Visit the world’s largest indoor desert, and more, through these day trips from Omaha.
Omaha, Nebraska, is a destination in and of itself, with landmarks such as the downtown and historic Old Town areas, notoriety as the birthplace of historical figures like Warren Buffett, and, of course, the Reuben sandwich. But if you’re looking for some close-to-home destinations to explore, there is plenty to do and see within driving distance of Omaha.
We’ve rounded up 14 day trip destinations—most are no more than a 30-minute drive from Omaha—to add to your list. You’ll find everything from where to see Native American petroglyphs to up-close-and-personal bison experiences to a famous zoo with the world’s largest indoor desert.
1. Mahoney State Park
Location: 28500 W. Park Highway, Ashland
Standout feature: Indoor playground and climbing wall
Whether you’re looking for indoor or outdoor fun, the Eugene T. Mahoney State Park has it all. With a full outdoor aquatic center complete with two slides, an indoor year-round playground, mini golf, disc golf, a climbing wall, a synthetic all-weather-ready skating ice rink, and all your typical state park staples like hiking trails, picnic pavilions, and fishing, there is truly something for everyone. Oh, and I didn’t even mention the pony and horse trail rides.
Located about 30 miles southwest of Omaha, Mahoney State Park even has lodging options if you’re looking to make your trip longer than a day. For instance, the Peter Keqitt Lodge has 40 guest rooms, all with modern amenities like WiFi, air conditioning, and coffee makers, and more than half offer stunning views of the Platte River and park areas. The state park also offers traditional tent and RV campsite options, as well as ridgetop cabins for rent.
2. Lee G. Simmons Wildlife Safari Park
Location: 16406 292nd St, Ashland
Standout feature: Drive-through safari and walkable Wolf Canyon
If you didn’t know that the purported number one safari park in the entire country is located in Nebraska, you are learning today. The Lee G. Simmons Wildlife Safari Park is approximately 25 miles from Omaha and offers guests a four-mile drive-through safari experience.
The North American wildlife drive-through safari brings visitors up close and personal with elk, bison, deer, and fowl, but the fun doesn’t stop in your vehicle. After your drive-through safari, you can also explore the park by hiking, walking, and strolling through other immersive exhibits, like the Dinosaur Park (don’t forget to dig for fossils!), the on-site farm that welcomes petting and feeding the animals, and, if you dare, Wolf Canyon.
3. Hitchcock Nature Center
Location: 27792 Ski Hill Loop, Honey Creek
Standout feature: Glacier-made hills
It may be located in an entirely different state, but the Hitchcock Nature Center in Iowa is only around 18 miles from Omaha. Located in the Loess Hills, the nature center provides access to one of the last prairie remnants in the state, so it’s definitely worth a (respectful) visit. The Loess Hills are one of only two remaining 200-feet-plus glacial till deposits in the entire world—the other is in Shaanxi, China.
Fortunately, because the nature center is open 365 days a year, you can visit any time or season to enjoy activities such as stargazing, snowshoeing, hiking the trails, or camping. There are 14 miles of unpaved hiking trails, 1,500 acres to explore, observation towers, and more. The Loess Hills unique slopes and protected topography also make them an ideal travel haven for birds as they migrate. Come spring or fall, you can stop into the “hawk highway” to watch from the official bird research tower and even chat with some of the active volunteers working on migratory research.
4. Indian Cave State Park
Location: 65296 720 Rd, Shubert
Standout feature: Ancient Native American petroglyphs
If you don’t mind a bit of a drive (and we promise it will be worth it), you can travel about an hour and a half south to Indian Cave State Park, where you can hike through the woods and take in the awe-inspiring sights of ancient Native American petroglyphs from an accessible trailwalk and viewing deck.
