Omaha
Downtown Omaha
Downtown Omaha runs from the Missouri River east to 24th Street west, and from Cuming Street north to Bert Murphy Ave. south. It's the city's business, arts, and entertainment core, home to the CHI Health Center Omaha, the Orpheum Theater, the riverfront parks along Gene Leahy Mall, and the Capitol District's restaurants and bars, with the Old Market sitting just south of the riverfront. You can catch a show, eat well, and walk it off along the river without leaving the district.
Where to Eat
J. Gilbert's Steakhouse
Serves steaks and seafood for dinner every night of the week.
Texas de Brazil
A Brazilian churrascaria: gauchos serve a continuous run of flame-grilled meats tableside, alongside a full salad bar.
Época Cantina
Serves street tacos on corn tortillas from its spot on the Capitol Ave. block between 10th and 12th Streets.
Nosh Restaurant and Wine Lounge
Runs a tapas menu and wine list; it's closed Sundays but open for lunch and dinner the rest of the week.
The Brunch Box
225 N. 12th St., in the Capitol District
Covers brunch, pizza, and frozen yogurt, with hours running past midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
Lula B's
Calls itself downtown's go-to breakfast and brunch hangout, open mornings into early afternoon, with hours running an hour later Friday through Sunday.
Where to Drink
Moe and Curly's
A karaoke bar open daily from early afternoon into the small hours.
Jewell on Capitol
A live-music and cocktail lounge, but it only opens Fridays and Saturdays, 6:30 to 11 p.m.
The Stuffed Olive
Calls itself the Capitol District's standout martini bar. It pours from 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday, until midnight Monday through Wednesday and 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.
Let It Fly
A sports bar where the kitchen closes at 10 or 11 p.m. even though the bar stays open until midnight or 2 a.m.
DJ's Dugout
Another sports-bar option at 10th and Capitol; hours are posted chain-wide as 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.
If you only have time for one stop, The Stuffed Olive's martini list and late hours make it the pick for a proper cocktail after dinner.
Shops Worth a Stop
Outside the Old Market, downtown's best shopping is in its museum shops.
The Shop
At the Joslyn Art Museum (2200 Dodge St.) sells museum-branded apparel and accessories, publications, postcards, prints, and gifts inspired by the collection.
The Hitchcock Museum Shop
At the Durham Museum (801 S. 10th St.), set inside Union Station's original ticket office, carries railroad memorabilia, kids' books and games, and one-of-a-kind pieces from local artisans.
- Also inside the Durham, its Soda Fountain and Candy Shop pours old-fashioned phosphates and stocks nostalgic, hard-to-find candy.
For general shopping (art, fashion, jewelry, gifts), the Old Market has its own retail scene.
Where to Stay
Omaha Marriott Downtown at the Capitol District
The Capitol District's own full-service hotel. It has a rooftop pool, an in-house Starbucks, and a 17,500-square-foot ballroom for events.
Magnolia Hotel Omaha
A boutique hotel close to the Holland Performing Arts Center and the Joslyn Art Museum.
Things to Do
The Old Market District
The Old Market is downtown's brick-street district for dining, nightlife, art, and shopping, anchored around 1105 Howard St. Its own association counts more than 45 restaurants and bars along those streets, plus a self-described "collection of working artists and galleries". Hours vary by business there, so check before you go; roughly 80% of Old Market businesses are accessible, and pets need to stay leashed. It's covered in full in the Old Market neighborhood guide.
Venues, Galleries, and Landmarks
Downtown's big performing-arts stages sit under Omaha Performing Arts: the Orpheum Theater (409 S. 16th St.), a former vaudeville house that's hosted local and national performing arts for nearly a century and seats 2,600; the Holland Performing Arts Center (1200 Douglas St.); Steelhouse Omaha (1100 Dodge St.); and the Tenaska Center for Arts Engagement (12th & Douglas St.), which runs classes, workshops, and camps for all ages and skill levels. The CHI Health Center Omaha (455 N. 10th St.) is the arena and convention center managed by the Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority. The Rose Theater is at 2001 Farnam St.
For museums and landmarks:
- The Durham Museum (801 S. 10th St.)
- The Joslyn Art Museum (2200 Dodge St.), closed Mondays and open late until 8 p.m. Thursdays
- The Kiewit Luminarium (345 Riverfront Dr.)
- The Omaha Children's Museum (500 S. 20th St.)
- The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge (705 Riverfront Dr.)
