Family travel can add up fast. Tickets, lunch, parking, snacks and the gift shop. But there’s a cents-savvy solution to family fun just a day trip away. Omaha has free things to do, value-packed stops and neighborhoods worth exploring. Here’s how to stretch your dollar without skimping on the fun.
Start with the free stuff downtown
The RiverFront, 72-acres of green space downtown, runs from 14th and Farnam Streets east to the Missouri River, and all of it is free. Kids can climb the play structures, ride the slides and splash in cascading urban waterfalls. Pingpong equipment is out daily, and a lawn game cart often makes an appearance. Pack a lunch and eat on the grass, or seek shade under a gazebo. In summer, check The RiverFront’s event calendar before you go. Free concerts, movies and family programs happen most weeks.
Score bragging rights at the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge nearby. Walk to the state line marked at the middle of the bridge, stand in Nebraska and Iowa at once, and you’re officially “bobbing.” The bridge is free, open year-round and easy with a stroller.
See a world-class art museum for free
Admission at the Joslyn Art Museum is free for everyone, every day. The museum reopened in 2024 with a new building, more than 30 galleries and sculpture gardens where kids can roam. Even a quick hour is worth the stop, and parking is free too. The Joslyn sits just west of downtown at 2200 Dodge St., an easy add to a RiverFront morning.
Maximize your dollar-to-delight return
Some Omaha attractions charge admission but give you hours of fun per dollar. The Durham Museum fills a restored Art Deco train station. Kids can climb aboard old rail cars, and the visit ends with a malt at the original soda fountain. Lauritzen Gardens has 100 acres of trails and themed gardens, plus a model railroad that stops small children in their tracks. Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium costs the most among the attractions listed here, but it fills a full day, and you can bring your own lunch and water.
Don’t forget to redeem coupons from the Visit Omaha Savings Pack to make it even more affordable.
Explore Omaha neighborhoods
The Old Market costs nothing to wander. Brick streets, horse-drawn carriages, street musicians and shops full of things to see make it an afternoon on its own. Buy a scoop of ice cream and call it the day’s splurge. Monthly activations in neighborhoods throughout the city—First Fridays in Benson, Second Saturdays in Blackstone, Third Saturdays in Dundee—bring live music, art, vendors and food into the streets. Aksarben Village hosts summer concerts at Stinson Park on Saturdays, and Midtown Crossing has Jazz on the Green. Find more free fun on the Visit Omaha events calendar by selecting “free fun” in the categories section.
Get outside
Omaha’s parks stretch well past downtown. Zorinsky and Standing Bear lakes have free trails, playgrounds and fishing docks. Chalco Hills Recreation Area, just southwest of the city, has a 245-acre lake with paved paths. In summer, free splash pads run across town.
A sample budget day
Morning at The RiverFront and the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge: free. An hour at The Joslyn: free. Picnic lunch from home: the cost of groceries. Afternoon at The Durham Museum or Lauritzen Gardens: modest admission for the family. Ice cream in the Old Market: a few dollars. The whole day costs less than what many cities charge for parking and one attraction.
Want a tighter plan? Here’s how to enjoy the best of Omaha for under $50.
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