plenty of hands-on activities and where they can have the world of fun making art, playing musical instruments and staging puppet shows.

The more artistic and historic souls should consider such attractions like the Durham Western Heritage Museum, an Art Deco landmark tracing Omaha's history; the Joslyn Art Museum with collections of 19th- and 20th-century art from Europe and America and the Strategic Air & Space Museum with more than 40 military aircraft, missiles, and spacecraft on display.

A very special place you won’t be able to see elsewhere is the Boys Town (called this way because at first only boys were allowed), a village where at-risk boys and girls between 9 and 18 stay for about one or 2 years with on-campus families. They go to school here and then do a bit of work.

A perfect destination for families and not only, Omaha has many unique places to show the visitors that will definitely feel more that content for choosing this destination.

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• Henry Doorly Zoo
  travel tip by MadSuh posted more then 30 days ago
  A beautiful, entertaining zoo which is quite popular among the locals of Long Beach, the Henry Doorly Zoo deserves its praises. They have quite a wide variety of animals, a petting and feeding area which is the favorite part of the zoo...
• Heartland of America Park
  travel tip by Wazling posted more then 30 days ago
  Located in downtown Omaha, the Heartland of America Park is the perfect getaway from the busy side of the city. A beautiful fountain with light shows is the centerpiece of the place and it is something worth seeing. Full of statues and...
• M's Pub
  travel tip by zangazanga posted more then 30 days ago
  Located in the historic district of Omaha, the Old Market, M&'s Pub is a unique, contemporary restaurant with quality food to serve. With a modern, yet simple style, helpful staff and delicious food M's won my heart over....

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