Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha is Nebraska's most populous city, with 390,000 residents. There are
800,000 people in the metropolitan area, so the city has many attractions that
you would expect to find in a large city. Among these is a first-class zoo, the
Henry Doorly Zoo. Highlights of the facility include the Lied Jungle, Scott
Aquarium, Wild Kingdom Pavilion, and the Lozier IMAX Theater.

Across the interstate from the zoo on Bancroft Street is Lauritzen Gardens. This
100-acre botanical garden is open every day except New Year’s, Christmas, and
Thanksgiving from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Next door to the zoo is Rosenblatt Stadium, the annual site of the College World
Series and home of the Class AAA Omaha Royals. Bob Gibson Boulevard runs
alongside the stadium, named for the most famous baseball player to come out
of Omaha. Gibson avoided the pitfalls that come with growing up in an
impoverished inner-city neighborhood and went on to a Hall of Fame career as
a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals.

The stadium and zoo are along Interstate 80, south of downtown. Taking S. 13th
St. south from the stadium brings the visitor to a couple of parks on hills
overlooking the MIssouri. The first is Mount Vernon Gardens, a popular site for
weddings. The trees, shrubs, and flowers in the gardens are all varieties that
can be found at the more famous Mount Vernon, George Washington's Virginia
estate. Also here is a stone slab bearing a plaque that serves as a memorial to
the journey up the Missouri River by Maximilian, Prince of Wied, in 1833.
Maximilian was a Prussian army officer and naturalist. He was accompanied on
his journey by the Swiss painter, Karl Bodmer.

Some of Bodmer's paintings can be viewed at the Joslyn Art Museum in
downtown Omaha. The museum's impressive collection includes works from
Monet, Degas, El Greco, Grant Wood, and Jackson Pollack.

The downtown area is also home of the Old Market district. With its streetside
cafes, this charming enclave reminds many visitors of the French Quarter of
New Orleans. The Old Market is located between 10th and 14th streets, from
Farnam Street south to Leavenworth Street.

On the opposite end of the city, at 137th and Dodge, is Boys Town. This is the
orphanage founded by Father Flanagan in 1917 and made famous in the 1938
film, “Boys Town,” starring Spencer Tracy. The Oscar he won for the movie is
actually on display here. Boys Town is a National Historic Landmark.

In the north part of the city, at 3215 State Center, is the Mormon Trail Center At
Historic Winter Quarters. This is the area where more than 3,000 Mormons
spent the winter of 1846-47 before departing to Utah. Across the street is the
Mormon Pioneer Cemetery.

Located in Omaha’s former Union Station at 801 South 10th Street is the
Durham Western Heritage Museum. This impressive art-deco building, erected
in 1931, has been renovated to house artifacts of Omaha history. Many of the
exhibits are “hands on,” designed to interest visitors of all ages.

Former president Gerald Ford was born at the intersection of 32nd Street and
Woolworth Avenue in 1913. There are now gardens and a conservation center at
the site.

The controversial civil rights leader Malcolm X was born at 3448 Pinkney Street
in 1925. The State of Nebraska has placed an historical marker at this 12-acre
site, still under development.

Somewhere in between Lewis and Clark’s keelboat and the Delta Queen in
terms of passenger amenities, the River City Star offers passenger excursions
on the Missouri River from its base of operations at 151 Freedom Park Road.

Near the River City Star on Gallup Drive, a mile north of downtown Omaha, is the
Freedom Park Navy Museum. This is home to the minesweeper USS Hazard
and the submarine USS Marlin.

The Omaha Children’s Museum is a hands-on arts and science center located
downtown at 500 S. 20th St.

A boardwalk and restaurant are among the highlights of Lewis and Clark
Landing at 515 N. Riverfront Dr., where Lewis and Clark set foot on the
Nebraska side of the Missouri River in 1804.

There are also some Lewis and Clark exhibits at Heartland of America Park, as
well as a fountain with a jet that shoots water 300 feet into the air. A pedestrian
bridge connects the park, located at 8th and Douglas streets downtown, to the
Lewis and Clark Landing.