Must-SeeHenry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium
Often ranked among the world's best zoos, with the world's largest indoor desert, under a glass dome, and a giant indoor jungle.
Omaha
A river city with one of the world's top zoos, the College World Series, Warren Buffett's hometown, and an Old Market of cobbled streets.
Omaha is on the Missouri River, where the Lewis and Clark trail passed and the Union Pacific began. The Henry Doorly Zoo has the world's largest indoor desert and a huge rainforest.
In June, baseball fans fill Charles Schwab Field for the College World Series, and in May investors flock to Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting.
- Best Time
- May to October
- Time Needed
- 2 days
- Cost Level
- $$$$
- Open
- Year-round
- Getting There
- Eppley Airfield is 10 minutes from downtown. It's about 3 hours from Kansas City.
The Short List
10 sights, 7 of them free. Tick off what you've seen and rise from Sailor to Captain of Omaha.
Your Omaha list0 of 10 visited
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Must-See
Must-See
Must-SeeOld Market
Cobbled streets of old brick warehouses, with galleries, horse carriages and great restaurants.
Worth a Detour
Worth a DetourJoslyn Art Museum
A pink-marble Art Deco museum with Karl Bodmer's paintings from the Missouri River expedition, free and newly expanded.
Worth a DetourBob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge
A sweeping cable-stayed footbridge over the Missouri, where you can stand in Nebraska and Iowa at once, by Lewis and Clark Landing.
Worth a DetourThe Durham Museum
A superb museum of the American West in Omaha's Art Deco Union Station, with restored rail cars and an old-fashioned soda fountain.
Worth a DetourBoys Town
Father Flanagan's famous home for at-risk children, made famous by a 1938 Spencer Tracy film, with a village and a huge ball of stamps.
Worth a DetourCollege World Series
College baseball's championship has been held in Omaha since 1950, now in a downtown stadium, with fans from all over the country.
If You're Nearby
Winter Quarters and the Mormon Trail Center
Where 13,000 Latter-day Saints spent the winter of 1846, on the way west, with a free museum and pioneer cemetery.
Gerald R. Ford Birthsite and Gardens
A small garden and a plaque at the location where President Ford was born, with a replica kitchen.
St. Cecilia Cathedral
A Spanish Renaissance cathedral, once listed among the 10 largest in the United States, with twin towers.
Neighborhoods
- Old MarketBrick streets and restaurants.
- Blackstone DistrictTrendy bars and cafés.
- BensonIndie music venues and food.
- DundeeWarren Buffett's neighborhood, with shops.
- South OmahaMexican culture and old stockyards.
Getting Around
Downtown and the Old Market are walkable. ORBT rapid buses run along Dodge Street, and it's easy to use a rideshare for the zoo. Amtrak's California Zephyr stops here late at night. A car helps for Boys Town and beyond.
Plan Your Visit
- Day 1: the Henry Doorly Zoo. Day 2: Old Market, the pedestrian bridge to Iowa, and Joslyn Art Museum.
Know Before You Go
- Hotels fill up during the Berkshire meeting and College World Series.
- Winter is cold.
Where to Stay
Stay in the Old Market.
What to Eat
- SteakOmaha Steaks are world-famous. Warren Buffett favors Gorat's; Mahogany and Drover are excellent too.
- RunzaA Nebraska fast-food staple: a bun of beef and cabbage, baked in a pillow shape.
- Reuben sandwichReportedly invented at Omaha's Blackstone Hotel in the 1920s.
- Mexican foodSouth Omaha's Little Bohemia and South 24th Street have excellent taquerias.
Where to Eat
Our picks are on the way.
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Go Next
If You're NearbyKansas City
Missouri
Barbecue, jazz in the 18th and Vine district and the National WWI Museum.
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Must-SeeMount Rushmore
South Dakota
Four presidents carved into a granite mountain in South Dakota's Black Hills, with Badlands National Park nearby.
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If You're NearbyMinneapolis
Minnesota
A city of lakes on the Mississippi, the Walker Art Center, and the Mall of America next door.
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Last checked 2026-11-01. Part of the Midwest list.