TRAVEL: The heart of America

Not your obvious American holiday destination, Omaha, in the state of Nebraska, is a gem in the heart of the Midwestern United States.

My four day visit to the Cornhusker State began with arrival via cab from Eppely airport at my Airbnb accommodation in the beautiful Benson area. The quaint 1940s  tudor house, set in a leafy neighbourhood with a beautiful garden and deck to enjoy, was easily accessible to all major attractions. 

The bedroom was bright and airy with a private bathroom. The host provided fresh ground coffee, juice, yogurts and cereal bars every day and could not have been more helpful, supplying maps and suggestions for nights out. All this for the extremely reasonable sum of €50 per night.

Benson itself is a very happening area – which I discovered on my second day and night, with a multitude of restaurants, bars, music venues and micro-breweries. Well worth a visit for an afternoon or evening of good food, music and of course some beer sampling.

Omaha city, known for its pioneer history, museums and cultural centers , is a regular short bus-ride from Benson, for just $1.20, which made getting in and out of the city easy and affordable.

On my second day, I decided to take a morning trip to the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. Nearly 3,000 feet long, crossing the Missouri river, the middle of the bridge provides an opportunity for a ‘bilocational selfie’ with a foot in two states at once – Nebraska and Iowa! It’s a must see for visitors and is popular with walkers, joggers and cyclists. At the foot of the bridge is the Lewis & Clark Landing. 

This is 23 acres of land that provides a variety options to enjoy the Missouri River, such as outdoor concerts and festivals. You can visit the Lewis and Clark interpretive exhibits, the Omaha fire-fighter’s memorial Monument and the second largest labour monument in the United States.

My bridge crossing was followed up by a typical American diner breakfast, omellete, fries, toast and coffee – with free top-ups – for €10 at The Diner, a mainstay in Omaha’s Old Market for years.

The following day I hopped on a bus to the amazing Joslyn Museum, the principal fine arts museum in the state of Nebraska. It was opened in 1931 at the initiative of Sarah H. Joslyn in memory of her husband, businessman George A Joslyn. 

This pink marble masterpiece is filled with rare works of art from Monet, Chiluly, Rembrandt, Pollock and more. It also features European collections, impressive sculptures, modern renderings, two outdoor sculpture gardens, plus eight or ten special exhibitions per year. And admission is free!

After filling up and on arts and culture, I decided to walk, in the afternoon sunshine, downtown the Old Market district. My route took me past the Spirit of Nebraska Wilderness Park, alive with one and a quarter size bronze sculptures that will simply take your breath away.

You can walk alongside the pioneers and experience what happens when their wagon train startles a herd of buffalo and creates a stampede through the downtown Omaha buildings. The stampede, in turn flushes a flock of Canada Geese which fly from a spectacular fountain through the 40 story First National Bank Tower, the tallest building in Nebraska.

I continued on to the Old Market, a favourite for locals and tourists alike. This is an historic mixed-use district with rugged cobbled-brick streets, galleries, restaurants, bars, live theatre, boutiques, street musicians and coffee shops. I used it as my base point each day, for breakfast, brunch or lunch. The proprietors and locals that I spoke to were fascinated by my Irish accent and were delighted I had made the trip ‘all the way from Ireland’.

On my last morning, bag packed and keys returned to my Airbnb host – I enjoyed a final breakfast at Joe’s Cafe in Benson, whose owner was only too happy to call a cab for me for my trip to the airport.

Four days were certainly not enough to experience half of what Omaha has to offer. Next time, I intend to visit the Henry Doorly Zoo, The Durham Museum and a multitude of other great family friendly places.

For more information go to:

www.visitomaha.com

www.airbnb.ie/s/Omaha–NE

Return flights from Dublin to Omaha available from €512 with American Airlines www.americanairlines.com