Places to go in Omaha

[RED ED]

I forgot to mention for ~fastfood burgers, Don and Millies.  3 or 4 locations I believe, great burgers.

haven't had them in years , man they were good when i was younger....the margaritas weren't bad either

[HuskerFan2002]

I forgot to mention for ~fastfood burgers, Don and Millies.  3 or 4 locations I believe, great burgers.

haven't had them in years , man they were good when i was younger....the margaritas weren't bad either

Yeah, their shakes are even better yet.

[AlbqHusker]

Heading east (from Albuquerque) this summer for vacation.  My wife and daughters want to see where I grew up in Omaha (left there in '77 at age 13).  We plan on spending a day or two there.  Other than Henry Dorley Zoo (which I have bragged about), what else is a recommended "must see?"  Daughters are 16 and 19 (and yes, they are excited to see Nebraska!).  I'm taking my sticks, so if you have a golf course recommendation, please share.  Other than than, anything else the ladies might find interesting...restaurants, shopping etc...Thanks.

[bowz]

Strategic Air Command Museum, just west of Omaha, take the guided tour if possible, the man who led our tour was retired army airforce and flew several of the planes that he spoke about.  I believe he was a WW2 vet so I'm not sure if he is still around.

Downtown O/Oldmarket, nice place in the summer, can be pricey but a good place to get a drink, eat a dinner of varying monetary expenses.  Good Italian place down there, can't remember the name.  Also Mr. Toads is a good bar if you are going to have a drink, one of my old favs.

Supposedly the midtown crossing area/ new midtown area is very nice, restaurants and a movie theater that has good food.  Never been, moved before it was done.

To be honest, Creighton has a beautiful campus, visit the church its gorgeous

Lorenzen Gardens? Supposedly very nice, I've not been.

Also the museums in town are nice, most of the stuff you will want to see will be south of dodge or just a block or two north and east of 60th that I can think about.  Shopping on the other hand will be well west on dodge and or center, I think 168th and center there is a nice new outdoor mall, don't go to the mall on 72nd and dodge, and don't go north of creighton downtown late at night.

If i think of more Ill let you know, others will opine as well.

As far as golf courses there are several nice ones there, but when you are a student you don't golf many, Johnny Goodman out on Harrison and 90th IIRC was a decent public course, also the Knolls was ok, thats much further east.  Can't remember the one in midtown, but we golfed it several times and it was enjoyable, but it is defiantly urban golf.

Edit: will someone help with the museum names, there is the Durahm and one that starts with a J.  Also the fast food joint that has the dollar beers and margaritas, that was decent fast food and kind of an original thing that I've only seen in omaha.

Also regarding food, a few good places to eat (not pricey or swank) Dinkers, California Taco, I'm a fan of Granite City out at Westroads mall (120th and Dodge or just east thereof) which also happens to be a shopping destination.  Several times I spent with my father in law there at the bar while our wives shopped away.

Sorry for the long trip down memory lane.

[Sexy Leather]

...California Taco...

I heard about California Taco from Guy Fieri on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.  Obviously I couldn't taste the food through the television but it looked fantastic.

[Solly]

The Durham Western Heritage Museum, The Joslin Art Museum, The Holland Center for the Performing Arts, The Omaha Playhouse.

While you're at the SAC Museum, Quarry Oaks Golf Course is on the same exit - take an extra box of balls.

Johnny's Italian Steakhouse at Village Pointe Shopping Center, Lazlo's Brewery and Grill, Upstream Brewing Company in Old Market, Brother Sebastian's Steakhouse, Joe Tess' Place (Sea Food), Louie M's Burger Lust, (Best-tasting, least-healthy burger in the metro), The 11-worth Cafe (you could easily eat yourself into a coma at breakfast for about $12), Guaca Maya Mexican Restaurant, Amato's (Italian).

Old Market and Midtown Crossing are both well worth the drive-to, park, and walk-around.

[SUHnami]

The Durham Western Heritage Museum, The Joslin Art Museum, The Holland Center for the Performing Arts, The Omaha Playhouse.

