20 Omaha Fun Facts

In 2025, USA Today 10BEST Awards named Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium the best zoo. (Lee G. Simmons Wildlife Safari Park in Ashland was also named the best safari park.)

At the zoo, check out the world’s largest indoor desert – located in the world’s biggest geodesic dome. Afterward, head to North America’s largest indoor rainforest. Finally, trek to the park's African Grasslands to trumpet the zoo’s “biggest” conservation success – a group of baby African elephants.

The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge – or Bob, as he’s more commonly known – is a 3,000-foot bridge floating over the Missouri River. Bob links more than 150 miles of hiking and biking trails and connects Nebraska and Iowa. Standing on Bob’s state line (or, you know, doing a back bend) and taking a photo is called “Bobbing.” Tag your photo with #ItHappensonBob to make an appearance on his Instagram (@bobtbridge).

In 1945, a Japanese balloon bomb exploded over Omaha’s Dundee neighborhood. Few of these Japanese bombs made it that far inland. Today, a plaque commemorates where the bomb set off and sits surrounded by the neighborhood’s hot restaurants, bars and shops.

The legend was born in Omaha in 1925 when Reuben Kulakofsky, a local grocer, whipped up the sandwich for a group of late-night poker players at The Blackstone Hotel. One of the players, Charles Schimmel, who was also the hotel’s owner, liked it so much that he put it on the hotel restaurant's menu. Today, Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel – the revived Blackstone – serves three different Reuben sandwiches, one classic and two with different proteins, at its Orleans Room restaurant. For more Reuben destinations to sink your teeth into, visit our Reuben page.

Don’t be fooled into thinking all we grow is corn. Dante, Kitchen Table, 402 Eat + Drink, Gather in Omaha, and more Omaha eateries put their ideals where their utensils are by sourcing the freshest locally grown ingredients – like creamy eggs, crunchy vegetables, luscious fruit, farm-bottled milk, free-range poultry, heritage pork and pasture-raised Nebraska beef.

Terence “Bud” Crawford is ESPN’s No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer with a 41-0 record and 31 KOs. He recently dismantled Errol Spence Jr. in a dazzling performance to capture the undisputed welterweight championship. Crawford reps Omaha with pride. He wears the city’s name on the back waistband of his boxing shorts. Crawford also co-founded B&B Sports Academy, where he trains.

Warren Buffett – legendary investor, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, and one of the richest people on the planet – is proudly from Omaha. Here are ways to experience Omaha like a billionaire.

Fans from across the nation flock to see the best in college baseball battle for the championship title. Eight teams play in two four-team double-elimination brackets. The winners of each bracket play in a best-of-three championship series. During that same time, youth baseball teams from across the country compete in the nation’s largest youth baseball tournament, the Omaha SlumpBuster.

The Omaha Supernovas will soon begin play as part of the brand-new Pro Volleyball Federation. Omaha’s team was built from former Olympians, collegiate All-American athletes and decorated international players. Catch the action at CHI Health Center Omaha starting in February 2024.

From the 1920s through the 1960s, North Omaha was a jazz destination. From the mid-1990s, Omaha's indie rock scene grew largely thanks to Saddle Creek Records. Bright Eyes, Cursive, The Good Life, Rilo Kiley, Azure Ray, 311 and more bands originated or found support in the scene. Spots to catch live indie, alternative, Americana, hip hop and more include Steelhouse Omaha, Slowdown, The Waiting Room, Reverb Lounge, and The Admiral. 

• Berkshire Hathaway - Warren Buffett’s multinational holding company. Each year, thousands of visitors arrive for the Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders Meeting (30,000 in 2023) and seek out Buffett’s favorite spots, including Nebraska Furniture Mart and Gorat’s Steak House.
• ​Union Pacific Railroad - The largest U.S. rail network serving 23 Western states.
• Mutual of Omaha Insurance - Known for its popular “Wild Kingdom” TV and now web series.
• Kiewit Corporation - Construction, engineering, and mining. Kiewit is one of the world’s largest employee-owned companies.

Film director and screenwriter Alexander Payne is proudly from Omaha. Several of his award- winning films, including Election, About Schmidt and Downsizing, were filmed in Omaha. You can visit several filming locations throughout the city, like Harold’s Koffee House where a plaque commemorates the spot Jack Nicholson sat for a scene.

Football fans know this one. Peyton Manning made “Omaha” famous in Denver. We never get tired of hearing it.

Omaha ice cream parlors serve up the best Butter Brickle ice cream in the city where it was invented. The flavor was created at the Blackstone Hotel’s Orleans Room restaurant in the late 1920s. Traditional Butter Brickle ice cream has vanilla ice cream base with chocolate-coated toffee bits mixed in; delicious versions can be found at Coneflower Creamery and eCreamery.

After a two-year closure, Joslyn Art Museum is turning heads once again after reopening with a new addition and revamped features throughout. The Joslyn is made of three architecturally distinct but connected buildings featuring over 30 galleries. Its collection features five millennia of art—that’s 5,000 years of human creativity on view.

The civil rights activist was born in Omaha in 1925. Today, a 17-acre developing memorial is open to the public and features a plaza, educational memorial site and historical marker.

The Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum is a Smithsonian affiliate and home to the largest collection of Cold War aircraft and artifacts in the United States. There's only one restored EC-135 Looking Glass aircraft on display in the world, and it’s at this museum.

Omaha was the eastern terminus of the Union Pacific Railroad, where it began its westward journey to Promontory Summit, Utah as part of the transcontinental railroad. Today, railfans delight in the Omaha area’s train attractions, model train displays and restaurants with train- inspired details. The Durham Museum, Omaha’s former Union Station, is arguably Omaha’s biggest train-based attraction; at its peak during World War II, Omaha’s Union Station welcomed nearly 10,000 train passengers per day.

Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lieutenant William Clark landed in Omaha near what is called Lewis and Clark Landing in 1804 on their US expedition. Lewis and Clark Landing at The RiverFront links the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge with Heartland of America Park along the Missouri River. Learn more about the duo’s historic travels at the nearby Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Visitor Center.

Seafood is flown in and guaranteed fresh at a handful of local restaurants. One spot, Yoshitomo, was named “one of America’s best sushi restaurants” by The Washington Post. David Utterback, a James Beard Award finalist, is at the helm. Yoshitomo offers an omakase experience, one of only a few in the Midwest, next door at Ota. The space features an intimate six-seat omakase counter focusing on high-end Japanese ingredients.