If you follow me on Twitter, you know that last weekend our family got away and spent a couple of days in Omaha, Nebraska, during Spring Break.
While the weather did not cooperate with us, the town, the attractions, and the activities certainly did…we came home with two tired kids who both said…
“That was the best weekend ever!”
So what did we do?
Here is the run down.
Omaha Weekend Agenda
The Drive
We left around 3:00 pm on Friday afternoon. Omaha is a short drive up I-29 from Kansas City. It should take between 2 1/2 to 3 hours (depending on how fast you drive and the number of stops). We were able to check in to our hotel by 6:00 pm.
The Hotel
We stayed at the Holiday Inn – Downtown near the new Ameritrade Baseball Stadium (that also houses the College World Series). The hotel rooms were HUGE and included what seemed like two king beds, a coffeemaker, microwave and mini-fridge. We also received a complimentary breakfast every morning and free wi-fi was included with our stay.
In addition, this Holiday Inn had an indoor pool-waterpark that consisted of three slides, water guns, spouts, hot tub and regular size pool. My kids had a blast and played hard on Friday and Saturday night. At only $99 per night, it was a steal of a deal. (And I had the best sleep ever in their beds…it was heavenly.)
The Zoo
Even though the high was only going to be 32 degrees on Saturday, we made our way to the world-famous Henry Doorly Zoo.
Honestly, it would take two days to go through everything this zoo has to offer between their education, exhibits, and animal habitats. But since it was so cold, we stuck to the indoor activities which included the Desert Dome, Butterfly & Insect Pavilion, Lied Jungle, Kingdom of the Night, Scott Aquarium, Hubbard Gorilla Valley, Bear Canyon and the Cat Complex. And between all of that…we were at the zoo for four hours.
The highlight of the zoo experience, getting to see the new baby lion cubs which were born in December 2012. Truly, watching my kids delight in those cubs ornery behavior, was the highlight of my trip as well.
The SAC Museum
On Sunday, we drove to Ashland, Nebraska, and visited the SAC Museum. If truth be told, this attraction was all about Hubs. Inside the Strategic Air Command Museum, there are over 25 full-size planes in their two massive hangers. You can run, walk around, under, to the side and get “up-close-and-personal” with your favorite aircraft. The kids loved the Science Zone where they got to make kite’s, a homemade lava lamp, and tie-die a shirt with sharpie markers and rubbing alcohol. (Who knew? So doing that craft project this summer.)
After the SAC, we headed home, but not before a stop at our favorite Nebraska restaurant, Runza. We arrived back in Kansas City around 4:00 pm on Sunday.
So, if you are looking for a fun and easy weekend getaway, take a look at Omaha.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored conversation on behalf of VisitOmaha.com. The written remarks are entirely my own. Want more information – check out my full disclosure statement.
