Due to its worldwide acknowledgement and esteem, The River City has become an all-inclusive holiday destination. A cluster of things to do and see are contributing remarkably towards its ever-growing popularity around the globe. You may find its nature, streets, buildings, and every nook and cranny quite scenic and photogenic, but its only a diverse set of travelers that make the place full-of-life and eventful year round. Its always an easy job to decide on your favorite pastime in the city, but at the same time, it becomes tedious to block your mind for that one ideal spot to enjoy your beloved activity to the most. Here is an information-rich guide for you to follow and decide wisely where to go first during your visit to the city, when to plan your visit to the city, and how to plan it in order to make most out of your stay here.
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History of Omaha
The Omaha city was founded on July 4, 1854. The city faced an unfortunate event in the Panic of 1857 due to the competition among small cities and towns who fought with one another for drawing business from the farmers hailing from hinterland. Nevertheless, the city evolved as Nebraska's largest city. During the time between the 1930s and 40s, the city achieved the status of a meatpacking powerhouse. With the passage of time, various beer breweries developed in the city. Post World War II, the city witnessed a protest by blacks and the outbreak of the Civil Rights Movement. The period from 1950s through the 1970s witnessed suburbanization and the expansion of highways leading to development of middle and upper class areas in the city. Today's Omaha city has become world-famed for being a headquarter of various leading business magnets and other wonders with Fortune 500 being one of them.
Important Locations in Omaha
Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium
Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is a proud member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. North America's largest cat complex; world's largest nocturnal exhibit, "Kingdoms of the Night"; world's largest indoor desert, "Desert Dome"; and world's largest indoor rainforest, "The Lied Jungle" are amongst the assets of the zoo receiving over 25 million visitors year-round.
Click here to know more about the zoo.
Sokol Auditorium
The Sokol Auditorium is revered as a historical symbol of Omaha which hosts gymnastics and modern musical shows and performances. It can accommodate up to 1,500 people. You can also enjoy the ear-pleasing hip hop and rock shows hosted by various concert promoters at the Sokol Underground situated below the Sokol Auditorium.
Visit here to get detailed information about the auditorium.
The Joslyn Art Museum
The stones of this premium fine arts museum in Nebraska were laid in 1931 by Sarah H. Joslyn in the loving memory of her husband George A. Joslyn. This astonishing ArtDeco building is dedicated to exhibiting the splendid collection of Greek pottery; unprecedented nineteenth-century French paintings by William Adolphe Bouguereau, Jules Breton's and Jean-Leon Gerome; Renaissance and Baroque masterworks by Jacob Van Ruisdael, Titian, El Greco, Veronese, and Claude Lorrain; and Impressionist masterpieces created by Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, and Claude Monet.
To get more details about US and European art and the museum itself, click here.
Malcolm X House Site
The Malcolm X House Site located at 3448 Pinkney Street in North Omaha, Nebraska, marks the place where the famous Civil Rights Leader, Malcolm X first lived with his family. To rope in people to be a part of positive social action and to educate them, the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation organizes public programs and events based on the teachings of Malcolm X.
Click here to fetch information about this Nebraska's heritage site.
Freedom Park
Those, who possess a great love for aircrafts, can spend hours at Freedom Park amidst the display of military aircraft and artillery pieces. 'World War II minesweeper USS Hazard (AM-240)', 'A-4 Skyhawk', 'A-7 Corsair II', 'HH-52A Seaguard', and 'Cold War-era training submarine USS Marlin (SST-2)' are its major highlights that promise you an unforgettable visit to the place.
Address: 2497 Freedom Park Road, Omaha, NE 68110, United States
Phone: 1 402.444.5955
Werner Park
Famed as a minor league ballpark, Werner Park is owned by Sarpy County. At max, 9,023 people can congregate this rambling park. In order to organize a spectacular event, the park allow you to rent the facility and its standing room areas. Its state of the art audio and visual equipment, on-site parking facility, and concession areas are hard to match.
Want to know more about it, click here.
Creighton Orpheum Theater
Nestled in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, Orpheum Theater is notable for hosting events based on local as well as national performing arts. This prominent theater also boasts parking lot adjacent to the theater, restrooms, backstage accommodations to facilitate technicians and performers, dressing rooms, and access to hearing devices for checkout in its lobby area.
Visit here to dig out more about the theatre.
Joslyn Castle
A great way to dig into the Omaha's cultural aspects is to take a tour to superlative Joslyn Castle. Contributing towards magnifying the beauty of Omaha, Joslyn Castle is a sprawling mansion that was once home of George and Sarah Joslyn. '1972' is the historic year when the castle was listed amongst the National Register of Historic Places.
Visit the link to know the facility really well.
Hummel Park
Hummel Park, a 202 acres park, is named after Joseph B. Hummel who was the superintendent of Omaha's Parks and Recreation Department. Garbed in riparian forest, Hummel Park is a place to experience hiking trails. Overlooking Missouri River, it also features playgrounds, horseshoe pits, picnic shelters, and a disc golf. The notable Hummel Park Nature Center conducts environmental education programs and many special nature events.
Click here to explore more about the park.
Heartland of America Park
Heartland of America Park is famed as the agreeable spot to plan and execute your wedding ceremonies. But, the list of events doesn't end here. You can also witness some of the greatest concerts taking place at the facility. The park can efficiently make you pop in here and enjoy the scenic beauty of its waterfalls and fountain.
To get deep insights of the park, click here.
People and Culture of Omaha
Native Americans became the first settlers in Omaha city who lived there for centuries until Europeans marked their presence in the city. With the inception of 20th century, the city witnessed the invasion of African Americans, Asians, Czechs, Danes, Germans, Greeks, Irish, Italians, Jews, Mexicans, Poles, Russians, and Swedes. The racial makeup of today's Omaha is a pick and mix of Whites, Black or African Americans, American Indians and Alaska Native, Asian Indians, Chinese, Filipinos, Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, Guamanians, Samoans, Hispanics, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans.
The culture of Omaha leans heavily on music, college sports, community theater and local cuisines. Omaha's long and popular history speaks volume about the evolution and development of culture with the passage of time. A far as music scene of the city is concerned, the nationally-famed "Omaha Sound" always finds a mention. Since 1950, Omaha city has been organizing the baseball College World Series. The diversity of the city is evident from its extensive chain of museums, performing arts centers, venues for live music performances, restaurants and eateries serving local, national and international cuisines and drinks, arenas and auditoriums for sports and other national games, year-round celebration of festivals and significant events, plethora of newspapers, magazines and journals representing various groups and their languages, and endless number of ethnic and racial groups.
Time Zone of Omaha
Omaha is in the Central Time Zone (UTC-6). The Summer Daylight Time of Omaha is Central Daylight Time (UTC-5).
Standard Time Zone: UTC/GMT -6 hours
Daylight saving time: 1 hour
Current time zone offset: UTC/GMT -5 hour
Time zone abbreviation: CDT
Phone Codes of Omaha: 402, 531
Best Time to Visit Omaha
Omaha boasts its humid continental climate with scorching summers, chilly winters and no dry season at all. The period between September 5 and October 9 is considered the most agreeable and comfortable to visit Omaha. Around September 16, there is a possibility of precipitation occurrence which can be in the form of either thunderstorm, or light rain or moderate rain or drizzle. Hence, it can be a joy to visit the city during September if you love to get sodden into rain. October 24 has been recorded as the day with least precipitation occurrence. In conjunction with pleasant weather, the city gets jam-packed with cheerful people engaged into celebrating multicolored festivals and events.
March-May
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December-February
A Map Guide on Important Locations in Omaha