Along with the visible petroglyphs, the state park is also full of all kinds of other outdoor activities, like boating, hiking, biking, disc golf, archery, equestrian trails, fishing, and more. You’ll find 22 miles of hiking trails, 16 equestrian trail miles, and a total of over 3,000 acres. Plus, the park encompasses the Missouri River, so you’ll find breathtaking riverside views and walks as you explore. History lovers will want to plan to visit during summer or fall weekends when the restored schoolhouse and old general store feature live demonstrations and historic crafts.
5. Platte River State Park
Location: 14421 346th St., Louisville
Standout feature: Walkable waterfall
On a hot summer day, plan a trip to Platte River State Park, 30 miles from Omaha, to take advantage of the wadeable Crawdad Creek, the on-site spray park, and the accessible-sized walkable waterfall. Honestly, who among us can say they’ve walked through a waterfall?
The state park also seems to be up on the latest trends, as it offers “glamping” cabins, which are fully modernized, equipped, and decorated. But fear not, if rugged is more your style: The park also has the Outdoor Heritage Education Complex that includes plenty of firearm fun with a shooting tower, rifle range, pellet gun range, and sporting clay range. There’s even room for throwing your slingshot and tomahawk, which I, for one, never travel without.
6. Tubing and Adventures
Location: 25205 Harrison St., Waterloo
Standout feature: River tubing
For another ideal warm-weather day trip, wander over to Waterloo’s Tubing and Adventures, which, as you guessed it, offers tubing adventures all along the Elkhorn River. The company specializes in day trips for all ages and provides everything your group needs for a day of river tubing. A typical trip takes from three to six hours floating in a tube and about half that if you’re navigating via kayak, although, of course, times vary.
You can stick to just a day trip in the tube or kayak, or add even more outdoor fun with camping. The company can set you up with a riverside tent or short-term RV campsite and even add on a paddleboard or yoga class to your scenic water trail time. Namaste!
7. Fontelle Forest
Location: 1111 Bellevue Blvd. N., Bellevue
Standout feature: One full mile of boardwalk
A short 15-minute drive from Omaha will find you in the Fontelle Forest, where nature and beauty abound. My absolute favorite feature of the forest is the one-mile-long boardwalk that winds through the trees, dotted with benches, and offers full accessibility. If you have kids in tow or just want something more hands-on, you can visit the nature center or let the little ones burn off energy at the Acorn Acres Playground.
Don’t forget to evoke your sympathy for the winged creatures of the world at the Raptor Woodland Refuge, which houses and rehabilitates injured raptors. Also, for the record, in case you weren’t familiar, as I admit I totally was not, “raptors” refer to any winged bird of prey, such as hawks, falcons, vultures, or eagles. It does not refer to the raptors from “Jurassic Park” as you and I were probably picturing.
8. Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum
Location: 28210 W. Park Hwy., Ashland
Standout feature: Virtual reality flights
The Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum is a 30-minute drive from Omaha, but you’ll feel like you’ve reached entirely new heights (literally) when visiting. The whole family can experience what it’s like to fly through space or pilot a plane thanks to virtual reality simulators that help you take flight from your seat.
In addition to virtual reality flights, the museum features interactive exhibits and exciting displays of space vessels and aircraft, along with ongoing aircraft restoration and daily planetarium shows. A trip to the museum is a day well spent, even if you’re not an aircraft aficionado, because there’s always something to see and do. Parents of little ones or those who tend to get overstimulated will also appreciate that the museum offers “The Cupola,” a quiet room that can be used for recharging, breastfeeding, or resting.
9. Henry Doorly Zoo
Location: 3701 S 10th St, Omaha, NE 4
Standout feature: World’s largest indoor desert
If you didn’t know that indoor deserts existed, or that Omaha was home to the largest indoor desert in the entire world, now you know that both facts are indeed true. A day trip to the Henry Doorly Zoo means that you can check an Omaha classic landmark off your bucket list. Along with zoo staples, including 900 species, over 35,000 animals, and an aquarium, the zoo has the draw of the famous Desert Dome, which houses the world’s largest indoor desert.