While you're at the SAC Museum, Quarry Oaks Golf Course is on the same exit - take an extra box of balls.

Johnny's Italian Steakhouse at Village Pointe Shopping Center, Lazlo's Brewery and Grill, Upstream Brewing Company in Old Market, Brother Sebastian's Steakhouse, Joe Tess' Place (Sea Food), Louie M's Burger Lust, (Best-tasting, least-healthy burger in the metro), The 11-worth Cafe (you could easily eat yourself into a coma at breakfast for about $12), Guaca Maya Mexican Restaurant, Amato's (Italian).

Old Market and Midtown Crossing are both well worth the drive-to, park, and walk-around.

I agree Solly with everything except Lazlo's in Omaha.  The Lazlo's in Lincoln is a must, the one in Omaha sucks.  I've been there 3 times with my family because of the good rep they have in Lincoln.  If it wasn't for the fact my family and relatives have been to the one in Lincoln and knew how good they are we would have gone to the one in Omaha more than once.  We gave them several chances.  After the 3rd time we were done.  Maybe we just caught them on bad nights.   

[Red Ghost]

If you are Christian and/or enjoy visiting Christian sites....or just want a pleasant hour or two in the Nebraska countryside....I would recommend The Holy Family Shrine in Gretna.

http://www.holyfamilyshrineproject.com/

I am not Catholic....but I have visited the site several times and have always found it to be peaceful and inspirational.  If nothing else, the architecture of the chapel building is quite nice.

The Chapel

As the visitors continue north, they experience the chapel facade. As high as forty-nine feet, arching members of wood, frame the stone entry structure below and within the chapel structure. The arching wood members inlaid in the facade articulate waves of grain, symbolic of the grain of the Eucharist, the bread of life, and the essence of the Catholic faith. As the visitors enter the chapel, so does the water, flowing through the church like the Holy Spirit. Two streams of water flank the entry and flow along the sides of the pews. The waters cut a stream in the limestone that forms the floor and foundation of the chapel. Set on top of this mass of limestone are wooden structural members that arch across the chapel like waves of grain. The twelve structural members represent the apostles.  At the front of the chapel, the image of the Holy Family is beautifully etched into a single pane of glass sixteen feet tall.

With an open view of the prairie and the Platte valley beyond, the image of the Holy Family appears like spirits in the heaven. The elevated altar area sits in front of the Holy Family image. An elevated slab of limestone at the altar area appears to float above a pool of water. This pool is collecting the flowing streams on either side of the pews as they flow through the chapel.

Sitting in the chapel, the natural gifts from God surround the visitors. The prairie grasses embrace the glass walls on all sides of the chapel. The sereneness of the gentle waving of the grain places the chapel as if in a cloud. The gifts of the sun, moon, and clouds are felt as the natural light filters through the  arching interlacing structure within the chapel. These interactions of the man made with the natural creations of God, call those present, to realize the "Divine providence" of God. It is here that the Holy Spirit stirs the supernatural sense of faith to seek the truth.

[HuskerFan2002]

Johnny's Cafe on L Street

[HuskAndPack]

While you're at the SAC Museum, Quarry Oaks Golf Course is on the same exit - take an extra box of balls.

I'll add a second for Quarry Oaks.  Scenic, fun course, one of the best in the Omaha area IMO.

[UNK_LOPERS]

Don't get shot. That's probably the number one thing you want to accomplish when you come to omaha.

[tfree32]

The Durham Western Heritage Museum, The Joslin Art Museum, The Holland Center for the Performing Arts, The Omaha Playhouse.

While you're at the SAC Museum, Quarry Oaks Golf Course is on the same exit - take an extra box of balls.

Johnny's Italian Steakhouse at Village Pointe Shopping Center, Lazlo's Brewery and Grill, Upstream Brewing Company in Old Market, Brother Sebastian's Steakhouse, Joe Tess' Place (Sea Food), Louie M's Burger Lust, (Best-tasting, least-healthy burger in the metro), The 11-worth Cafe (you could easily eat yourself into a coma at breakfast for about $12), Guaca Maya Mexican Restaurant, Amato's (Italian).

