Joslyn Art Museum

The pride of Omaha in all its Art Deco splendor, the Joslyn Art Museum stands as a rare treasure atop a hill overlooking the heart of downtown.

Constructed of pink Georgia marble and encompassing nearly 200,000 square feet since a $45-million expansion, this symbol of Omaha's cultural soul offers an ever-increasing scope of programs and exhibits.

Serving a dual mission as art museum and performance hall, the facility includes gallery space for permanent collections and touring exhibits, as well as a 1,200-seat concert hall.

Successfully combining visual and performing arts has been a tradition at Joslyn Art Museum since its inception in 1931.


Omaha Community Playhouse

Boasting an impressive curved two-story, glassed lobby and 11 productions annually, the Omaha Community Playhouse reigns proudly as the largest community theater in the nation.

Two performance spaces, the 600-seat Mainstage Theater and a newer 250-seat theater showcasing the Fonda-McGuire Series, play host to over 125,000 theater patrons each year.


Omaha Symphony

Offering a rich musical component to Omaha's performing arts scene is the Omaha Symphony, Nebraska's only professional, regional and touring orchestra.

The Symphony's SuperPops and Classical Series, performed in the majestic Orpheum Theater, feature works of well-known composers and appearances by renowned guest artists such as Amy Grant and Johnny Mathis.


Opera/Omaha


Passion, spirit and spectacular artisty come alive on stage amid the splendor of Opera/Omaha's performances, presented in the baroque grandeur of the Orpheum Theater.

Beginning as a volunteer civic opera organization 36 years ago, Opera/Omaha has evolved into an internationally respected professional company staging three to five full-scale productions each year. Included in the gamut of grand opera and musical theater is American or world premiere operatic presentations.

The Ensemble of Opera/Omaha introduces both children and adults to opera by way of traveling workshops and seminars in schools and organizations throughout Nebraska.


Ballet Omaha

With home performance space at the Orpheum Theater, Ballet Omaha's classically trained dancers from across the country present an exciting mixture of works during its four-production season.

Known as one of Omaha's major entertainment forces, Ballet Omaha's hallmarks have been extolled as "exhilarating diversity and energy."

When not performing in Omaha, the ballet company tours throughout Nebraska and mid-America and sponsors lectures, demonstrations and workshops.


Omaha Childrens Museum

Designed as a "participatory adventure in doing," the Omaha Childrens Museum is committed to providing a place for children to learn and play while exploring the unique worlds of science, the arts and the humanities.

Self-directed exhibits are aimed at stimulating imagination, creativity, exploration and discovery. Permanent exhibits include the Kids Construction Company and Rainbow Farm.

The museum conducts classes, workshops and outreach programs in its offering of year-round enrichment experiences for children and their families.


Emmy Gifford Children's Theater

The Emmy Gifford Children's Theater brings to life the timeless classics of children's literature, as well as innovative new works. As the third largest professional children's theater in the nation, the Emmy Gifford is committed to improving children's theater as an art form.

In addition to producing seven mainstage shows each season, the Emmy Gifford also operates a performing arts academy, sponsors an annual outdoor family festival, and tours both regionally and nationally.


Western Heritage Museum


As the area's major passenger terminal from 1931 to 1971, Omaha's imposing Art-Deco style Union Station is today's home to Western Heritage Museum.

Beautifully restored and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the museum offers a glimpse of Omaha's past via displays of memorabilia, photos and traveling exhibits.

Permanent displays depict a century of Omaha's history, and include the city's only restored trolley car and an authentic 1890s schoolroom complete with potbellied stove and wooden desks.

The Byron Reed Collection, another permanent exhibit, is one of the world's most valuable collections of rare coins, medals and manuscripts. The museum's temporary and traveling exhibits, offered throughout the year, enlarge upon the region's history.


Girls andBoys Town

Founded in 1917 by Father Edward Flanagan and incorporated as a Nebraska village nearly 60 years ago, Boys Town directly assists over 20,000 troubled children annually.

Made famous by the Oscar-winning 1938 movie, it not only provides individual "family homes" for 550 boys and girls in need of a fresh start, but also is a popular tourist attraction. Consisting of 1,300 acres, Girls and Boys Town offerings to visitors include guided or self-guided tours of the historic village, Hall of History, Dowd Memorial Chapel and Chambers Protestant Chapel, as well as views of the schools, homes and athletic fields.


Henry Doorly Zoo

The Kingdoms of the Seas Aquarium at the Henry Doorly Zoo is just one of many exhibits of world-class distinction.

A $16-million project, the cold salt-water aquarium's most spectacular features include a 900,000-gallon coral reef and shark tank with a clear acrylic walk-through tunnel, a flooded rain forest and an Antarctic penguin exhibit with 25 degrees Fahrenheit saltwater and snow fields. It is the largest salt water aquarium between Chicago and the West Coast and the most advanced technically in the world.

Another "adventure in the wild" at the 110-acre zoo includes a journey through the internationally acclaimed Lied Jungle, the nation's largest indoor rain forest complete with elevated walkways, lush tropical vegetation and exotic animals from the rain forest habitats of Asia, Africa and South America. Offerings also include North America's largest cat complex, one of the world's largest free-flight aviaries and the Wild Kingdom Pavilion of small animals, insects and hands-on learning experiences. The zoo also boasts the nation's largest jungle cat complex and the largest freeflight aviary.

A live steam-engine train for zoo ground tours, a gift shop and the Treetops Restaurant round off zoo visitors' "journey through the wilds."