The Durham Museum is in the old Union Station. I'm glad they were able to preserve the building…read morebecause it really is spectacular. There are many permanent displays about Omaha history, and there are train cars you can walk through; enthusiastic docents are often there to answer any questions. There are temporary exhibits here as well, and in the summers they will have something cool that the whole family will enjoy. There are lots of programs here, many of them free with admission or membership. I do recommend getting a membership if you think you might want to come at least a couple times in a year. And you probably will want to! There is a soda fountain/snack bar area. The ice cream is great! The food is okay. It's a museum and not a lunch destination. The museum is located right next to Omaha's Old Market.

I was in town visiting and wanted to see how Omaha's Union Station compares to the one we have back…read morehome. It was built in 1931 in the Art Deco style and designed by LA architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood. The museum has lots of photographs and examples of materials used that would be a delight for all those interested in architecture. Downstairs was the train depot and where you can go inside and sit in the train cars. Most of the rooms appeared to be part of their permanent collection, but part of the downstairs area has rotating exhibits. The exhibit on display was "The Negro Motorist Green Book" which you may be familiar with if you watched the 2018 film "Green Book." I had a great time at the museum and would return, although check the calendar as I went when the NE SciFest going on and I prefer calmer museum visits. Still, definitely would recommend checking it out!

Life as a prisoner is not for me. There's a friendly…read moreattendant at the entrance to guide you and give info annoy the jail. Very interesting especially for my hubby and his friend.

This is a one of a kind place worth visiting. It was a revolving prison that was used from 1885 to…read more1969. It had 3 floors of pie-shaped cells inside a cage. The fourth floor was where the jailer and his family lived. The staff were very nice and knowledgeable about the place. This is not free but your $10 is definitely worth it. Their small gift shop (also were you check in) has shirts, pins, and magnets. This is walking distance from the Union Pacific Railroad Museum which is also another place to see in Council Bluffs.

This place is freaking awesome! We are visiting from Denver and I was so excited to visit. It…read moreabsolutely lived up to the hype! There were so many awesome artifacts and each item had its own notecard explaining the story. There were two of us and we used the black light flashlights and a spirit box, and it ran us $96. Price is a bit steep BUT the place was really cool and the staff is incredibly helpful and kind. The manager was giving us lots of stories on the building's history and some of the artifacts he actually helped retrieve! Such a special and fun experience, I can't recommend enough! Thank you, Museum of Shadows!

I REALLY wanted to love this place, as I LOVE all things paranormal, but sadly I was quite…read moredisappointed with this place, purely because of the lack of care and attention to detail. But because of how badly really wanted to love this place, I'm going to leave a super long review with points I really think could benefit you guys if you're open to it, and really help make this place flourish! So Each room we went into was just a big empty room, with a million cluttered artifacts lining the perimeter of each room, complete with the same laminated piece of paper typed up on word, accompanying literally every single item. So if someone wanted to read every single piece of paper in here, I have no doubts it would take AT LEAST 34 hours... And it's unfortunate bc they really did have a ton of awesome items with super interesting stories attached, but everytime you walk a couple more feet around the perimeter, you're again overwhelmed with the sheer amount of clutter/things to read. So I'd really recommend to the staff to try and change the layout of this place. Ideally the rooms would be smaller, so that you aren't overwhelmed by a big empty room. Even just some kind of cheap room dividers that simulate a divided up room would work. And the 2nd biggest recommendation I have would be changing up how you present information. At the very least that means just changing the sizes of the captions you have next to items, like making some of the captions in much bigger frames, and maybe keeping some small ones, there just needs to be more of a variety to keep the scene in front of your more interesting. And maybe don't have soo many captions that were excessively long, like you could sum up the item in just a couple sentences, and then save the entire detailed story about the item just for guided tours or something. Lastly- WHY IN THE WORLD DO YOU NOT LET PEOPLE USE THEIR PHONES? Don't you understand every time someone would take a pic of something in your museum and then post it on social media, that's LITERALLY FREE ADVERTISING for you! Trust me, you're only hurting yourself by not letting ppl share pics of their visit here.

Incredible property and amazing staff. The house is…read morebeautifully decorated and well-maintained, full of curious household items from the epoch. Even has a fully functional music box which guests can operate, as well as a cool small exhibit of Valentine Day cards from 1920s to 1950s. Exhibits of vintage purses and childrens' shoes were also interesting. Staff were very knowledgeable and visibly enjoyed educating about the house and surroundings. They were so exceptionally hospitable that even... offered us an ice cream!!! Can't recommend enough. Amazing piece of Omaha history and great staff.

Great meal and atmosphere was pleasing. We were on a bus trip to Omaha and this house was on the…read moretour. Learned a lot about General Crook and the house. Food was great and served hot! Even with a full house.

Me and my daughter took a tour to Washington DC. We had an excellent adventure that she will never…read moreforget. Great time and memories were created.

