25 Omaha Gift Ideas
A festive gift for the Holiday season, an out-of-the-box birthday present, funky welcome bag stuffers, or a little token to say you care – Omaha offers a variety of nationally known, locally grown gifts to surprise and delight any recipient.
Browse the list below for a collection of Omaha gift ideas, and find more ideas at Omaha galleries, boutiques, and specialty shops.
1. Get cozy with OMAR, Omaha’s friendly troll. "OMAR finds a home" follows the adventures of OMAR as he travels the city looking for a place to make his home. The book is the ultimate souvenir, with a special spot to include a photo of your Omaha visit. An OMAR plush doll is the perfect complement to the book, and both are available for purchase at the Omaha Visitors Center Retail Store.
2. Omaha’s craft beer scene makes every gift buzz-worthy. Pick up a growler of locally produced brew from one of Omaha’s crafty breweries.
3. Hot Shops Art Center, home of all that is molten, is a creative gift-givers dream come true. Nearly 80 artists offer one-of-a-kind gifts in a variety of artistic fields, like blown glass, jewelry, framed art, pottery, quilts, and woodcarving, to name a few. Each piece promises to be an original.
4. Satisfy a sweet tooth with locally made chocolate. The Cordial Cherry creates delicate works of art out of creamy chocolate and sweet cherries – earning a place on Oprah’s list of favorite things. The Old Market Candy Shop whips up an array of crowd-pleasing chocolate confections including a local favorite, the Mud Ball – a delicious chocolate-covered cookie and cream cheese truffle. Pick up a box as a gift but buy a couple for home. Chocolat Abeille is a family owned chocolate boutique specializing in handcrafted treats, local honey, and sweet art.
5. Give the gift of an Omaha adventure with tickets to one of Omaha’s renowned attractions. Heavy hitters include one of the world’s best zoos, an art deco train depo turned museum, a child’s imagination station, 100 acres of botanical beauty, and more.
6. Steak is a part of Omaha’s DNA, and no gift list is complete without mention of the carnivorous delight. Omaha Steaks ships marbled slices of decadence to happy meat eaters around the world. Give a cut of genuine Omaha beef any time of year.
7. Featured on The Shark Tank, The View, Today Show, and Rachel Ray, eCreamery churns sixteen flavors of specialty ice cream, gelato and dairy-free sorbet. Create a sweet concoction as unique as the recipient and ship it to their doorstep.
8. Simple, sudsy and sustainable, Benson Soap Mill re-purposes natural and discarded products from Omaha restaurants, coffee shops, and farms to create high quality products. Choose from a variety of hand soaps, bars and bath bombs to freshen up any holiday stocking or gift basket.
9. Nothing says “I care” quite like a Runza, aka “a meal in a bunza.” This long-time Nebraska tradition is a favorite among locals and visitors. The portable meal is masterfully constructed using a pocket of dough and filling it with beef, cabbage, seasonings, and sometimes cheese. Order online and ship a taste of Omaha.
10. Artifact handcrafts high quality, functional bags, masks, aprons, and accessories inspired by antique materials out of their workroom in downtown Omaha. Bestsellers include their specialty aprons and zipper totes.
11. Toast to Omaha (and superior gift giving skills) with a glass of vino produced at Soaring Wings Vineyard & Brewing. Give bottles of award-winning wines and beer to friends and family with a variety of different palates.
13. Jalapeno cheese, kettle corn, tutti fruitti, Cajun, parmesan garlic…the list goes on and on at Vic's Corn Popper. The smell of popcorn fills the mind with warm memories of cozy movie nights and laugh-inducing family gatherings. Add a dash of fun flavor and the nostalgic treat is a gourmet gift from Vic’s Corn Popper.
14. Back to meat, Stoysich House of Sausage offers over 140 different sausages all in natural casings. Visitors stock up on quality steaks, roasts, lunch meats and cheeses, and International award-winning hams.
15. Omaha theatrical performances offer high quality production without the high price tag. Omaha’s various stages provide year-round entertainment and include touring Broadway productions, vibrant operatic shows, local talent in the nation’s largest community theater, children’s shows, and more.
16. Television staple Big Mama’s is known for their generous helpings of uniquely delicious appetizers, cakes, desserts, and dinners, and now you can get a taste of their signature flavors at home. Shop their branded Oven Fried Chicken Seasoning and Dry Rub, both great for meat, poultry, fish and vegetables.
17. Something sweet from a recipe perfected over 40 years is always a guaranteed thank-you-card-inducing gift. The Lithuanian Bakery’s Napoleonas Torte is a delicious example of such a winning idea. Each torte takes three days to make and features 17 layers of thin wafers, sweet cream and apricot filling. These treats are frozen and shipped all over the country.
18. At the top of every baseball fan’s bucket list is a trip to Omaha for the NCAA Men’s College World Series. Knock the gift out of the park with tickets to the greatest show on dirt. Each year, the best teams in college baseball travel to Omaha and battle for the championship title. Give the gift of a home run experience.
19. Artemis Tea & Botanical sells hand-crafted, small-batch herbal teas created with wellbeing in mind. Stop in their brick and mortar shop in The Blackstone District or shop online and select from seasonal teas, teaware, apparel, and tea subscriptions.
20. Start each morning with a cup of joe from Omaha thanks to the city’s array of coffeehouses roasting and bagging their own delicious quality-sourced coffees.
21. Honey is known for a variety of health benefits and few celebrate these benefits like local producer, It’s All About Bees. The family-run business has built a reputation on quality honey and bee-based materials. All natural body care products are made from oils butters and, of course, bee products. Other products include bee pollen, salsa, syrup, jelly, fruit butters, and mustard.
22. Internationally known, The Dehner Company produces some of the finest custom-made boots in the world. Specifically known for a variety of riding and stock boots, Dehner handcrafts custom shoes and a variety of other fine leather products.
23. The Anastasia Co.’s high-quality paper goods proudly printed in Omaha include fan favorites like inspiring wall art, greeting cards, and journals.
24. Nomad Wax Co. makes clean, healthy scents for the scent-obsessed out of their studio in Omaha. They offer private shopping appointments on select days and hold Open Studio sessions one Saturday each month. If you can't make it in, shop online from an array of products (candles, perfume, linen sprays and more) in an array of fresh, floral, woodsy and exotic scents.
25. Give the gift of Omaha through art. Julia McGuigan of Julia M Illustrates creates illustrations finished with pen and watercolor of Omaha landmarks, neighborhoods, shops and attractions. Shop her one-of-a-kind illustrations on ornaments, calendars, and standard prints.