Old Market and Midtown Crossing are both well worth the drive-to, park, and walk-around.

I agree Solly with everything except Lazlo's in Omaha.  The Lazlo's in Lincoln is a must, the one in Omaha sucks.  I've been there 3 times with my family because of the good rep they have in Lincoln.  If it wasn't for the fact my family and relatives have been to the one in Lincoln and knew how good they are we would have gone to the one in Omaha more than once.  We gave them several chances.  After the 3rd time we were done.  Maybe we just caught them on bad nights.   

Agreed...both with Solly on his picks and yours on the Omaha Lazlo's. It's alright, but the food's just not as good as the one in Lincoln. And the prices are pretty ridiculous for the mediocre food they serve.

If you like Chinese food, the JC Mandarin on 168th & Center has the best I've ever had. The crab rangoon are amazing and everything on the menu is great. Hector's and the Baja Grill both have decent baja style Mexican food.

St. Cecilia's Cathedral on North 40th St. is a pretty stunning piece of architecture and worth a visit.

Agreed on Creighton's campus, the Holy Family Shrine and Cali Taco.

Many people from the area fondly remember Runza. If so, you should prepare to be disappointed. The quality of their food has gone way downhill in recent years. I'd recommend skipping it and hitting Bronco's instead.

For BBQ, I think Doc and Eddys is the best in town.

The Old Market is a great place to spend a summer evening. Ted and Wally's is a great little ice cream place that the whole family would enjoy. Conagra has fountains and does a light show and the riverfront is worth checking out. If they've rebuilt by then, the Surfside Club is a local favorite. They serve greasy fried chicken and fish and the best corn fritters on the planet. You can sit along the river and eat lunch and have a decent chance of being mooned by passing boaters.

[Bummerbry]

Don't get shot. That's probably the number one thing you want to accomplish when you come to omaha.

Lived here every day of my life and have never feared getting shot. Have no problem going into areas where these things happen, it is all about when you go. But as someone who travels to the smaller towns in Nebraska and many other midwest states, it is a common belief that those of us living in the bigger cities live in fear of being shot. I have no fears here (and this coming from a guy who has had two 2nd cousins murdered over the past 24 months. Two of my closest cousins (sisters) have each had a son murdered. One shot by someone he considered a friend. Another stabbed in the heart when he rode with a friend who was looking for his girlfriend at a party. He waited in the car, a fight broke out and someone for no reason reached through the window of the car and stabbed him. He was a youth leader in North Omaha, taught kids dance. The one shot was a first team class A football player at Omaha South who started hanging with the wrong crowd in high school and bypassed playing FB at a JUCO on scholarship.) Wrong place, wrong time for both of them. 90+% of the shootings you hear about are gang related and don't involve the majority of people living here.

[tfree32]

Don't get shot. That's probably the number one thing you want to accomplish when you come to omaha.

Lived here every day of my life and have never feared getting shot. Have no problem going into areas where these things happen, it is all about when you go. But as someone who travels to the smaller towns in Nebraska and many other midwest states, it is a common belief that those of us living in the bigger cities live in fear of being shot. I have no fears here (and this coming from a guy who has had two 2nd cousins murdered over the past 24 months. Two of my closest cousins (sisters) have each had a son murdered. One shot by someone he considered a friend. Another stabbed in the heart when he rode with a friend who was looking for his girlfriend at a party. He waited in the car, a fight broke out and someone for no reason reached through the window of the car and stabbed him. He was a youth leader in North Omaha, taught kids dance. The one shot was a first team class A football player at Omaha South who started hanging with the wrong crowd in high school and bypassed playing FB at a JUCO on scholarship.) Wrong place, wrong time for both of them. 90+% of the shootings you hear about are gang related and don't involve the majority of people living here.

Great post Bummer and sorry to hear about your relatives.

[bvhusker]

My wife and I will be staying near the Old Market area this weekend.  I know nothing about it other than what you guys have posted here.  I assume the light show and stuff doesn't run in the winter.  Is there anything that is "must see" in the wintertime?