Omaha!…An Urban Oasis on the Plains
It is known as one of America’s best cities and is the Cultural Capital of the Plains
Day 1 – Home to Omaha, NE
We start our tour on October 14th and arrive in Omaha and check into the Hilton Garden Inn in beautiful downtown Omaha in the Old Market area. It is a beautiful facility where we will stay for 3 nights. After checking in and getting refreshed, we head to Omaha’s premier steakhouse that has been in existence for decades. It is an old school, “old money” favorite. It has been in the Casio family since its beginning and is still owned & managed by Alphie Casio! This will be a dinner long to be remembered! After a relaxing dinner and a superb meal, we return to the hotel for a great night’s rest.
Included Meals: Dinner
Hotel: Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Omaha (3 Nights)
Day 2 – Omaha
We enjoy a complimentary hot breakfast at the hotel before boarding the coach to the Durham Museum. Travel back to the 1930’s train depot of Omaha. Explore Omaha’s past throughout the museum. It’s easy to imagine the crowds of people and the sound of the steam engines as you look over the many rail cars on the track level. Enjoy ice cream at the working soda fountain of the 1930’s. We will then head over to the historic Old Market Entertainment District featuring cobblestone streets lined with unique boutiques, art galleries, antique emporiums, sweet shops, and more than 30 locally owned restaurants. Grab a bite to eat as you enjoy lunch on your own and relish in the authentic “turn of the century” charm. Horse drawn carriages and street musicians add to the Old World appeal. In Omaha’s former warehouse district, make sure to visit Hollywood Candy with it’s large collection of retro antiques and nostalgic candy to discover hundreds of memorabilia you grew up with including thousands of choices of candy! Also enjoy shopping at Tannenbaum, where Christmas is a year round business. We’ll go back to the hotel to freshen up a bit before heading to Big Mama’s Kitchen for a taste of soul food along with Big Mama’s famous Sweet Potato Pie Ice Cream! Big Mama has become a television culinary staple featured on the Food Network, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Travel Channel’s 101 Tastiest Places to eat (ranked #56). After our memorable dinner we return to our hotel ready for a rest.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 3 – Omaha
Wake up to another great hot breakfast and then anticipate a wonderful morning at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium, ranked consistently as one of the world’s best zoos! The 130 acre zoo is home to the world’s largest indoor desert atop the world’s largest nocturnal exhibit under the world’s largest geodesic domes and beside that is North America’s largest indoor rainforest!! More than seven acres of indoor exhibits set at around 72 degrees make the zoo a true year-round attraction. Glide above the zoo on Skyfari, an open-air chairlift, or experience the power of IMAX theater. See African Grasslands, the zoo’s largest exhibit to date spanning 28 acres, and visit Alaskan Adventure. You can even request a special presentation on topics such as Endangered Species or Coral Reefs. You are on your own to explore your interests and set your own pace. At noon we jaunt over to St. Johns Greek Orthodox Church for an authentic homemade Greek meal and dance performance. Father Chris will give us a tour of this Byzantine Style church. We’ll be amazed by the décor of gold and traditional icons. The tour includes the meaning of the décor and the history of the Greek Orthodox Church. After the tour, we step downstairs where members of the congregation will join us for dinner and a Greek dance performance. Next on the agenda, be transported to Scotland with a visit to the historic 1903 Joslyn Castle. This 30 room stone mansion resembles a traditional Scottish castle. As we enter through the huge front doors, we’ll be amazed by the craftsmanship of the elaborate wood interior, which comes from all parts of the world. Hear the fascinating story of George & Sarah Joslyn and how the couple shared their extraordinary wealth with the community. Our next stop will be “out of this world!” Explore the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum, one of the nation’s premier aviation and space museums dedicated to the nation’s most prized and rarely displayed military aircraft. Walk among more than forty military airplanes and spacecraft from WWII to the Cold War and experience state-of-the-art flight simulators! Then it’s back to the hotel to get ready for dinner at the Brazen Head Irish Pub. Experience a Taste of Ireland. Feast on a Boxty, a traditional Irish dish. The minute you walk into the Brazen Head, you will feel its Irish roots as the interior has been imported from a pub in Ireland. You’ll return to the hotel feeling like you’ve had a true Irish experience.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4 – Omaha to Home
We depart for home after a hearty breakfast with a lunch stop on the way back. We’ll fondly recall “The Wonder of it All!”
Included Meals: Breakfast
Due to everpresent changes that are out of R&J Tours control, please note the exact itinerary is subject to change.
Motorcoach Per Person Pricing Information
Motorcoach Travel Protection Per Person
Travel Bucks
Deposit Due
Passport Needed
Tour Pace
Price Includes
7 Meals, Hotels & Activities as stated in brochure, Luxury Motorcoach
Tour Map
Tour Highlights
Cultural Capital of the Great Plains
Joslyn Castle & Art Museum
Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium including the World Largest Indoor Rainforest & the World’s Largest Indoor Desert
Durham Museum
Art Deco Train Station
Omaha’s Old Market
Fairmont Hollywood Mercantile
Nostalgic Candy Store
Omaha Ethnic Neighborhoods
Casio’s Steakhouse
Big Mama’s Kitchen
St. John’s Greek Orthodox Church & Meal
Strategic Air & Space Museum
Omaha Food Scene
Brazen Head Irish Pub