Amazing I highly recommended. Very Friendly and Understanding. I will 100% be using elite tours…read moreagain!!!!! Life Changing thank you guys

The Joslyn Art Museum as always hits it out of the park. Free admission to the main exhibits…read morealways. They also do free admission to the ticketed rotating section monthly (see their website for days/times). I especially love one of the traveling exhibits that is all sewn paper and resembles the ocean. I can't stop coming back to sit with the art! Super baby friendly if anyone needs a great some to stay cool/warm depending on the season while walking around to get your little one to nap . Art for you nap for them it's a win win! Their gift shop is also a really great spot to get a gift! Lots of free parking available. Most of it isnt shaded so pack your windshield shade if it's a hot day!

We are so lucky to have the Joslyn museum right here in Omaha. I've been to art museums all around…read morethe world, and this one stacks right up against them in terms of quality. I've been visiting the Joslyn since I was a child, and visiting as an adult brings back all those wonderful memories. The cool blue and green Storz Fountain art deco tile atrium, the amazing sculpture garden outside, and the temporary and permanent exhibits that are so thoughtfully curated. The Joslyn houses works from classic and modern artists like Monet, Basquiat, Jackson Pollock, Titian, Dale Chihuly, Bouguereau, Picasso, Renoir, Mary Cassatt, and Roy Liechtenstein, among so many more. They also feature several local artists and workshops that I think is so cool that they contribute to the local community in that way too. The Joslyn was closed for two years recently for expansion and restoration, as well as adding many more pieces of art to the collection. There are little signs on each new piece of art that says "New to the Collection" so you'll know you haven't seen that one before if you visited a lot before they closed and reopened. And what's really awesome aside from all that? It's free! I've only ever seen a museum of this caliber having free entrance in large European cities like London and Paris. You obviously are able to make a donation with your entrance, which I'm sure is encouraged to keep the museum running, but I love that it's offered freely for those who can't pay an entry fee but will benefit just like anyone else from the art housed there. I've seen comments here on Yelp saying that you can do this whole museum in 30 minutes. If you're doing that, you are absolutely doing it wrong and rushing through everything. My last visit was 3.5 hours long and I only saw two or three exhibit rooms. What's so great about this being a free museum is that you DON'T have to rush, because you can always come back later and see anything you didn't get to, in the first or second visit. With all the free things there are to do in Omaha, this has got to be at the top of the list, especially if you're an art lover!

Night Lite was SO COOL! I am a huge fan of the Night Lite…read morebecause it's low light, no screaming kids, and a DJ! It was about $20 for a non member and $15 for members!

This is a really fun science museum that is guaranteed to entertain your family. We spent a few…read morehours here on a Thursday in Omaha and my six year old had a blast. Our 16 mo old had fun too, but there is a lot to do for kids between the ages of 5-12. We all had fun walking around learning with some of the exhibits, and the indoor playground upstairs was a big hit. Our toddler even took a little nap while we were there in the comfy chairs upstairs so that was a win for us! Overall it's a new building, filled with fun things to explore, and definitely worth the visit if you're in Omaha. I'd say that especially if you're visiting when it's hot or cold outside this place would be ideal as it's perfectly air conditioned indoors.

The Golden Spike Monument represents the eastern terminus [starting point] of the Union Pacific…read moreRailroad which then extended westward to form the transcontinental railroad. Abraham Lincoln visited this area in 1859 and later chose Council Bluffs to begin the rail line. The Union Pacific met the Central Pacific Railroad (which began from the western terminus in Sacramento, CA) at Promontory Point, Utah in 1869 where a golden spike ceremony took place. Coincidentally, I lived in Sacramento for many years and visited the excellent California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento several times. In addition, in my youth, my family visited Promontory Point and I made another visit several years ago. I can now state that I have seen all sides of the transcontinental railroad story. This site needs some care -- small gravel parking lot has potholes, monument needs some touch-up paint, and some informational markers would be helpful. Meanwhile, I highly recommend that anyone who wants historical information about the Golden Spike should visit the Union Pacific Railroad Museum which is located next to Bayliss Park in downtown Council Bluffs!

This attraction is one of those oddities that I just had to see. It is located in a little park…read morearea with benches, and a picnic table nearby. There is free street parking within a reasonable walking distance. The monument is located in the center of a plot of green space that is well maintained. The monument is enclosed by a fence and and has a paved walkway around it. The monument marks Milepost 0.0 of the eastern terminus of the Union Pacific Railroad and sits where a transfer and passenger station sat. It also, to a minor extent, is meant to address the controversy between Council Bluff and neighboring Omaha over where the railroad actually begin. Apparently, the dispute was bad enough that it had to be taken to court. The monument soars to 59 feet and weighs 243,200 pounds. It took 10 days to construct and was completed on April 26, 1939, which coincided with the premiere of the film "Union Pacific." The spike appears to be in great shape, especially considering its age. It is definitely worth a peak if you are in the area. Well, as with most monuments and memorials that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 10 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. You will find the Lincoln Monument nearby.