Omaha Tourism: Downtown and Museums

Although Omaha is considered the most easterly city of Nebraska, it is a very prosperous place. It may not be as famous as Los Angeles, Seattle or New York but it has several prides of its own. In fact, its sedate atmosphere and predominantly suburban feel have their own advantages, too. Despite these, the city is far from boring. It has a very lively entertainment district that people can visit to have some fun. It also harbors several museums and a world-class zoo that will surely take your breath away.

Downtown Omaha is the place to be if you are after a good round of beer drinking or a healthy conversation over coffee. Along the cobbled streets of the famous Old Market, you'll find several good bars and cafes. You can also find interesting specialist shops including the Antiquarian Bookstore. Just across the street is the Heartland Park of America. This park holds an enormous, water-blasting fountain. The place is ideal for family or romantic picnics.

Omaha is home to some of the most impressive museums in the United States. One of these is the Durham Western Heritage Museum. If you're a train buff, you'll surely adore this place more than any other museum you have visited before. This museum used to be the Union Pacific Railroad station. You'll find old train cars and giant model train sets featured alongside an Omaha history gallery.

If you want an out-of-this-world adventure, you have to visit the Strategic Air and Space Museum. This place is set up inside two huge hangars which contain giant war planes built and designed by the Martin Bomber Company of Omaha in the 1950 and the 1960s. You'll surely enjoy their photos, films and exhibits about World War II and the Cold War.

Other museums that will surely astonish you are the Joslyn Art Museum and the Great Plains Black Museum. Joslyn contains a wide selection of twentieth-century American paintings and early Indian art. The Great Plains Black Museum, on the other hand, features the history of African-American people living on the prairies.