Lauritzen Gardens is one of my favorite places to take family when they come to visit. It's such a…read morebeautiful place to walk around, and this time of year is especially gorgeous. Everything is so green, and all the flowers are in full bloom. The lookout with the trains is always a favorite, and there's so much to explore that we ended up getting plenty of steps in. The staff is always friendly, and the gardens are so well maintained. I'm also excited to see how the ongoing construction turns out. Definitely worth a visit if you're in Omaha!

A must visit spot while in Omaha! We got hit with beautiful 70 degree weather and took advantage of…read moreit by coming here. We got our steps in while admiring the greenery and well thought out flowers. My toddler enjoyed Sophia's garden playground the most. While I enjoyed the super massive greenhouse. There were so many photo opportunities. They don't allow outside food or drinks which is a bummer for those traveling with kids! However, there are two cafes that offered food for purchase. It looks like they offer events during the holidays. Looks especially fun during Christmas time, we'll definitely be back!

I've been a photographer at 2 weddings here over the last year. One had about 80 guests, the other…read morearound 200. I must say they do a great job with backdrops for the head table and first dance. My only note is that the group that was around 200, was still not at capacity and walking around in the room was a total nightmare. I could barely get around as the photographer, and the guests were dealing with the same. The round tables were cramped as well. I would highly suggest less than 150 people in this venue if you want to be able to move at all! Overall though, great experience. Never met anyone besides servers that worked there, no wedding planner or anything, which worked out but would have been good to have a contact person with the venue incase something was needed as the photographer.

I went here for a work party on a Saturday evening. Overall the space is very nice, ample room,…read moredecent size bar area, buffet laid out well. The decor was fine. The bathrooms could use little upgrade. Hap Abraham is the exclusive caterer I'm told. The food was good and they accommodated gluten free. This is a good medium sized venue. I'm looking forward to the next event.

Amazing food for a buffet. Atmosphere was great. Highly recommended venue, perfect for…read moreweddings/receptions, and other events.

*The venue itself is beautiful. It is spacious and well designed. No complaints there…read more *Parking is semi inconvenient but it's okay. There's typically available parking around the area, but crossing the busy streets is a bit dangerous. *The main reason I could not give this venue a 5 star rating was due to our experience with a staff/coordinator named Summer. -This weekend, we had a tight schedule. Pictures, videography, cake, florists, the entire wedding party, and our immediate family had to wait outside of the locked venue long past the time the doors were supposed to be unlocked. It was very difficult to get in contact with Summer, she arrived late, and she arrived with an attitude. She opened the doors and immediately started yelling at the wedding party and other guests. We managed to get past these issues and get to the wedding ceremony on time. We had high hopes that things would simmer down by the time we got back to the venue for the reception. Wrong. -When we came back for the cocktail hour, we had a hiccup with our party bus and the entire wedding party ended up walking two blocks back to the venue carrying drinks, coolers, etc. -not her fault. We arrived to the venue on foot and were welcomed by Summer immediately yelling at each of the guests trying to walk in with their hands full, feet hurting, needing to use the restroom, and overheating. Instead of being a good host -gracious and helpful with the situation- it felt like we were in boot camp. I understand the outside drink policy, but when a party bus breaks down and we all are walking on foot with unopened or empty drinks, and nowhere else to go, you'd expect there to be a bit more grace in the situation and we were instead met with immense hostility. -As the evening progressed, Summer was still visibly on edge (ALL of the guests noticed). The bride & groom ended up pulling her aside and addressing this, in hopes that we could proceed with a peaceful end to the night. Unfortunately, she was not able to lighten up. -During dinner, she had the assignment of dismissing tables to get their food. She watched every guest like a hawk. I can respect being locked in, but this was different. For example: two guests accidentally went to the wrong line to grab food. She watched them from afar, waited until they started filling their plates, pointed & yelled at them in front of everyone, stormed up behind them, patted them both on the shoulders while they're dishing food, pointed across the room to the other line, and stormed off. -The bride & groom also had put in one specific, small, personal catering request (prior to the day of) and she totally blew it. When approached about this she immediately projected her frustrations at the drink situation from earlier (due to the party bus situation) instead of holding herself accountable. -As the evening wrapped up and guests were helping tear down & gather their things, she then kept turning the lights on and off repeatedly, as if that was going to help us speed up the process. I have enough respect for the venue itself and the other staff members to not give this place a 0 star rating, and we did not let any of this ruin our whole night, but I would strongly encourage that they reconsider or reinforce their customer service policies because this treatment was totally undeserved and unacceptable. I hope the bride and groom get a partial refund for the amount of stress and inconvenience from this one coordinator that we were all counting on who ended up being the #1 lowlight of the entire event.

