Usually, the big attraction in Omaha is the Zoo. We decided to skip the zoo and see the rest of the town. I think I've only been to Omaha one other time, and that was to shop at Nebraska Furniture Mart, so I was surprised that the town had so much going for it. We had a great time.
Top Photos:
*The pedestrian bridge that takes you across the state line and the Missouri river into Council Bluffs, Iowa, where Mom & Dad eloped many years ago. This was also a Lewis and Clark Landing site.
*Coming from a family history of blacksmiths, I had to take the photo of the blacksmith from some statues down by the river--a tribute to the working man.
Second Line of Photos:
*The art museum--including a fountain, the atrium and children areas (They actually have a really nice outside exhibit, too.)
Third line:
*Memorial Park with boat rides on the little lake, fountains, and a beautiful walking path
*The biggest ball of stamps in the world in Boys Town
*Jones Brothers Cupcakes (winners of the Cupcake Challenge on the Foods Channel)- I will vouch for their sweet and salty cupcake--yum!
Bottom Photos:
*President Gerald Ford's Birthplace and gardens
*Something they call Mt. Vernon--based on George Washington's Mt. Vernon gardens (The one thing I probably could have skipped.)
Their Old Market area is full of shops and restaurants and is also incredibly crowded on a Friday night. I have to put in a plug for Ted and Wally's Homemade Ice Cream shop. Delicious!
What I really liked were all the biking and walking trails. They have spent a lot of time and money making their town bike friendly.
Boys Town will probably be the part of the trip that I remember the most. They have a wonderful museum, Father Flanagan's house to tour, and several religious chapels. Father Flanagan is buried in the Catholic Chapel. I especially like the fact that Boys Town is still functioning today. Around 400 students (now both boys and girls) live in 60+ "Family" homes with a trained Mom and Dad who oversee them. They also have an outreach program open to any parents or kids who are struggling and needing help or advice. It is manned 24 hours a day by phone. The work that Father Flanagan began early in the last century is still going and still needed. Their motto: Saving Children. Healing Families.
Now, I'm hoping we can squeeze in one more short trip before I head back to school. My schedule is wide open. The Mr.'s isn't. We shall see.
2 comments:
Sounds and looks like a wonderful town. It's good to hear that about Boys Town.
My fav. photo was the one of the big pencils,etc.!
We are going to Asheville and Winston-Salem, NC in August. This will be our first vacation in 5 years---whoopee!
I'm looking for another book to teach in place of To Kill a Mockingbird for my freshmen. Any suggestions? They do The Hunger Games in 8th grade.
I may replace TKMB with Romeo and Juliet for the advanced class, but I still need a fairly easy read for the general classes.
We did many of those things when Jill & Eric lived in Omaha (plus the zoo more than once). I would have recommended the Holy Family Shrine just west of Omaha, but you hit several of our favorites. We also went to Jones Bros., since I'm a Food Network junkie. Looks like you had fun!
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