Omaha Travel Guide — Best Time, Things to Do & Where to Stay

Why Omaha

Omaha is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and serves as the county seat of Douglas County. Situated in the Midwestern region along the banks of the Missouri River, roughly 10 miles north of where the Platte River enters, the city anchors a broader metropolitan area that extends across the state border into Iowa. Historically nicknamed the "Gateway to the West," Omaha sits at a central position within the United States that helped establish its role as a major regional transit and commercial hub.

Long before European-American settlement, the region was inhabited by several Native American nations, including the Omaha tribe, whose name translates to "Upstream People." The city was formally founded in 1854 at a river crossing called the Lone Tree Ferry following an land cession treaty and the passage of the Kansas–Nebraska Act. In its early years, Omaha served as a crucial stopping point for pioneers heading westward. The arrival of the First Transcontinental Railroad in the 1860s, followed by the establishment of major stockyards, meatpacking plants, brewing operations, and wholesaling districts, drove rapid industrial growth. The city showcased its agricultural and economic progress to the world by hosting the Trans-Mississippi Exposition in 1898.

Modern Omaha features a diversified corporate landscape, hosting the headquarters of major national firms in finance, insurance, construction, engineering, and logistics. For travelers, the city offers prominent cultural institutions such as the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, the Durham Museum, and Lauritzen Gardens. The historic Old Market neighborhood provides a preserved district for shopping and dining, while downtown public sculpture parks—including Pioneer Courage, Spirit of Nebraska's Wilderness, and The Transcontinental Railroad—commemorate the area's frontier history. Sports fans visit annually for the College World Series.

Additional historical points of interest include a museum located at the birthplace of former U.S. President Gerald R. Ford and pioneer-era burial grounds at Prospect Hill Cemetery. Nearby, the Desoto National Wildlife Refuge exhibits a vast collection of artifacts recovered from the steamboat Bertrand, which sank north of the city in 1865. Omaha is also recognized as the origin of numerous widely known items and concepts, including the Reuben sandwich, TV dinners, Raisin Bran, center-pivot irrigation, the Top 40 radio format, and the nation's first ski lift.