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    Railswest Railroad Museum

    5.0 (2 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 4:00 pm

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    The Durham Museum

    The Durham Museum

    4.4
    (160 reviews)
    4.0 mi
    Established in 1975
    Free estimates

    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!

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    The Durham Museum
    The Durham Museum
    The Durham Museum

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    Historic General Dodge House

    Historic General Dodge House

    4.8
    (10 reviews)
    0.6 mi

    Dad and I visited the Historic General Dodge House as a bookend to our trip to the nearby Union…read morePacific Railroad Museum. The house was built in 1869 and stands near downtown Council Bluffs as a stunning (and refurbished) architectural marvel. This was the home of Grenville M. Dodge, a Union Army general, politician, and a major figure in the development of the railroads across the American West. He was also a trusted counsellor to Presidents (Grant and Lincoln) and even served a term in Congress. Whether you want to drive by, walk around, or lose a couple hours inside, this place is well worth the visit. Also, don't miss the August Beresheim House right next door.

    What a way to spend an afternoon in early November! When we walked up to the Beresheim House next…read moredoor to get tickets, we were immediately greeted and welcomed. What a way to set the stage for a wonderful tour. There were helpful movies to view, gifts to buy, and two lovely houses to see. Free parking across the street made access easy. The Dodge House was completed in 1869. The Victorian Age had traveled across to America; new inventions, ideas, exploration and expansion, and technology were on the rise. This growth and the industrial revolution can be witnessed throughout these museums. There are tour guides and pamphlets to take you back to the time period. The tour guides are well-educated in this period of history and explain details so thoroughly! The trees were in full autumn glory and Christmas decorations were going up! The tour guides are so knowledgeable. And the tour is amazing! The history, rooms, and antiques in this house are very interesting. So much to see; you'll want to come back again!

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    Historic General Dodge House
    Historic General Dodge House
    Historic General Dodge House

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    Joslyn Art Museum

    Joslyn Art Museum

    4.5
    (160 reviews)
    5.0 mi

    Apparently a relatively recent rebuild as of this writing, this art museum inhabits a majestic…read morespace. The roads leading to the parking include some counterintuitive one ways and you can (and I did) end up in a dead end, but it's generally not busy enough to prevent you from figuring it out. Entrance is free, with one exhibition being a separate paid ticket. I appreciated a substantial portion of the collection devoted to the Native American peoples of the region and the early expansion of the United States. Having said that, it was also a global collection. I gave myself an hour to view it and had to rush just to get a brief run of the place. Some of the modern art didn't really come off for me, but overall it was a thought-provoking collection. There was also a substantial educational component, with rooms being devoted to what looked like early childhood education and more of a summer camp for older children. The site was well known to everyone I talked to in the city, and clearly a significant local institution, but one worth visiting regardless of where you are from.

    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!

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    Kimchi grilled cheese sandwich
    Kimchi grilled cheese sandwich
    Pinocchio?
    Pinocchio?
    Niçoise salad

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    Niçoise salad
    Museum of Shadows

    Museum of Shadows

    3.1
    (36 reviews)
    4.2 mi

    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.

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    Museum of Shadows
    Museum of Shadows
    Museum of Shadows

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    Railswest Railroad Museum - museums - Updated August 2026

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