The Real Reason We Went to Omaha--Disney!

Disney!?!  In Omaha?  Yep, Disney was in Omaha a year ago August.  You see, Disney was promoting their new movie—A Christmas Carol—with a train tour.  The train made many stops across the US to arrive in New York City just in time for the movie’s premiere.  The nearest stop that was convenient for us to get a peek, was in Omaha.  So, we made a week-end of it.

The Christmas Carol Train Tour was held at the Durham Museum on 10^th Street, just south of Old Market and across the train tracks from the Amtrak Station.  The Durham is a site to visit all on its own, but having the train tour made everything more fun.

The tour was free to guests.  The lines got very long, so we were glad we arrived before the tour officially began.  The train had been refurbished to show off aspects of the movie. 

After you exited the train, there was a showing of a movie clip in 3-D. 

There were carolers performing season carols dressed in the traditional garb in August!

Like I said, the Durham is a destination on its own with traveling displays and a permanent collection of train memorabilia.  Here’s the family in club cars and sleeper cars.

There’s a historical component to the Durham, too.  You can spend a day in the displays at the Durham.  There’s also an old fashioned soda fountain, so we stopped off for some refreshments.  If you check out the Omaha Visitor’s web-site there are printable discount coupons for the soda fountain at the Durham.

Click here to read about our trip to Lauritzen Gardens and Kenefick Park in Omaha.

Lauritzen Gardens and Kenefick Park in Omaha

Lauritzen Garden’s motto, escape to an urban oasis, is certainly true.  Located in the heart of southern Omaha, just east of

S. 10th street

and north of I-80, this 100 acre site on the bluffs of the Missouri River is a site to behold.  Four season plant displays make this botanical garden a place to visit year round.  Admission and hours vary by season.  Check out their website for more information:  http://www.omahabotanicalgardens.org/.

 We took a trip to Lauritzen Gardens and its neighbor, Kenefick Park last September.  The theme for our visit was trains.  Kenefick Park is located on the southwest edge of Lauritzen Gardens and shares parking and hours.  Admission to Kenefick Park is free.  Two Union Pacific locomotives are on display at Kenefick Park and the park is named after former CEO of Union Pacific Railroad, John Kenefick. 

 If you take the $3 per person narrated tram tour offered at Lauritzen Gardens, you get to hear the story of Kenefick Park including how these giant locomotives made their way to the top of this hill without train tracks.  You also get a ride up the hill!  The plants, gardens, and displays at Kenefick Park are maintained by the Lauritzen Gardens staff.

Speaking of trains, the highlight of our visit to Lauritzen Gardens was the train garden.  G-gauge trains run on multi-level track throughout the garden which features replicas of the architectural wonders of the world.  There’s truly something for everyone here!

The area is hilly so we were glad we took the tram to see all of the sites.  If you are walking or riding, grab a map at the visitor’s center.  The visitor’s center has bathrooms, a shop, a restaurant, and plant and water displays.  This is where you pay admission to the gardens.

Other gardens include a children’s garden featuring plants that begin with every letter of the alphabet.  Shade gardens, a memory garden, a Japanese garden, native plants gardens, etc.

 If we lived closer to Omaha, we would be members of Lauritzen Gardens. This jewel on the bluffs has much to offer visitors of all ages. We were there on a Sunday morning and saw people, obviously members, using the walkways to take in their morning walk. Classes and other seasonal experiences are also offered.




OK, stuff you gotta know: 10th Street is a main thoroughfare in Omaha, running north and south. On the south end of 10th Street is Henry Doorly Zoo--click here to read about our trip to the zoo (you can actually see the zoo from Kenefick Park) and Rosenblatt Stadium. Further north on 10th Street, just across I-80, is the turn off (Bancroft St.) to Lauritzen Gardens and Kenefick Park. Further north, is the Durham Museum which is within eye-sight of the Amtrak Station. Two more blocks north on 10th Street and you are on the east edge of Old Market, a shopping, dining, and entertainment district. At this point, the ConAgra Heartland of America Park—which features gondola rides, a walking path, waterfalls, etc.-- is just to your East and further north on 10th Street is the Quest Center Omaha. There are many hotels nearby the zoo and an Embassy Suits on 10th Street near Old Market—this is where we stayed.



The next time you’re in Omaha, be sure to check out Lauritzen Gardens and Kenefick Park.

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo is ranked in the top 10 zoos in the nation. Combine that with an IMAX theater and you have a destination.

The zoo is located just off Interstate 80 in Omaha on South 10th Street. You can’t miss seeing the dome or the baseball stadium just across the street. The zoo is open year round from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm except for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The zoo participates in reciprocity with other zoo memberships for a discounted admission price. The regular gate admission is between $7.00 and $12.00 per person.

