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    Omaha Children's Museum

    4.2 (95 reviews)
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    Jamie L.

    This place, for what it is, is pretty standard. We were lucky enough to get tickets through the library. If we had to pay for admission I think I would have left feeling disappointed. It's very loud, to be expected, and a decent variety of things. We went during the Christmas season so we got to see Santa and his elves. They allowed us to take our own photo with Santa and not just buy theirs. I appreciated that greatly. They also had a dinosaur theme at the time so we got to "dig" for fossils. My daughter is 4 and wasn't that thrilled with the whole thing saying it was boring. They had a climbing area that was dinosaur themed too. Downstairs they had the ball room which was probably the best thing there in my opinion. However 1/3rd of the pipes and such were being worked on at the time and/or were sectioned off. This seemed to be a theme as tons of stuff wasn't currently open. We enjoyed coloring our animals and watching them show up on the wall display, that was pretty awesome. The play/dress-up area with the grocery store was a mess and I saw children spitting in the water play toy. While it says the lights disinfect the water... I'm not sure I'd trust it. There was an employee watching them do this and said nothing to them nor their parents. I think they were older kids 8-10 years old. Of course the really fun things like the carousel and the train upstairs costs extra. For the price of admission they should have it included in the cost. Overall it was a decent fun day, but I'm not sure we'd go back. The Durham museum is more fun for a child (or should I said MY child) than the OCM was.

    Painting at museum
    Eddie D.

    5YR old loved it! And all they offered! Great space for many different activities to do. The carousel was great! And the pizza was delicious too and the hot dogs as well!

    Pretend Hyvee grocery store
    Jennifer R.

    A wonderful museum for little ones! We love the little Hyvee store where they can shop for groceries with tiny shopping carts. We also are big fans of the carousel and train upstairs. The carousel has a variety of animals such as a rooster, rabbit and reindeer. The gift shop is a great stop on the way out for little souvenirs/small toys at pretty reasonable prices. My only suggestion for improvement would be more fresh options in the cafe, such as cold subs, salads, fresh fruit, and or cut veggies with dip. Overall highly recommend!

    Art smart
    Phillip Y.

    We came here on our last day in Omaha. It was in the heart of downtown but had its own parking lot. We were able to get in free with our science museum reciprocal membership. Water table exhibit was a hit and spent alot of time there. Ball exhibit looked cool but son lost interest. Third floor had carousel and train. We rode the train which he loved. Also plenty of seating to eat and also special dinosaur exhibit.

    Julie C.

    This was our first visit to the Omaha children's museum. Tickets are $15 Per person for either an adult or a child. You can also buy a one year membership for $139. There are a lot of activities for children to choose from! There are climbing structures, art activities, coloring, a build it shop, and even a science area, which I personally thought was the most interesting. Plenty of hands-on activities. The second level has a space/NASA area in which you could make your own rocket. They also have a climbing wall, carousel, and a train you can ride. The Omaha children's museum is definitely catered toward the younger child, but can supply a day of fun and educational activities.

    Natalie E.

    Overall, OCM is a good place to bring your kids for hours of entertainment. At $14 you can stay the day (9 AM to 4 PM) so I'd say it's a pretty good deal. I haven't been here since I was a kid but a lot of the areas are the same, just revamped (nostalgic factor here!). They still have the grocery store, which was my favorite spot as a kid, sponsored by HyVee. I there's also a good mix of purely entertainment or fun areas and some that really incorporate learning and exploration. I appreciate the variety of activities, and how many of them can be adapted for different ages. My son (3.5 years) had a fantastic time for over 2 hours before having a "it's time to go" melt down. You can see the age of this place a little bit--the bathrooms could be updated and some of the walls and areas just look old. Not that kids really notice or care.

    Rock climbing wall
    Jason G.

    (From my 9 year old daughter). Good for kids 1-15 years old it is fun to go and see what you can do for the parents you can have some fun to you can play with them and you and your kid can learn some stuff your kid can play and learn at the same time.

    In the Tinkerer's area.  Real tools, real fun!
    Amber K.

    A variety of fun for my toddler and my teen. My 13-year-old daughter enjoyed tinkering and building a box with her grandpa, face painting, and launching rockets. My 2-year-old played in the ball area for hours! He drenched himself at the water table. (TIP: Bring a change of cloths.) We bought a shirt at the gift shop, it was reasonably priced at $13. This would definitely be a place we would get a family membership if we were from the area.

