Trip to Omaha

Here are some of the Omaha highlights...

Sunday was a nice drive (it is really only 5 hours, totally doable) to the hotel, dinner, and pool time for Timothy.  We stayed in a suite so we had a little kitchen, living room with a dining table, 2 bedrooms and a bathroom.  It was really ideal because we could (and did) eat in our room when it would have been a pain to eat out with a 2-year-old and we could put him to bed at his normal bedtime in our room and still watch tv, play cards and relax out in the living room.

Monday morning, we started with the Botanical Gardens.  They had a really neat model train garden that had wonderful branch trellis tracks meandering through a hillside.  Tucked along the track were different buildings from around Omaha, miniature style.  Timothy LOVED it.  

Of course, they had beautiful flowers too, especially in the rose garden.

Across the parking lot was a park overlooking the Missouri River, the interstate, railroad tracks, and they had a couple of trains on display.  We aren't really sure how they got those huge engines up there, but we enjoyed checking them out and the view.

We then headed over to the Durham Museum, which is located in once used to be Omaha's Central Train Station.  It was a perfect example of art deco architecture.

And who did we met, none other than another South Dakotan, Sue the T-Rex.  They also had a model train display and lots of train cars to go in and out of.  So far, it was shaping up to be an amazing trip for a little boy.  :)

We headed back to the hotel for a nap, time at the pool (I wish I had taken pictures of our little fish, but I didn't), and a visit with Jared's Uncle Dennis, Aunt Gloria, and their daughter and grandson, Alex.

Tuesday was spent at the zoo.  After spending the first part of the day in the desert dome and night animal exhibit (both were really neat) while a severe thunderstorm rolled through, we had the perfect day.  It was cool, fresh, and we hardly met a crowd while wandering around.

Timothy enjoyed another ride on a carousel, this time with daddy.  We still talks about riding the horse and going up and down.  :)



We also took the train ride around the zoo.  Talk about a happy kid!

The aquarium was our last stop at the zoo and was where we saw the most people.  It was well worth pushing through the crowds and Timothy loved it!

We also managed to bring home a friend too.  :)

Another highlight was spending time in the Old Market section of Omaha.  We hit a couple of different microbreweries for dinner and lots of strolling around, enjoying the warm weather and people watching.  Overall a wonderful time with Jared's parents and Timothy.  We are looking forward now to a few days of camping at the end of the month at the family trailer in the Black Hills, and a trip to Michigan at the end of September!