Saturday, November 7 is one of those rare fall weekends when the free family options outnumber the hours. The trick is not finding something to do. It is picking a lane so nobody melts down in the car. Here is how we would split the day, depending on where you live and how old your kids are. Every time and price below comes from the organizer’s own page, checked Friday afternoon.
Early birds: Papillion before lunch
Fall for Papillion runs 9 a.m. to noon outside Sump Memorial Library, 222 N. Jefferson St. The Papillion Area Historical Society and the library are hosting it, and the library calls it a free celebration with prairie life demos and old-fashioned field games for all ages. It is outdoors, so layers matter more than snacks.
If the kids still have fuel, Game On at the Landing is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Chrysalis Rooms at the Papillion Landing Digital Library, 1046 W. Lincoln St. The library bills it as fun for all ages and drop-in. No fee is listed, but the page does not say free, so check at the desk.
Parade people: Bellevue at 10, Council Bluffs at 11
Two Veterans Day parades step off Saturday morning, an hour apart, on opposite sides of the river. You can only do one well.
Nebraska’s Official Veterans Day Parade starts at 10 a.m. on Mission Avenue in Olde Towne Bellevue, with the grandstand at 209 W. Mission Ave. The Bellevue Chamber of Commerce says there is no charge to attend as a spectator. Mission Avenue curbs fill early, so arrive with time to park and walk.
The Council Bluffs Veterans Day Parade lines up at 9th Avenue and Main Street and steps off at 11 a.m., per the organizer’s site. One note for planners: a city calendar listed a different time and corner, and we went with the organizer. If you have a veteran in the family, this one is worth a conversation on the drive about why the day exists.
Little kids: storytime with a side of art
Omaha Public Library’s Out and About Storytime lands at The Joslyn, 2200 Dodge St., from 11 to 11:30 a.m. It is aimed at preschoolers, though all ages are welcome, and it folds in songs, movement and one piece from the collection. It is part of the museum’s monthly Art-tastic Saturdays, so the galleries are right there when the half hour is up.
Bigger kids: animals and gardens
For ages 6 to 12, the library’s Winter Wildlife Survival program with Nebraska Wildlife Rehab runs 2 to 3 p.m. at the Benson Branch, 6015 Binney St. It is free, but registration is required, so call 402.444.4846 first. A caregiver has to stay for the hour.
Curious By Nature runs 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday in Sofia’s Play Garden at Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft St. No registration needed, but this is not a free outing: regular garden admission applies unless you are members. In bad weather it moves to the Play Garden classroom near the family restrooms.
How we would do it
South metro with preschoolers: Fall for Papillion at 9, Bellevue parade at 10, home for naps. Midtown with a 4-year-old: Joslyn storytime at 11 and a slow lap through the galleries. Grade-schoolers who love animals: Lauritzen in the morning, Benson at 2 if you got a seat. Iowa side: the Council Bluffs parade at 11, then lunch.
More options, all checked against primary sources, are on our This Weekend and Free pages.
Sources: Papillion Public Library, Fall for Papillion; Papillion Landing, Game On; Bellevue Chamber of Commerce; Council Bluffs Veterans Day Parade; Omaha Public Library, Out and About Storytime; Omaha Public Library, Winter Wildlife Survival; Lauritzen Gardens. Checked November 6, 2026, 4:20 p.m. CT.