A prominent historic building that has been renovated as part of a wave of development in the area…read more They offer valet parking but directed me to a paid lot next door when I declined. Street parking, however, was free. I didn't check out the hotel restaurants, and the pool, while clearly a large park of the experience here, did not make my relatively busy itinerary as I wanted to get out and see other things. The room itself was comfortable. The AC was loud and ran constantly (though if you're looking for a noise machine to help with sleep that might not be the worst thing) during a summer heat wave, but it was successful in achieving the relatively low temperatures I like to sleep at. I misplaced a key card and was given a replacement by showing my ID without difficulty (shortly before I found it anyway). The hotel had a considerable and comfortable lobby. It may be a different experience once the massive streetcar project which runs outside is finished. Right now driving and walking are both a little inconvenient. The hotel was bustling, so clearly people found a way to get here.

As Omaha locals, the Cottonwood is synonymous with a good staycation. I'd guess we've stayed here…read more4-5 times in the last handful of years, usually as a summer anniversary overnight stay. There's a lot we love about this property: Gorgeous, charming, historic and everything feels very carefully curated The pool - with its in-water loungers, padded seats, large umbrellas, and helpful servers The gym is a great one stop shop: Peloton, treadmills, yoga mats, free weights, benches, water station, bathroom right inside the gym, too Rooms themselves are also well kept, beautiful and elevated And then there's a few things that miss the mark sometimes: The food and beverage service here tends to be pretty underwhelming in my experience (albeit, to be fair: I have not eaten at the Chophouse) Our various credit card perks have included breakfast for most of our stays and we have always found the options to be a little lackluster. For example, one or two of the breakfast entrees specifically says it comes with "lyonnaise" potatoes...but then they're served with fried, cubed potatoes that could be mistaken for grocery store frozen breakfast potatoes. The coffee offerings in both the coffeeshop and the Orleans room are passable - admittedly, I'm fairly picky on this point so my guest is that many guests find it sufficient to meet their needs. But I have yet to try anything that could compete with some other local spots. And then the real big bummer this time around: the pool club being operated differently almost every season. By nature, I'm kind of an over communicator - I like posted rules and visible expectations so that I can plan accordingly... And I take note of those things and keep them in mind when I return to a particular spot. However, I have vivid memories of being served around the pool side directly from the Orleans room a couple years ago... And that's no longer allowed. I also remember distinctly being able to bring in our own meal to enjoy around the pool, whether it was a snack from a nearby grocery store or a sandwich from a local eatery in Blackstone... And that is also no longer allowed. In addition to those restrictions that were new to me, it seems clear that there's been a big push toward more pool club memberships/day passes and one of the downsides is that only a third of the pool seating is actually available to Hotel guests. This meant that on more than one occasion during our 3 days there, we had to be strategic about finding seats... And when you have spent your hard-earned money to enjoy the beautiful facilities, it feels pretty irksome to get caught in a cutthroat game of saving chairs. It honestly felt a little bit like the hotel guests were treated like a nuisance rather than welcome guests who paid to be there. One other way that this showed up for our particular stay was with regards to using property credits to pay: as a generous benefit of one of our premium credit cards, we were given a $100 property credit. The fine print before we came stated that it could be used on food or valet costs or other incidentals at the hotel except for taxes and actual room payment... We were very much looking forward to using this credit across our few days to cover poolside lunches... But because the pool club is operated as an independent entity, they could not charge it to our room, therefore making it impossible to use our property credit to cover lunch. Again, I'm aware that this issue does not apply to every guest (and when we asked the front desk about it, they stated that it was explicitly listed on the exclusion paperwork they gave us at check-in.. but we didn't take that with us to our room, because we thought we already knew the exclusions from scanning the emails and booking materials ahead of time.. it was a different statement than what was provided online). Overall, we still love the Cottonwood, but the ever-changing rules and policies are making it a little bit harder to feel eager to be loyal.

My son and daughter-in-law were married at Sparks Barn in June of 2022. Wow! What an amazing…read moresetting and venue! Two air conditioned barns, one rustic and one glass enclosed, along with a dressing/prep area for both men and women make the accommodations top notch. Throw in a kitchen area, inside and outside bar service, a concrete wrap around patio and a ceremony pergola complete with pond and picturesque setting and you understand why this venue is booking events two years out! The owners, Rhonda and Brian, have assembled a staff that anticipates your every need. Trash is constantly taken out, restrooms are freshened and reset, food service vendors are assisted as needed and everything is taken care of seamlessly allowing guests and family to enjoy their celebration with no stress or drama. The grounds are immaculate, the parking is plentiful and the venue space will take your breath away. A portable microphone was provided for the ceremony and a large scale projector and sound system was also available. The red cedar tables are too beautiful to cover with table cloths so we just did a table runner, candles and eucalyptus. Nice, sturdy white chairs line the tables and are a step above what you usually find at most venues. The size of the venue allows a number of options for table arrangements. I was amazed at the quick and efficient clean up after our event. I went to collect table decorations and the staff had already packed items for easy transport home. Each and every staff member is first class and they work as a team to make sure every detail is covered. Sparks Barn is located half way between Lincoln and Omaha outside of Louisville, Nebraska.

