Entertainment and Leisure Activities
The name "Omaha" comes from the Indian tribe of the same name and means "Above All Others on a Stream."
OMAHA -- Quick Glance Brochure and Map (PDF)
Recommended
Reading
"What's Doing in Omaha," New York Times, May 16, 1999. (An introduction to the history and sights of the Omaha area.)
Omaha
Attractions and Entertainment Information
- In addition to the many museums, Omaha is home to Eugene T. Mahoney State Park (http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/parks/etm/etm1.html) overlooking the picturesque valley of the Platte River. The park offers activities to suit anyone's recreation agenda including horseback riding, swimming, sliding, ice skating, ice fishing, tobogganing, indoor playground and computer games, simulated golf, rock climbing, firearm and archery hunting and other sports. Visit their web site for information and pictures on the Ice-Skating Pavilion and the Fred H. Hawkins Toboggan Run.
On the northern edge of Omaha this is a nature preserve of 554 acres of deep forests, hilltop prairies and riverside woodlands along the Missouri River. There are excellent opportunities to view birds and wildlife and natural vegetation, featuring bird feeding stations and a seasonal butterfly garden. Scheduled nature programs are offered for all ages, featuring stargazing and other astronomy programs at the Millard Observatory. Nine miles of rugged trails lead through the hills and along the river. The visitor center offers exhibits, live animal displays, gift shop and visitor services. Open year-round.
Omaha's performing arts include a professional opera and symphony (http://www.omahasymphony.org), a large theater community, as well as a number of traveling performances throughout the year. The Omaha Theater Company for Young People (http://www.otcyp.org) was established in 1949 and is one of the five largest children’s theaters in the nation. It reaches over 200,000 people each year with its programs (approximately 32% of the Omaha metro area). It recently moved into the Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center, a 1927 vaudeville theater in downtown Omaha that completed a 10.3 million dollar renovation in 1995. Opera Omaha (http://www.operaomaha.org/) is an internationally recognized professional company that presents full-scale productions each season. There are over 15 active theater companies in the area (http://www.theatreartsguild.com). The Omaha Community Playhouse (http://www.omahaplayhouse.com) is the largest community theater in the nation.
The Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts is a non-profit artists' residency program dedicated to: providing artists with the opportunity to create work in a nurturing environment; to develop and promote a meaningful dialog about the contemporary arts with a local, national and international audience; to facilitate meaningful exchanges between artists and the general public through educational opportunities; providing artists the opportunity to exhibit work in a professional gallery setting.
In 1925, the Orpheum theater was given an extravagant architectural design in a 2 million dollar rebuilding project. When it was reopened, it was billed as a 'golden palace', a triumph of beauty, elegance and majesty. The theatre features Italian marble, mirrored walls and crystal chandeliers, home to the performing arts-symphony, opera, concert headliners and national touring companies. The theaters stage saw the artistry of W. C. Fields, Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor, Ted Lewis, Red Skelton, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and many others who ranked among the greatest entertainers in the history of show business. The Orpheum Theater hosts performances by the Omaha Ballet Company the Omaha Opera Company and the Omaha Symphony.
The Omaha Symphony performs more than 200 concerts from Sept. to May each season, including three main series: classical MasterWorks performances, intimate Chamber orchestra concerts, and star-studded SuperPops shows. Regarded as one of the finest regional orchestras in the nation, the symphony serves over 300,000 patrons annually, including more than 40,000 school-age children.
Nebraska's resident professional dance company. It has the gifted professionals from North America, South America and Europe. They're in the residence for full season, so they can be part of the community and mold a distinctive style. Diverse, exciting programs are presented on the stage, from old favorites to new works created especially for the company by nationally prominent choreographers.
One of the oldest and largest theaters for young audiences in the country, it is located in a beautifully restored 1927 vaudeville palace that houses two theaters, and a company of professional actors and dancers.
The largest community theatre in the nation offers 11 exciting productions of plays and musicals in two state-of-the-art theatres. Elegantly catered meals are available.
The proposed venue for ICIS 2005--the new Omaha Convention Center & Arena--will house a 17,000-seat arena that will be used by UNO’s CCHA hockey team (http://gomavs.unomaha.edu), Omaha’s USHL hockey team (Omaha Lancers; http://www.lancers.com) and Creighton University Jayhawks basketball team. Arrangements will be made so that conference delegates can purchase tickets for any games during the time frame of the meeting.
The Joslyn Art Museum houses an extensive collection of art, including a special collection of western art, has numerous traveling exhibits and serves as a cultural center for recitals, concerts and lectures. Joslyn Art Museum has served as a premier center for the visual arts since it opened in 1931. Nebraska's only fine arts museum with an encyclopedic permanent collection, Joslyn features works from antiquity to the present with a special emphasis on 19th- and 20th-century art from Europe and America. Designed as a cultural center for the community, the museum was built as a gift to Omaha from Sarah Joslyn in memory of her husband George, a prominent Omaha businessman and community leader. The building remains a monument to their commitment to the arts.
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge is part of a network of refuges devoted to preserving and restoring increasingly scarce habitat for migratory waterfowl and other wildlife. The refuge is comprised of 7,823 acres in Iowa and Nebraska and lies in the Missouri River Valley floodplain on a former meander of the Missouri River.
Each year, especially during the fall, spectacular flights of ducks and geese mark the changing seasons along this traditional waterfowl flyway. An interesting assortment of warblers, raptors, shorebirds, and other bird life can be observed also.
Nightlife
and Restaurants
You want it, Omaha's got it. Ethnic heritage paired with the Midwestern culture makes Omaha home to a melting pot of restaurants -- Korean, East Indian, Japanese, Greek, Creole, Mexican, Mediterranean, Chinese, Cajun, and not to forget Omaha's many great steak houses.
Copyright 2002-2005 - This site is hosted and maintained by the University of Nebraska at Omaha. All rights reserved.