Omaha? Is it on your radar? After reading this book I think it should be on everybody’s radar.
How did I come to read this book? Well, let me tell you.
Several years ago I was able to go on a fabulous blogger weekend in Franklin County in Iowa. Now many of you might think that Iowa and other midwestern states have little to offer but you would be wrong. They are rich in beauty and offer a lot of great activities and sight seeing. There is a huge effort to boost midwest tourism and this book is just one part of it.
While I was on this blogger trip (you can read just one of my posts about that trip by clicking here) I met a wonderful blogger couple, Tim and Lisa Trudell. Tim and Lisa reside in southwest Omaha and write about their travels on their blog The Walking Tourists. They are a very talented couple and combine their writing and photography skills to help inform their readers about all things travel. I love a well written travel blog and Tim and Lisa have accomplished that without a doubt.
When I found out that they were going to be writing a book I was excited and bought a copy as soon as it was available. I was thrilled when an autographed copy made its way to my mailbox and sat down right then and checked it out. Tim and Lisa have nailed it with their first book 100 Things to Do in Omaha Before You Die.
Tim and Lisa have shared Omaha – the Gateway to the West – in great detail and have introduced their readers so some of the less known “attractions” of their culturally rich area. That is what I love about this book. There are so many great spots that they have written about that I want to visit.
The book is divided into topics so it is very easy to find something of interest for everyone. Topics include Food and Drink, Music and Entertainment, Sports and Recreation, Culture and History, Shopping and Fashion and Natural Beauty. Going to any of those chapters allows the reader to focus in on items of interest under those headings in an easy to find format. Addresses and contact information are also included under each entry .
Lovely illustrations and black and white photography grace the pages and I was especially enamored with the Tip and Fun Fact pages that are interspersed between the informative pages. The formatting of the book makes it a very easy read and fun to pick up and bookmark places to visit. I can not say enough about the design of this book. It is so easy to read and with just the right amount of description of each place or event it leaves plenty of room for the reader to start their adventure from a single page.
Omaha is the home to many famous people including Henry Fonda, Fred Astaire, Marlon Brando and Warren Buffet but it is oh so much more. Did you know that at The First National Bank Tower people actually line up to climb forty floors to “Trek the Tower” as part of a fundraising event?
I love the section in the back that gives ideas for trip planning. Genius!
How about dining with raccoons? Tim suggested that since I love animal selfies (which he witnessed in person as I took a picture with pigs and goats during the Franklin County bloggers tour) that I might like to dine at the Alpine Inn where the owners feed feral cats and raccoons nightly a feast of table scraps and more and capture a selfie. Guests at the restaurant can view the feast seated next to large viewing windows and witness a tradition that the owners unwittingly began in the 1970’s when they started throwing the scraps out to the hungry woodland creatures. However I think my first stop might be to Alpacas of the Heartland where I can hug an alpaca. Just saying.
If you have never thought of visiting Omaha I think you should rethink that. I know after reading 100 Things to Do in Omaha Before You Die I am ready to plan a trip to this amazing midwestern destination.
Congratulations to Tim and Lisa for their debut book and for allowing others to explore the midwest and all that it has to offer. Please feel free to follow them on their social media networks that I list below.
Have you been to Omaha? What would you recommend to visitors? Don’t forget to Comment for a Cause for Friends of Hunting Island. You can read more about that here.
100 Things to do in Omaha Before You Die (You can purchase the book here.)
10 Comments
Leave a commentNever thought about going to Omaha before… but now I know of 100 things to do, I’ll have to put it in the bucket list!
I know–right? So many fun places to visit and things to see and do. And dare I say –eat!!!
No recommendations for visitors, but I have a serious one for Omaha: Ban glyphosate (and the GMO corn it’s dumped on).
I have celiac relatives who’d like to visit more distant relatives, some of whom share the celiac gene, in the Midwest before they have to take retirement seriously. (Mother and a cousin, both over 80.) Considering how much of the food is saturated with this poison and how it affects celiacs, I can’t recommend that they travel…they have enough glyphosate-related problems where they are.
(Low-grade glyphosate-related problems may look like age-related problems to some people. We know they’re not because teenaged celiacs have the same problems.)
When relatives report that staying gluten-free is keeping them healthy and/or that they no longer need to try to eat gluten-free, I know two people who will probably rent a van and head west.
I don’t really expect, but would love, to hear that that’s being made possible *this year*!
Thanks for your thoughts, Pricilla.
Great book and I love all the connections that have been from that Franklin County Bloggers Tour through the years!
I know! It has been such a great thing to see how all the relationships from those tours have kept going over the years!
Well, I’ve been through Omaha twice, but honestly, didn’t think to stop there and look around much. Who knew???
I know! It certainly opened my eyes!
This is so fitting. I was just talking to a friend yesterday who went with her family to the zoo on Omaha. I thought, “I need to think about Omaha as a travel destination.” Now this book review inspires me even more.
I agree about the Midwest having much to see. It’s often overlooked.
Tim and Lisa have done an amazing job with this book. Honestly it is one of the best guides I have read and I have checked out quite a few. You definitely need to follow them and get hooked up with their Midwest Travel blogs—they do a lot on Facebook but you should definitely get linked to them since you write such great Midwest posts.