First on a tour of Omaha should be the Durham Western Heritage Museum, 801 S. 10th St. (tel. 402/444-5071; www.dwhm.org), an easy walk from the Old Market. Housed in a restored 1931 Union Station, this Art Deco landmark (and Smithsonian Institute affiliate) chronicles Omaha's history, displays train cars (kids love the caboose), and boasts an authentic soda fountain overlooking the elaborately decorated Main Waiting Room. It's open Tuesday 10am to 8pm, Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, and Sunday 1 to 5pm. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, and $4 for children. Just west of downtown is another Art Deco gem, the Joslyn Art Museum, 2200 Dodge St. (tel. 402/342-3300; www.joslyn.org). Although its collection is rather limited, concentrating on 19th- and 20th-century art from Europe and America, it's noted for its art of the American West, including Swiss artist Karl Bodmer's watercolors and prints documenting his journey in the 1830s across North America and up the Missouri River. Check the museum's website for information on special exhibits and on free entertainment, such as its outdoor Jazz on the Green Thursday evenings in July and August. Otherwise, consider this museum only if you have 2 hours to spare. It's open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm and Sunday noon to 4pm. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors and students, and $4 for children.
Unique to Omaha is Boys Town, on the west end of town at 137th Street and West Dodge Road (tel. 402/498-1140; www.visitboystown.org). Founded in 1917 by Irish-born immigrant Father Flanagan, Boys Town today is a well-tended, 900-acre village housing more than 500 at-risk boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 18, most of whom stay an average of 18 to 24 months (girls have been accepted since 1979 and now account for half of the residents). Stop by the visitor center to pick up a map and audio guide for a self-guided tour of the campus; in the afternoon, resident children are available as tour guides. Must-sees include Father Flanagan's 1920s home, Protestant and Catholic chapels, and the Hall of History, which describes how Father Flanagan changed the way America cares for its children and how the children live and work (all children live with on-campus families and have after-school jobs), and displays artifacts such as the Oscar Spencer Tracy won for his performance in Boys Town. Admission to Boys Town is free (donations are appreciated); it's open daily.
About 40 minutes southwest of downtown Omaha, just off I-80 at Exit 426, is the Strategic Air & Space Museum (tel. 402/827-3100; www.strategicairandspace.com), which displays more than 40 military aircraft, missiles, and spacecraft in two massive hangars, including bombers, cargo and troop transporters, jet fighters, and rescue helicopters. Standouts include an SR-71 Blackbird (the world's fastest and highest-flying plane, capable of flying from New York to London in 1 hr. and 55 min.), a B-52 (the principal air force bomber), a B-25 (similar to the one used in the Doolittle bombing raid over Tokyo), and the Apollo 9 launched in 1966. The museum is open daily 9am to 5pm. Admission costs $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, and $3 for children ages 5 to 12.
It's All Happening at the Zoo
Most zoos nowadays give animals free reign of the outdoors, and Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo, 3701 S. 10th St. (tel. 402/733-8401; www.omahazoo.com), is no exception. What sets this zoo apart is its indoor habitats, for this is truly a fantasyland of interiors, making it a great destination year-round. (Indeed, Reader's Digest named it the best zoo in America in 2004.)
The zoo's Desert Dome, the world's largest geodesic dome, is a journey of discovery through changing vistas of desert plants and animals, culminating in an underground exploration of caves (lots of bats) and other nocturnal habitats, including the world's largest -- and wholly believable -- indoor swamp, filled with alligators and other creatures of the night.
The Lied Jungle houses the world's largest indoor rainforest, with footpaths leading past waterfalls, ponds, and lush vegetation that provide home to monkeys, tapirs, and other exotic animals; while the Scott Aquarium provides an up-close view of sharks through its underwater tunnel. Other highlights include the Hubbard Gorilla Valley, where the massive creatures roam free while humans are confined to indoor passageways and bubble windows; Hubbard Orangutan Forest, an outdoor habitat where primates hang out in 65-foot-high concrete trees and swing on man-made vines; and a huge free-flight aviary that encompasses natural woods.
Plan on spending 5 hours here; more if you wish to include a show at the zoo's IMAX 3-D theater ($8.25 adults, $6.25 children 3-11). Ticket windows open daily 9:30am to 5pm (8:30am-6pm weekends in summer), with zoo grounds closing 1 hour later. Zoo admission is $11 adults and $6.75 children ages 5 to 11; discount zoo/IMAX tickets are available.
