Visit Omaha

A Christmas Carol at the Omaha Community Playhouse has shaped the holiday season for Omaha residents and visitors for 50 years. The tradition began after a 1975 tornado ripped the roof off the Playhouse. The theater needed a hit to financially recover. Charles Jones, then Playhouse’s artistic director, wrote and staged a new adaptation of the Dickens classic in 1976. The show’s success helped stabilize the Playhouse, and A Christmas Carol turned into one of the longest running holiday shows in the country. By 1979, the Nebraska Theatre Caravan (formed in 1976) was taking A Christmas Carol on the road, eventually sending three casts nationwide each season. Over four decades, the show reached more than 600 cities in 49 states and four Canadian provinces, introducing more than 3 million people to Omaha’s adaptation. The 50-year milestone honors the generations of artists and technicians who sustained the tradition, including three actors who portrayed Ebenezer Scrooge on the Mainstage....

Omaha's reputation as a meeting-ready city continues to grow with the return of HDR Engineering, Inc. for its Fall Business Group Conference, taking place November 9 to 11 at CHI Health Center Omaha. The global engineering and architecture firm will bring an estimated 1,300 attendees to the metro. Among those attendees, 90 percent will travel from outside the region, filling downtown hotels. Headquartered in Omaha, HDR employs more than 13,000 professionals across 200-plus offices worldwide. Conference programming will use CHI Health Center Omaha’s meeting space and highlight the city’s walkable convention district, where visitors can easily access restaurants, attractions and shops within steps of their hotels. Attendees will explore Omaha’s thriving hospitality scene, spend tourist dollars and experience why Omaha is a first-class destination for business events. You could say HDR is engineering a late-fall visitor boost for the city. Discover how Omaha is building more meetings...

When was the last time you wandered the Old Market like a visitor, seeing it the way someone new to Omaha might? Start at the twinkle-lit Passageway between 11th and 12th streets and take a selfie in front of the brick walls and hanging plants. Step into the quiet Garden of the Zodiac courtyard for a moment of reflection, then grab a cone at Ted & Wally’s and revel in the sounds of street musicians. Browse the shelves at Jackson Street Booksellers, play a few rounds of pinball at Hollywood Candy or ride a horse-drawn carriage down the cobblestones. Before heading home, stop by the Omaha Visitors Center at 10th and Farnam and say hello. Head to VisitOmaha.com for more ideas on how to enjoy your city like a visitor.

Omaha welcomed the Air Medical Transport Conference October 27 through 29 at CHI Health Center Omaha. Organized by the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS), the event has drawn about 1,700 attendees from across the United States and around the world. AAMS represents professionals in the air and ground critical care transport industry. The annual conference offers training sessions, an exhibit hall and networking opportunities focused on improving safety and patient care. Attendees are staying at downtown hotels, and with open evenings built into the schedule, many are exploring local restaurants and attractions during their free time. The conference brings national attention to Omaha while supporting local businesses and hospitality workers. It’s another sign that the city continues to soar as a top meetings destination.

Omaha has plenty of perfect places for a spooky selfie or a fall photo adventure. Eerie locations show off the city’s mysterious side. At Elmwood Park Grotto, the stone arches and stairways look like something from a haunted fairytale, especially at sunset. Prospect Hill Cemetery, one of Omaha’s oldest burial grounds, invites quiet reflection and maybe a glimpse of the ghostly woman in white said to walk the grounds. Across the river in Council Bluffs, visitors can wander through the labyrinth of Squirrel Cage Jail, one of the country’s last rotary jails. Back in Omaha, Joslyn Castle offers a moody backdrop that feels straight out of a Victorian ghost story. Brother Sebastian’s Steak House mixes candlelight and legend for a dining experience with a chill. In October, Dundee’s Halloween displays turn neighborhood streets into a showcase of spooky creativity. For more family-friendly scares, visit Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, where the dimly lit Kingdoms of the Night exhibit...

Visit Omaha is putting the city in the spotlight this week at IMEX America, a trade show for the global meetings and events industry. Three members of the Visit Omaha sales team, along with a partner from Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority (CHI Health Center Omaha), are meeting with about 100 convention and event decision-makers. That is twice as many people as last year. IMEX brings together 15,500 people, including 5,700 buyers and 3,500 exhibitors from around the world. Omaha’s booth highlights the city’s downtown growth and the convention district’s exciting updates. Visitors can learn about Omaha’s transformation and relax with a free chair massage between meetings, exemplifying that Omaha is Where Work & Play Meet.