    Huge legos! My granddaughter loved it.
    Rita M.

    My grandchildren love this place! It's also a great place to take them when it's too cold to take them to the park. There is loads of activities and play areas. I highly recommend everyone with children or grandchildren take them to visit. My daughter gets my grandkids season passes. Take your lunches, the food isn't worth it.

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    10 months ago

    Very over priced. Kids had fun but other places are just as fun for kids/toddlers/babies without the sky high pricing.

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    2 years ago

    The employees had long, sulky faces, never smiled at the children. If they don't like their jobs they need to quit

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    4 years ago

    You could spend multiple days here. One off my favorite things is they offer such a variety and DINING which is huge with little ones

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    7 years ago

    Our girls enjoyed the museum! There are several areas to play in and staff that keeps areas organized.

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    Ask the Community - Omaha Children's Museum

    Review Highlights - Omaha Children's Museum

    Bring extra cash or card if your kid wants to ride the train or carousel upstairs.

    Mentioned in 17 reviews

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    The Durham Museum

    The Durham Museum

    4.4(157 reviews)
    0.8 mi
    Established in 1975
    Free estimates

    The Durham Museum is in the old Union Station. I'm glad they were able to preserve the building…read morebecause it really is spectacular. There are many permanent displays about Omaha history, and there are train cars you can walk through; enthusiastic docents are often there to answer any questions. There are temporary exhibits here as well, and in the summers they will have something cool that the whole family will enjoy. There are lots of programs here, many of them free with admission or membership. I do recommend getting a membership if you think you might want to come at least a couple times in a year. And you probably will want to! There is a soda fountain/snack bar area. The ice cream is great! The food is okay. It's a museum and not a lunch destination. The museum is located right next to Omaha's Old Market.

    This was my second time visiting The Durham Museum, and it continues to impress. My first visit was…read moreduring a free event honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and this most recent trip was with a group for the "Negro Motorist Green Book" exhibit. From start to finish, the experience was excellent. The museum provided discounted tickets for our nonprofit group, communicated clearly throughout the planning process, and had a tour guide ready who found us right away. That level of organization and customer care made a big difference. The exhibit itself was powerful and deeply educational, highlighting the history of the Green Book and the realities African American travelers faced during segregation. Through artifacts, photographs, and personal stories, it sparked meaningful conversations--especially among our younger visitors. I also really appreciate the museum's intentionality around inclusivity and programming. You can feel that it's a space designed to educate and welcome a wide range of audiences. The museum itself is on the smaller side, with exhibits primarily on the lower level, which actually made it manageable for our group to move through at different paces. My kids love the super long train you can walk through and the nearby play area. Practical perks matter too--there's plenty of parking (a huge plus), and they even offer umbrella strollers to borrow, which is incredibly thoughtful for families. Overall, a meaningful, well-run experience that I would absolutely recommend--whether you're visiting on your own, with family, or as part of a group.

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    Museum of Shadows - A haunted museum!

    Museum of Shadows

    3.0(35 reviews)
    0.7 miDowntown

    So many things to look at here. It's a self guided tour, and you can take as long as you want. So…read moremuch to take in and read about. We were there for 2 hours and we plan to come back sometime. They also had a few options to rent ghost hunting devices.

    I REALLY wanted to love this place, as I LOVE all things paranormal, but sadly I was quite…read moredisappointed with this place, purely because of the lack of care and attention to detail. But because of how badly really wanted to love this place, I'm going to leave a super long review with points I really think could benefit you guys if you're open to it, and really help make this place flourish! So Each room we went into was just a big empty room, with a million cluttered artifacts lining the perimeter of each room, complete with the same laminated piece of paper typed up on word, accompanying literally every single item. So if someone wanted to read every single piece of paper in here, I have no doubts it would take AT LEAST 34 hours... And it's unfortunate bc they really did have a ton of awesome items with super interesting stories attached, but everytime you walk a couple more feet around the perimeter, you're again overwhelmed with the sheer amount of clutter/things to read. So I'd really recommend to the staff to try and change the layout of this place. Ideally the rooms would be smaller, so that you aren't overwhelmed by a big empty room. Even just some kind of cheap room dividers that simulate a divided up room would work. And the 2nd biggest recommendation I have would be changing up how you present information. At the very least that means just changing the sizes of the captions you have next to items, like making some of the captions in much bigger frames, and maybe keeping some small ones, there just needs to be more of a variety to keep the scene in front of your more interesting. And maybe don't have soo many captions that were excessively long, like you could sum up the item in just a couple sentences, and then save the entire detailed story about the item just for guided tours or something. Lastly- WHY IN THE WORLD DO YOU NOT LET PEOPLE USE THEIR PHONES? Don't you understand every time someone would take a pic of something in your museum and then post it on social media, that's LITERALLY FREE ADVERTISING for you! Trust me, you're only hurting yourself by not letting ppl share pics of their visit here.