Art galleries cluster downtown too:
- Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts (724 S. 12th St.) is free to visit, though its galleries are temporarily closed for an exhibition install between exhibitions, so check its site before you go
- KANEKO (1111 Jones St.), $10 general admission, free for members and free to everyone during the First Friday event
- Garden of the Zodiac (1042 Howard St., second floor in The Passageway)
- Hot Shops Art Center (1301 Nicholas St.), just north of downtown in NoDo
- Fred Simon Gallery (1004 Farnam St.)
- Gallery 1516 (1516 Leavenworth St.)
- Artists' Cooperative Gallery (405 S. 11th St.)
The RiverFront and Gene Leahy Mall
Along the river, three connected parks make up The RiverFront: Gene Leahy Mall, Heartland of America Park, and Lewis and Clark Landing, an identity formed in 2018. Gene Leahy Mall runs from 13th to 8th Streets between Douglas and Farnam Streets and reopened to the public on July 1, 2022, after a renovation that added more than 40,000 square feet of lawn; it started out as Central Park Mall in the 1970s before Omaha renamed it for former Mayor Eugene A. Leahy. Heartland of America Park sits at 8th and Farnam, and Lewis and Clark Landing sits near the CHI Health Center Omaha and the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge; both reopened after their own renovations on August 18, 2023. The RiverFront is open daily from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. and free to enter, with an off-leash dog park near 8th and Douglas Streets and a seasonal splash feature, the Cascades, running 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily except Tuesdays — check that it's still running for the season. Heartland of America Park's Skate Ribbon runs year-round; rentals are $5 for adults and $4 for kids 12 and under.
Recurring Events and Markets
Downtown's galleries open together for the First Friday Art Walk, a self-guided tour on the first Friday of every month, 5 to 9 p.m. The Old Market also hosts the Omaha Farmers Market on Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at 11th and Jackson Streets, seasonally from spring through fall — check that it's still in season before you go.
What's on
Coming Up in Downtown Omaha
Getting There and Parking
Parking Options and Costs
Around the Old Market, metered parking runs Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Pay at a kiosk or through the free ParkOmaha app, which also helps you find a spot and extend your session from your phone. Drivers with a valid handicap placard or plate park free at meters, though time limits still apply. Nearby city-owned garages run $1–$2 an hour. For garage-specific rates and current details elsewhere downtown, check parkomaha.com or the ParkOmaha app directly.
Walking, Biking, Transit, and Rideshare
Getting around without a car is easy, too: Lime scooters and Heartland BCycle e-bikes are available throughout downtown through their own apps, and Metro's Omaha Rapid Bus Transit (ORBT) line runs east-west on Dodge Street between downtown and Westroads Mall, with fares paid through the Umo app or an Umo Smart Card. ORBT launched in November 2020 as what Metro calls the region's most significant transit investment in decades. Would rather someone else drive? Ollie the Trolley runs private and public tours of downtown sites.
A Little History
Downtown Omaha Inc., the business association that promotes the district today, was incorporated in 1968 after starting as a business group focused on parking, retail, promotion, and development. It's been at it for more than 50 years. The buildings and parks carry some of that same throughline. The Orpheum Theater has hosted performing arts for nearly a century since opening as a vaudeville house, and the riverfront project as a whole — Gene Leahy Mall, Heartland of America Park, and Lewis and Clark Landing — was funded by roughly $250 million from the Downtown Riverfront Trust and $50 million from the City of Omaha.
Plan a Visit
An Evening Out
Start with dinner on Capitol Ave.: J. Gilbert's Steakhouse or Texas de Brazil for a proper sit-down meal, Época Cantina if tacos sound better. Catch a show at the Orpheum Theater, the Holland Performing Arts Center, or Steelhouse Omaha. After the curtain, the Capitol District's bars are still going: The Stuffed Olive for cocktails, Moe and Curly's if you want the mic.
A Daytime Visit
Spend the morning at The RiverFront, free to walk and home to the Skate Ribbon running year-round at Heartland of America Park. Grab lunch at Lula B's or The Brunch Box before their early-afternoon close, then work through the galleries and museums: the Joslyn Art Museum, the Durham Museum, or KANEKO if you time it for a Thursday-through-Saturday afternoon. If it lands on the first Friday of the month, stick around for the Art Walk.
Between the riverfront, the theaters, and the Capitol District's bars, downtown gives you plenty of reasons to stick around after the sun goes down.