Inside the dome, along with imagining yourself trekking the desert and seeing mirages for water (am I the only one who always pictured that as a kid?), you and your family can experience three global deserts under one roof: South Africa’s Namib Desert, Australia’s Red Center, and the Sonoran Desert, through wildlife, real desert sand, and vegetation for the regions. And if that wasn’t exciting enough, the dome is also home to the world’s largest indoor rattlesnake exhibit. (Catch me not near that, but ya’ll have fun!)
10. Fort Atkinson State Historical Park
Location: 201 S 7th St, Fort Calhoun
Standout feature: Live historical reenactments and military demonstrations
The Fort Atkinson State Historical Park is about a 20-minute drive from Omaha and features replicas of the fort’s buildings, such as barracks, council houses, and shops. The fort really brings history to life because on select days, volunteers reenact real-life fort roles, such as cooks—you can even see the outdoor bread oven in action—carpenters, spinners and weavers, laundry workers, a blacksmith, students and teachers, and of course, soldiers.
While the fort makes for a fascinating day trip, it’s also an important part of history. According to the fort’s history, it was such an important part of military life that it once housed a whopping one-fourth of the entire U.S. army at its height in the early 19th century. The fort served as a staple block point for the fur trade west of the facility.
11. Union Pacific Railroad Museum
Location: 200 Pearl St, Council Bluffs
Standout feature: Abraham Lincoln collection
A day trip to the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Iowa, just minutes away from Omaha, might be worth it for the gorgeous building architecture alone. The museum is housed in the former Council Bluffs Carnegie Free Public Library, made possible by none other than a gift from Andrew Carnegie himself.
Today, thanks to volunteer efforts, the beautiful structure has been restored and repurposed as a museum. It houses replicas of railcars so visitors can experience how our foremothers and fathers would have traveled by train, exhibits about how the railroads were built, and a Lincoln collection, as the President served as the unofficial founder of the Union Pacific by signing the Pacific Railway Act in 1862. There’s even a railway “tunnel” to experience the thrill of trains traveling up close and personal.
12. Sunken Gardens
Location: Lincoln
Standout feature: Historical botanical garden
Imagine taking what was once a neighborhood dumping site (not just a modern dump site, but a pre-1930s dump site to boot, when zero regulations existed) and transforming it into one of the country’s most beautiful gardens. That’s exactly what happened with Lincoln’s Sunken Gardens, a historical botanical garden that now draws visitors from all over.
The garden was even named one of the “300 Best Gardens to Visit in the United States and Canada” by National Geographic and features world-renowned sculptures, perennial and annual plants, and plenty of hidden, peaceful pockets. Admission is free, and the garden gets a new design annually from a professional Garden Artist, so even regular visitors can enjoy something new every year.
13. Nebraska State Capitol
Location: Downtown Lincoln
Standout feature: Free daily tours, Monday through Friday
Nebraska’s State Capitol makes an ideal and affordable day trip visit because it offers free guided walking tours nearly every hour on the hour, Monday through Friday. The tours start at the North Entrance on the Second Floor and include a break at noon.
Notable standouts to explore during your day at the Capitol include the Founder’s museum on the first floor, the Lincoln monument, known as the “standing Lincoln,” sculpted by the same sculptor who created the seated Lincoln monument housed in D.C., and an exterior walking tour of the grounds.
14. Golden Prairie Bison
Location: Valentine
Standout feature: Private vehicle tours and bison photo ops
If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “There is nothing I would love more than to be as close as physically possible to a 4,000-pound animal with massive horns,” then a day trip to a tour at Golden Prairie Bison ranch might just be for you.
Booking a ranch tour grants you safe access via a tour guide vehicle to visit the bison on the grasslands, learning more about the animals, the land, and conservation efforts in the area. The tour owners promise plenty of photo ops and chances to see the bison up close. (Pictures on the website show the bison literally touching the vehicle, so I don’t think they’re exaggerating about the up-close-and-personal claim.) If you work up an appetite with your tour, you can also shop the ranch’s many bison products, from burgers to soup bones to meat bundles.