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    Joslyn Art Museum - Saint Catherine of Alexandria

    Joslyn Art Museum

    4.5(155 reviews)
    0.4 miDowntown

    We are so lucky to have the Joslyn museum right here in Omaha. I've been to art museums all around…read morethe world, and this one stacks right up against them in terms of quality. I've been visiting the Joslyn since I was a child, and visiting as an adult brings back all those wonderful memories. The cool blue and green Storz Fountain art deco tile atrium, the amazing sculpture garden outside, and the temporary and permanent exhibits that are so thoughtfully curated. The Joslyn houses works from classic and modern artists like Monet, Basquiat, Jackson Pollock, Titian, Dale Chihuly, Bouguereau, Picasso, Renoir, Mary Cassatt, and Roy Liechtenstein, among so many more. They also feature several local artists and workshops that I think is so cool that they contribute to the local community in that way too. The Joslyn was closed for two years recently for expansion and restoration, as well as adding many more pieces of art to the collection. There are little signs on each new piece of art that says "New to the Collection" so you'll know you haven't seen that one before if you visited a lot before they closed and reopened. And what's really awesome aside from all that? It's free! I've only ever seen a museum of this caliber having free entrance in large European cities like London and Paris. You obviously are able to make a donation with your entrance, which I'm sure is encouraged to keep the museum running, but I love that it's offered freely for those who can't pay an entry fee but will benefit just like anyone else from the art housed there. I've seen comments here on Yelp saying that you can do this whole museum in 30 minutes. If you're doing that, you are absolutely doing it wrong and rushing through everything. My last visit was 3.5 hours long and I only saw two or three exhibit rooms. What's so great about this being a free museum is that you DON'T have to rush, because you can always come back later and see anything you didn't get to, in the first or second visit. With all the free things there are to do in Omaha, this has got to be at the top of the list, especially if you're an art lover!

    This museum is free with 3 parts. When I visited, there was an ongoing exhibition that was not…read morefree. It is very spacious and has a decent collection of artwork. There are sculptures in the garden outside the museum. My favorite here is the beautiful fountain at the middle. Durham Cafe is located inside the museum (I reviewed this separately). They have a gift shop as well. Worth checking out if you're in Omaha.

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    Historic General Dodge House

    Historic General Dodge House

    4.8(10 reviews)
    4.9 miCouncil Bluffs

    Dad and I visited the Historic General Dodge House as a bookend to our trip to the nearby Union…read morePacific Railroad Museum. The house was built in 1869 and stands near downtown Council Bluffs as a stunning (and refurbished) architectural marvel. This was the home of Grenville M. Dodge, a Union Army general, politician, and a major figure in the development of the railroads across the American West. He was also a trusted counsellor to Presidents (Grant and Lincoln) and even served a term in Congress. Whether you want to drive by, walk around, or lose a couple hours inside, this place is well worth the visit. Also, don't miss the August Beresheim House right next door.

    What a way to spend an afternoon in early November! When we walked up to the Beresheim House next…read moredoor to get tickets, we were immediately greeted and welcomed. What a way to set the stage for a wonderful tour. There were helpful movies to view, gifts to buy, and two lovely houses to see. Free parking across the street made access easy. The Dodge House was completed in 1869. The Victorian Age had traveled across to America; new inventions, ideas, exploration and expansion, and technology were on the rise. This growth and the industrial revolution can be witnessed throughout these museums. There are tour guides and pamphlets to take you back to the time period. The tour guides are well-educated in this period of history and explain details so thoroughly! The trees were in full autumn glory and Christmas decorations were going up! The tour guides are so knowledgeable. And the tour is amazing! The history, rooms, and antiques in this house are very interesting. So much to see; you'll want to come back again!

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    Omaha Children's Museum - childrensmuseums - Updated May 2026

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