I highly recommend Sparks Barn for your next event. It is a hidden gem just minutes from Omaha…read more My daughter wanted a rustic chic Sweet 16th Birthday and this was the perfect venue in the perfect country setting! Rhonda Sparks is so nice to work with and she will make sure your event is spectacular. There is a beautiful view of the lake and the rolling countryside. Inside the barn has been completely refinished with beautiful polished wood, twinkling lights & an amazing sound system. Outside there is plenty of parking, a big patio for dancing and even a fire pit. And yet the hourly rental fee was very reasonably priced! No matter what your event, Sparks Barn and the Sparks family will make everything perfect for your big day!

The Orpheum is such a great venue! We were here to see Distant Worlds and it was such a fun show…read morewith beautiful music and even some people dressed up as Chocobos! The theater is beautiful with ornate designs to the boxes, unbelievably detailed ceilings with stunning chandeliers, and gorgeous embellishments everywhere. The acoustics and lighting during the performances are great and we were really impressed with the quality of show. Seats are comfortable and between that, the music, and the wine I was practically lulled to sleep. Restrooms are nice and clean and large enough to keep the line during intermission from becoming completely ridiculous. Another great thing about intermission is you can refresh your wine supply in a sippy cup you are permitted to bring into the theater with you. I also really appreciate how friendly everyone is here. It's easy getting your tickets and there are helpful individuals to assist you in finding your seats. Between the beautiful and clean venue, the amazing shows they offer, and the friendly service, this is a great place for a fun date night in Omaha.

My review is a few years late...(or in the works)…read more The Orpheum is Omaha's oldest theater. and has been rebuilt a few times. It is the iconic Orpheum you would envision. Ornate plaster work throughout a large hall with multi tiers of detail and old world craftsmanship not done anymore. There is one entrance with about 4 doors to pass through and a mobile bar right when you get in. (this is the busiest spots to get a drink just keep walking) Straight ahead is the main staircase and to your left are the current show concessions followed by restroom and another bar and stairs. Each floor here has its own bar and the 3rd floor also has restrooms the 2nd does not. Most of the seats her have a great view its really impossible to not have a good view of the stage. 1st loge is my favorite. I feel I get full view of the entire stage from a higher up vantage point The acoustics are perfect. The temps are about always perfect not hot not cold. Of all the cities I have been this is for sure my favorite venue for performing arts. Maybe because its home and feels comfy, but looking at all the bonuses nope. This place is a GEM!!!

Extremely nice space...beautifully done..10th floor ballroom ...we were served heavy appetizers…read morethat were delicious! ...spacious with restrooms nearby ..open bar and excellent staff..I would highly recommend for an elegant venue ...perfect place for large meetings as well.

My workplace had their annual holiday party mid-January at this venue. We've actually had it here…read morefor many years aside from the covid years. Easy to find off 30th & L Street and lots of parking. I believe the building may also serve as a clinic, a pharmacy, and apartments. It was very brightly lit on the main floor before taking the elevator to the top. The room was quite large with very high ceilings and big windows that look out over Omaha. Food was served buffet style and I found the food to be really excellent. There was a stuffed chicken dish, a pasta with red sauce and pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon. Also, rolls w/ butter, salad, mashed potatoes and veggies. I sampled a bit of everything and loved it. No one should have left hungry, especially after dessert. My sister had her wedding reception here back in 2007 and it really hasn't changed much. It's still a really nice place to hold a special event for a large group of people.

This is a pretty neat event space, that is basically a blank slate for you to decorate however you…read moreplease. It's very open and airy - with almost an industrial feel in the wooden beams and concrete floors. I attended/was a bridesmaid at a wedding here, and everything went off without a hitch. The dance floor is large, there's lot of space to walk around and mingle even if you're not dancing, and the bathrooms were nice and clean (which isn't the case at most big events). I could see this being a good option for a wedding, reunion, corporate event, or anything you might need a large event space/rental for.

Great lofty space for hosting something like a company event or a wedding. I would estimate it…read moreseats about 150-200, and there is a bar, stage, and lighting provided. For the wedding I attended the space was used very well. A Photo booth tucked in one corner, lots of space between the tables, and a good amount of room for dancing and stuff on the stage as well. The other side of the room had a buffet and a bar which was not cramped at all. Check out their Facebook page- this is likely an underrated event space that's not on everyone's radar due to location since it is off the beaten path but the lofted open ceilings and brick walls are so beautiful.