While you can do the zoo in one day, which is what we did, we do recommend more than one day, especially during the summer. We visited in November and some of the outdoor exhibits were closed, making us able to tour in one day. Many of the exhibits are inside like the Rainforest, Desert Dome, and Aquarium. Some exhibits are indoor and outdoor such as the giant cats, giraffes, and gorillas. The zoo is also hilly and in the summer, a train runs from one portion of the zoo to another.

On site dining is available at multiple locations. We ate just outside the aquarium building. There are souvenir meals available with commemorative cups. You can also find gift shops. Check your ticket for any discounts or ask about educator or AAA discounts that may be available.

If you want to take advantage of the IMAX theater, you can combine the price of the show with your admission or add a ticket on later. Show times are posted just outside the theater or on the zoo web-site. Typically multiple films are showing each day, just at varied times.

Some of our favorites included the Rainforest which is multi leveled, just like the rainforest. The husband’s favorite was the Prevost’s Squirrel. See if you can find it!

The bears were another favorite. An outside exhibit shows black bears, brown bears, and polar bears. What majestic animals.

The gorillas are amazing. I was disappointed that I didn’t get a better picture, but here is a gorilla foot. Is it time for a pedicure? The camera I was using at the time didn’t have the “glass” function, so most of the photos just have the reflection of the glass. This is also an indoor/outdoor exhibit. We could have just sat and watched these marvelous creatures for hours.

The last stop we made on our tour was the Desert Dome. You start on the top level, which represents the desert and hosts many desert animals. When you see the water fall, keep an eye on the water as it flows throughout the dome. As you wind down to the next level, nocturnal animals are featured. And, just when you think you are done, there’s another level at the bottom. A swamp! A swamp at night! The muskrats were cool to watch given the special light that allows you to see them even in the dark.

Many local hotels offer zoo and stay combination discounts. Check the Omaha Convention and Visitor’s Bureau web-site for special or to request a booklet. The zoo web-site may also have hotel specials.
There’s lots to see and do at the zoo. Enjoy your visit!

More TRAINS!

A friend called to remind us of the train show at our local mall yesterday, knowing that the boy was passionate about trains. After spending most of the day looking at/watching trains, it got me thinking of all of our train experiences and how we, as a family, have fed the obsession . . . oh, I mean passion.
Here's more information for train enthusiasts:

Nebraska:
Omaha's Lauritzen Gardens Who knew a botanical garden would be a spot for train lovers? Discovering this oasis led us to the marvelous and expansive G-gauge train garden. The trains run in and out of tunnels and across bridges--as show in the photo above. The theme of the garden is the architectural wonders of the world which includes scale size models. Lauritzen Gardens also has many other, non-train, displays both inside and outside. You can walk or take the every half hour tram. The children's garden includes plants from A-Z.

A part of Lauritzen Gardens' tram tour takes you to the top of the hill on the other side of the parking lot to Kenefick Park home of Union Pacific's Big Boy and a Union Pacific diesel locomotive. It is interesting how they multi-ton engines were placed at the top of the hill. . . what a story! Both Lauritzen Gardens and Kenefick Park are near Omaha's world famous Henry Doorly Zoo.

Also in Omaha is the Durham Museum. We first went the the Durham for Disney Christmas Carol Train Tour. We discovered that the Durham has many offerings including a model train layout, and life-sized preserved sleeper and lounge cars. The Durham has traveling exhibits and is walking distance to Omaha's Old Market District filled with shops and restaurants. The Durham is also near the Heartland of America Park which offers gondola rides across the lake.

Missouri:
Kansas City's Union Station offers much for train lovers. Year round toy train layouts can be found, but the largest layout is on view from Thanksgiving to New Year's in the main hall. One of the offerings at Union Station is the K.C. Rail Experience, a self guided tour including life size replicas.

Another draw to Union Station is Science City, a 3-story children's exploration experience. Science City has plenty to offer train lovers with the enclosed train layout with buttons to activate various pieces on the layout. The train layout sometimes has a camera feed on display with the camera mounted on one of the engines. On the top floor of Science City is the train over look with binoculars to view the trains going by and paper/crayons to take advantage of the various train rubbings.

Science City also offers a glass elevator, water table, animals, miniature golf with wind twist, a dinosaur dig site and much more!

Union Station also Extreme Screen movies--their version of IMAX--, a planetarium, and other traveling exhibits.

Connecting Union Station via sky walk is Kansas City's Crown Center shopping and entertainment district. In addition to an upscale model train store, Crown Center boasts Fritz's Railroad Restaurant. At Fritz's you order your food via the telephone at your booth and your food is then delivered to your table via overhead train. It is fun to guess which table the food is going to when the train leaves the kitchen. Shakes and burgers are the main items on the menu at Fritz's. I prefer the Jody burger on the menu. From Thanksgiving to New Year's there is large Gingerbread toy train layout on the 2nd level of Crown Center.

Next post. . . trains in Texas, Illinois, and Florida.