The Holy Land of Hoops

Looks like I will be passing thru Omaha for a night/day this summer. Any neighborhoods i should avoid staying in (or any sites you'd recommend?)

Avoid north Omaha. Otherwise, everything else should be ok.

I agree with Jet, avoid North O. There are plenty of hotels throughout the city. I would recommend staying downtown if you plan to do any sightseeing.

Stay away from "North O" as others have said. That is anything North of Maple Street and East of about 72nd Street. So, the North East "quadrant", if you will. However, I doubt there are any hotels in that area anyway.



Most of the hotels are in Downtown, where most of the action is at. The most "happening" entertainment spot.

If you are looking other spots through VRBO or AIRBNB:

Benson- fun area. I guess you would call it the "hipster" part of town, but don't let that scare you.

Aksarben/ Midtown- (yes that is Nebraska backwards).- A little more of the white collar stuck up vibe, but fun spots.

Dundee- I guess this is what you would probably call the "artsy" area of town.

One last thing, if you do plan on sightseeing, I'd recommend checking out Creighton's Campus. It is so beautiful during the summer and it is well worth taking fifteen minutes to walk "the mall."

thanks for the info everyone!

You could go up to Dundee and sit on the bench where Warren Buffet and Paul McCartney were hanging out the other day.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/07/14/warren-buffett-paul-mccartney-selfie/12636247/

I have not seen the Old Market area mentioned - along Harney Street from 10th to about 14th on the South side of down town. For breakfast, I recommend Louie M's at 16th and Vinton a couple of miles south of downtown.

As with any city of its size, crime isn't limited to just the "bad" areas. Even in many of the areas mentioned, and particularly in the downtown areas, avoid walking around at night where there are not a lot of people around.

Couple other thoughts, if you are driving I-80, depending how fast you intend to get accross Nebraska and whether you have kids or not, there are a couple of things you can do along the way such as spend an hour or so walking through the Kearney Arch (pioneer museum that spans I-80 at Kearney - actually pretty well done but a little pricey at $10 or $15 I think), and having lunch or dinner at Ole's Big Game bar in Paxton (good enough food, but interesting atmosphere with trophies from a life time hunting around the world (unless you are of the anti-hunting crowd, then I dont' recommend it). If you have some time and want to avoid the monotony of driving I-80 along the Platte River Valley for hours, take Highway 2 from Grand Island west through the sandhills, but be prepared to see few cars - and watch your speed.

the plan as of now,(it could change) is to head into south dakota and head west towards the Black Hills. I did notice the night i get in there is some kind of"glow night" going on. 5K RUN and bands and beer from what i read. I would actually like to check out your campus (i maybe outvoted on this though) Thanks again for the info

Highway 2 is the bomb. My favorite road in the whole country. It's like you stepped right out of Dances With Wolves; the only fence you'll see is a small barbed wire one that stops larger animals from wandering onto the road. The alluvium from the Sand Hills that pour down the bluffs is pretty damn picturesque. It goes to the Black Hills via Alliance and Chadron, and you drive through Wind Cave National Park in SD on the way. I almost hit a buffalo there with my minivan at 11PM once, that was something else.

That said, it's a two lane road, it takes awhile longer than the interstate, and there is nothing for hours other than big sky scenery; it's one of the most remote highways in the lower 48. You can drive for three hours and not go through a town with more than 100 people.

Funny-- the banner ad on the top of this page is an ad to "Visit North Platte, Home of Buffalo Bill..."

Back 10+ years ago, on a trip back and forth to Denver, we did I-80, in October... remember seeing signs for Boys Town and Father Flanagan... wish we'd have stopped... spent a couple of hours at lunch in Gothenburg, which had a nice lake and very nice people, a a swingset that my then 2-yr-old loved, had perfect Fall weather...

On the return on a Sunday, again for lunch, we stopped in Lincoln... stumbled upon the gem which is the State Capitol Building... seriously, one of the most amazing buildings ever... elaborate mosaics, wood workings, relief carvings in stone on the exterior... tributes to great men and significant moments throughout history, and American Indian poems and patterns and carvings... plus what must be a 150 foot central tower... I was completely blown away by the place, especially since I had never heard of it before... immediately when I got home I ordered a book online devoted to the history of this capitol building... truly a national treasure...