Oh Danny Boy (and Danielle Girl), Omaha is calling! Paint the town green in Omaha this St. Patrick’s Day with family fun, holiday treats, lucky runs, and all the beer you can drink.
St. Patrick’s Day in Omaha offers fun for all ages and interests. Omaha’s downtown streets ring every year with the clear peal of bagpipes during the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Vibrant marching bands and Irish dancers clack along the Old Market’s cobblestones. Children and their families dance curbside before heading for a bite at one of Omaha’s fine Irish restaurants, like the Brazen Head, which serves six variations of Irish potato pancakes, or Paddy McGown’s, which stacks corned beef high on fresh locally baked rye bread.
Other fun kids events include a Museum-wide scavenger hunt for pots of gold at the Omaha Children’s Museum and a family workshop planting shamrocks at Lauritzen Gardens – or just enjoy the greenhouse together in anticipation of spring. Craft studio The Makery provides budding artists the opportunity to paint a shamrock door hanger.
History lovers and art enthusiasts will enjoy the Irish Community Mural painted on the brick facade of Donohue’s Pub, which celebrates Omaha’s Irish history. While at Donohue’s, tuck into a generous plate of corned beef and cabbage, served on the 17th of every month.
Of course, beer drinkers throughout the city shout “sláinte” this time of year. Omaha’s annual Lucky’s Bar Crawl starts at 4 pm at Dubliner Pub with drink specials at six nearby bars. Admission includes two drinks and entry to the afterparty. If you can’t make it to the crawl, never fear – “the Dub” offers live music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and generous whiskey and Guinness pours every night. Annie’s Irish Pub, in The Capitol District, has ample indoor and patio seating, so gather your lads and enjoy the DJ or live music. Or if you’re looking for something quieter, Proof Whiskey Bar & Craft Cocktails houses one of the city’s most beautiful bottle shelf displays, including 300 premium whiskeys. For an alcohol-free alternative, try Dry Spokes, a cozy space downtown that mixes masterful mocktails.
Are you hoping to use more muscles than your drinking arm this holiday? A pair of St. Patrick’s Day runs offer fresh air and verdant views. Meet in Aksarben Village for the Shamrock 5K, which starts and ends on the Keystone Trail near Mercy Road. An afterparty at Pauli’s Bar includes free giveaways. Just outside Omaha, runners gather at Strategic Air & Space Museum for an annual Leprechaun Chase 10K that traverses through Mahoney State Park and finishes with a green beer party.
Before the holiday’s rainbow fades, make like a leprechaun with a pot of gold and snatch some Irish-inspired Omaha treasures. Local design and printing legends Raygun offer O’maha (get it?) t-shirts, die-cut stickers, and “Irish-ish” beer koozies. Bespoke chocolate company The Cordial Cherry crafts shamrock-topped Irish Cream Cordial Cherries. Hardy Coffee Co. serves up delightfully decorated sugar cookies. And Jones Bros. Cupcakes makes Guinness cupcakes and ice cream for a lucky treat.
Follow the rainbow to VisitOmaha.com for more golden ideas.
