Omaha
North Omaha
North Omaha centers on two corridors, North 24th Street and North 30th Street, running through the Highlander neighborhood and historic Florence. It's home to Omaha's Black history and arts institutions and to Big Mama's Kitchen & Catering, a soul food restaurant now in its second generation, with recipes the family has kept for more than a century. Pick a corridor, and you'll find enough to fill an afternoon or an evening.
History, Redlining, and Revitalization
Highlander, the neighborhood around North 30th Street that Seventy Five North has worked to redevelop since 2011, is one of Omaha's oldest neighborhoods and was once part of a thriving hub of economic activity. By the organization's own account, the effects of redlining, urban renewal, and subsequent decline took a staggering toll on the business sector. Today, Seventy Five North frames its commercial core as one that supports local, BIPOC, and women-owned businesses.
Fair Deal Village Marketplace, the shipping-container marketplace on North 24th Street, sits on the footprint of the former Fair Deal Café, a spot once frequented by civil rights-era figures like Jesse Jackson and known as "Omaha's Black City Hall".
Florence carries its own history further back. Mormon pioneers first built the Florence Mill in 1846 during their stay at Winter Quarters, and the Mormon Trail Center at Winter Quarters preserves that chapter of westward migration today.
Where to Eat
North 24th Street
Jackson's Fair Deal Café
Operates inside the Fair Deal Village Marketplace. It's closed Tuesday and Wednesday; check the site for the rest of the week's hours.
North 30th Street and Highlander
Big Mama's Kitchen & Catering
A family-owned soul food restaurant, now in its second generation, serving oven-fried chicken, catfish, classic Southern sides, and its own Sweet Potato Pie Ice Cream. Saturday is breakfast only, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.; check the site for the rest of the week's hours. Our pick: get the oven-fried chicken, then time your visit to the first Wednesday of the month, when the restaurant hosts The Hungry Club, a free monthly community meal and conversation open to the public.
Time Out Foods
By its own account, one of the oldest Black-owned businesses in North Omaha — a fried chicken restaurant first established by the Swanson Corporation in 1969 and family-owned and operated since 1971. It's closed Sunday and Monday; check the site for the rest of the week's hours.
Hardy Coffee Co.
Has a Highlander location at 2112 N. 30th St., one of four neighborhood coffee shops under the Hardy name alongside downtown, Benson, and Chalco locations. It's open daily; check the site for hours.
16th and Carter Boulevard
NiteHawkes Cafe
At the corner of 16th and Carter Boulevard. It has been a family-owned Omaha staple since 1942, now run by a fourth generation of the Hawkes family. Check for hours.
Florence
Zesto Ice Cream & Grill
Has scooped ice cream in Florence for more than 70 years, run by the same family the whole way.
Cups Café
Calls itself more than a coffee shop, a hub for connection and community growth in North Omaha. It's reservation-only now, not a walk-in coffee shop: the space opens for events and gatherings by reservation Monday through Saturday, and stays closed Sunday.
Shops Worth a Stop
Fair Deal Village Marketplace
A set of shipping containers reimagined as eight micro-retail spaces for local entrepreneurs, open since 2016 on the footprint of the former Fair Deal Café.
Micro Market
Run by No More Empty Pots. It sells fresh food and artisanal products from local producers and entrepreneurs across the state and region. It's open Friday and Saturday, noon to 4 p.m.
Things to Do
The Malcolm X Memorial Foundation (malcolmxfoundation.org) (3448 Evans St.) preserves the 17-acre birthsite of Malcolm X, created in 1971 by Rowena Moore. Public hours are limited, with tours by appointment; check the site before you go. The foundation also holds an Annual Malcolm X Birthday Celebration.
North 24th Street
By the North Omaha Visitors Center's account, North 24th Street has hosted some of the greats in American jazz history and remains a home for the arts today.
The Great Plains Black History Museum (gpblackhistorymuseum.org) (2221 N. 24th St.) was founded in 1975 by Bertha Calloway to share African American history with the Omaha community. Its mission is to preserve, educate, and exhibit the contributions of African Americans, with an emphasis on the Great Plains region. It's open Wednesday through Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m., with private tours available by appointment.
The Union for Contemporary Art
A gallery and studio co-op founded in North Omaha. You can catch its studios and gallery on varied hours across the week; check the site for the current schedule.
General Crook House Museum
The Douglas County Historical Society's historic house museum, with self-guided tours and no reservation required; admission is $10 for adults. It's open daily — weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekends 1 to 4 p.m.
North Omaha Music & Arts (NOMA)
Runs as a creative academy for area youth and an entertainment venue, and it holds an annual NOMAFEST benefit concert that brings in award-winning musical talent from across America to raise funds for the organization.
Culxr House
An arts and cultural center that's served the North Omaha community since 2018, with a weekly hip-hop fitness class and a recurring open mic night. Its posted hours are simply "open for events and activities," so check the calendar and plan your visit around one.
Want someone else to do the driving? The North Omaha Visitors Center (northomahavisitorscenter.com) runs a bookable bus tour that covers North 24th Street, the North 30th Street corridor, and the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation.
North 30th Street and Highlander
Highlander is the neighborhood Seventy Five North, a nonprofit established in 2011, has focused on redeveloping. The Venue at Highlander is a flexible event space for parties, weddings, and conferences, with complimentary parking on site. Highlander also hosts weekly yoga and fitness classes.
Florence
The Historic Florence Mill sits at the intersection of North 30th St. and Interstate 680. Mormon pioneers first built the mill in 1846 during their temporary residence in Nebraska at Winter Quarters, now Florence, and it was later taken apart, rebuilt, and moved. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Mormon Trail Center at Winter Quarters (3215 State St.) is a visitors' center with exhibits on the westward migration of Latter-day Saints, built on the historic Winter Quarters site. It's open daily, though Sundays start later, at 1 p.m., and it's closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.
Miller Park
Miller Park
A free public park in the heart of North Omaha, open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., with a dog park, splash pad, basketball and pickleball courts, a golf course, and walking paths. Community events such as Music at Miller Park bring neighbors together outdoors.
What's on
Coming Up in North Omaha
Getting There and Parking
Metro Transit (ometro.com), Omaha's transit agency, groups a set of its bus routes on its own site under a "North Omaha Routes" category. Riding in on two wheels works too: bikes ride free on every Metro bus and Omaha Rapid Bus Transit (ORBT) vehicle, all equipped with racks, and Heartland B-cycle bike-share bikes are accommodated the same way.
Check posted signs wherever you park.
Plan a Visit
A Daytime Visit
Start on North 24th Street: walk through the Great Plains Black History Museum or The Union for Contemporary Art, grab lunch at Jackson's Fair Deal Café inside the marketplace, and browse the shipping-container shops next door. From there, head to Florence for a stop at the Mormon Trail Center at Winter Quarters.
A Second Daytime Plan
For a second stop, swing through Highlander for a plate at Big Mama's Kitchen & Catering and coffee at Hardy Coffee Co., or time your visit to the first Wednesday of the month for The Hungry Club.
Pick a corridor, pick a plate, and give the visit more than an hour. North Omaha rewards it.