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Culture

What are Some Outdoor Activities in Omaha, Nebraska?

By Sheri Cyprus
Updated May 17, 2024
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Nebraska offers plenty of wide open spaces for outdoor enthusiasts, and there are many different outdoor activities in Omaha and surrounding areas. Cycling, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, ice skating, fishing, rollerblading, golf and bird watching are just some of the many great outdoor activities here. Wabash Trace Natural Trail, Eugene T. Mahoney State Park, Fontenelle Forest, Glenn Cunningham Lake and dozens of public golf courses are ideal places to have fun in Omaha.

Omaha is known for the Cox Classic PGA Tournament, and there are at least 36 public golf courses here. The courses include not only nine and 18 hole courses, but also 27 hole ones. During the spring and summer, several annual golf tournaments are held that the public can attend.

Glenn Cunningham Lake is popular for fishing, boating, and picnicking. The lake's recreation area has asphalt trails for cycling and hiking. Some trails at the Glen Cunningham Lake allow horseback riding.

Fontenelle Forest features both woodland and floodplain areas. It is located beside the Missouri River and hiking, bird watching, and wildlife viewing are popular pastimes here. There are also educational displays, rooms for events and receptions, and a boardwalk with wheelchair access.

Eugene T. Mahoney State Park offers camping, a water park and hiking trails. It's a popular place for year round outdoor activities. The park often has ice skating and ice fishing during the winter months. It's located in Ashland beside the Platte River.

Wabash Trace Natural Trail is made from converted railroad tracks with the tracks removed and a limestone surface added. The project was built with volunteer labor and donations and covers the old Wabash Railroad route from Omaha to St. Louis. Cities along the trail include Council Bluffs, Mineola, Silver City, Malvern, Shenandoah, Coin, Imogene, and Blanchard. It is popular for cycling, horseback riding, and walking, as well as cross-country skiing in the winter.

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Discussion Comments

By anon184066 — On Jun 07, 2011

Contact the Nebraska Adventure Group for more information about adventure activities in and around the Omaha Metro.

By cougars — On Dec 26, 2010

Whenever I make a trip to Omaha, I make sure to play golf. They have great golfing in Omaha, and the hotels in Omaha are reasonably priced as well. If you ever venture out there in the late spring, or early fall, the golf is great.

By highlighter — On Dec 25, 2010

When I was driving across country, I stopped at a cheap Omaha Hotel. We picked up one of those hotel fliers for the Omaha zoo, and it was one of our best stops on the trip. As far as zoos go, this one was amazing. It has a huge desert dome that was more than 100 feet tall, and had almost a quarter million square feet of desert exhibits. Underneath the desert exhibit was a huge recreation of a bayou swamp, complete with floating boardwalks and swamp huts. The zoo also had a cave exhibit that had actual stalagmites and stalactites dripping into a pit with all kinds of blind aquatic cave creatures.

Probably my favorite exhibit was the rain forest exhibit just within the gates. The exhibit is something like ten stories tall, and it is the world's largest indoor rain forest complete with rope bridges strewn across the jungle scenery. The zoo even had an Imax theater and plenty of places to relax and take in the sights. I would highly recommend this activity for anyone visiting Omaha.

By Alchemy — On Dec 23, 2010

The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge is one of my favorite Omaha attractions. The bridge is an almost mile long pedestrian bridge that spans the Missouri River, connecting Omaha to Council Bluffs. You can take a nice leisurely stroll or bike ride across state lines while perched almost 60 feet above the water. the bridge itself curves its way across the river, and is suspended between two 200 feet tall piles. It was only built a couple of years ago, and it is one of the best pedestrian bridges in the country.

There are also play and discovery areas on the Omaha side of the bridge with plenty of fun things for families to do. I like to go there in the early morning and walk across the bridge in the fog. This is a must see in Omaha.

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