Weekend getaways and microtrips are a great way to do more exploring. We recently enjoyed a quick weekend getaway to the compact and historic city of St. Augustine, Florida. Below are our recommendations from that trip. Spending six weeks living and working remotely in Savannah, …
Last January and February B and I headed to the southern coast for the second half of winter. We both love Idaho winters: skiing, snowshoeing, and watching fluffy white flakes of snow fall while bundled up in a blanket drinking hot chocolate. However, after a …
Why work and travel in Omaha, Nebraska? I have three reasons for you: midwest nice (it’s a real thing), tasty food (except for something awful called a Runza) and sports (I have never seen volleyball fans like I saw in Nebraska). But wait…there’s more!
R and I spent four weeks in August and September working and traveling in Omaha, Nebraska. Omaha is just one stop on our digital nomad journey the past couple of years.
“Why Omaha?” We got asked this question a lot whenever we told people we were headed to Omaha for a month. The easy answer: “Why not?” The more complicated answer: “We like random or unconventional travel experiences. And also, when we were looking for places to work and travel for a month somewhere (anywhere) in the U.S. this fall, we had a hard time finding a place that met all of our filter requirements (e.g. wifi, two bedrooms, etc.). We finally found a couple of places that fit the bill. One was in Omaha and one was in Wichita. We basically flipped a coin and settled on Omaha.”
I am a firm believer that every destination has something unique and fun to offer. Nebraska is no exception and I look back on working and traveling in Omaha with fondness.
What to do when you are not working in Omaha, Nebraska
This is not a comprehensive list of things to do. But these are things that show up the most when you do a little research on what to do in Omaha. We tried almost all of them out and can concur that they are worth your time.
Head to the river. The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge takes you from Nebraska to Iowa in just a few minutes. Make sure you take a picture with one foot in Nebraska and one foot in Iowa since that is what all of the cool kids do. And keep your eye out for the troll that lives beneath the bridge.
Take a walk and ride the slides. Close to the bridge are several nice parks and a path along the river. They make for a nice walk or bike ride. And if you are feeling a little adventurous, the downtown slides are a good time.
Explore the zoo. I am not the biggest zoo person. But every list we read and every person we talked to said we had to check out Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. It was impressive and I especially enjoyed the desert dome. Oh, and the puffins. Anytime I get to see puffins I am happy.
Wander the Old Market area. This is definitely the trendy area of Omaha, but it’s cute. There are a lot of fun shops and restaurants to enjoy.
Get cultured at the Joslyn Art Museum. Sadly, it was closed for renovations while we were there. But even the outside was beautiful.
Not-so-obvious things to do in Omaha
When we combine work and travel and stay more than a week in one location, we get the time and opportunity to see and experience more than the typical visitor. Lucky us! While living in Omaha, we enjoyed:
Touring the Joslyn Castle and Gardens. This castle was close to our house so it was easy enough to walk over and take a tour. The last place I ever expected to take a tour of a castle was Omaha. But why not?
Watching a volleyball game at Creighton University. Volleyball is BIG in Nebraska and it was a lot of fun to root for the home team.
Attending a concert at the Waiting Room Lounge in Benson. Lucky for us, American Aquarium was in town and we sang our little hearts out.
Visiting St. Cecilia Cathedral. This is an impressive cathedral both from the inside and the outside. It is worth a looksee if you have the time.
Visiting the Mormon Trail Center at Winter Quarters. This was a major stop and moment in history for the pioneers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The visitor center is well done and the volunteers are both nice and well informed.
Find the Oregon Trail Memorial Rock. It’s a big rock in front of a house. A piece of history in the middle of an ordinary neighborhood.
Accommodations for working and traveling in Omaha
We stayed in the Bemis Park area. This area is one of the oldest in Omaha and is known for its historic houses, many which have a sign out front stating the year the house was built. I enjoyed walking around the neighborhood and seeing all of the old houses. It is a bit of walk to any sort “scene” though. So if you like close restaurants and shops, you may want to look elsewhere.
Dundee, Benson and Blackstone are popular neighborhoods, for good reason. There are also some not-so-great areas. Make sure to do your research. I found this article about Omaha’s different neighborhoods, written by some real estate company, to be very helpful.
Tasty (and not-so-tasty) bites in Omaha, Nebraska
If you work and travel in Omaha for a month like we did, you are going to need to eat. Here is our assessment of the food scene in Omaha:
Steak is popular in Omaha for obvious reasons. We got one at Gorat’s, a well-known establishment that our Uber driver recommended. We did not eat at every steakhouse, so I cannot say if it was the best. But it was a good steak and a good experience (even if the decor was a little dated).
A runza is kind of like a pizza pocket, but not as tasty. I don’t think either of us will ever try one again. But the locals are passionate about these and you should at least try it out.
Did you know the reuben sandwich hails from Omaha? That is the rumor anyway. Since I do not like any part of a reuben, it was a hard no for me. But R enjoyed one from Crescent Moon, a corner tavern in Midtown.
Ice cream is a definite thing in Nebraska. It probably has something to do with all of the cows. We enjoyed a treat from both Coneflower in Blackstone and eCreamery in Dundee. Both were delicious.
Lisa’s Radial Cafe is an old-school dinner serving up good food. The line can get a little long on the weekends. But since we were staying nearby, we got to walk over when the crowds were not so busy.
Right next to Lisa’s Radial Cafe is Sweet Magnolias Bake Shop. It is a great stop if you are looking for something sweet.
The shopping situation in Omaha
A work and travel in Omaha experience would not be ideal for R and me without a little shopping. Below are a few places we recommend:
Millwork Commons is located a little north of downtown. It is a collective of artists who work and sell their wares. Not every workshop and store was open when we visited, but plenty were. And it was neat to see so many artisans in one location.
Before traveling to Omaha, I heard about the great selection of antiques to be found there. Sadly, I did not do as much antique shopping as I would have liked. But you should!
Artifact is a great little store and workshop that is definitely worth a visit. I could not stop myself from picking up the cutest mustard yellow tote.
The farmer’s market downtown is like a lot of downtown farmer’s markets (i.e. a good time). I had a biscuit that blew my mind.
Another fun market in Omaha is the Gifford Park Neighborhood Market on Friday nights. It is small but lively.
One of my favorite finds in Omaha came from the grocery store. Nebraska Star Beef makes a line of spices and their SPG (salt, pepper and garlic) got me all sorts of excited. I have carried this with me from place to place since leaving Omaha. It is just about out and I figure it is time to order some more.
Getting around Omaha, Nebraska
Since Omaha is a ways from Idaho, we were without wheels during our time there. I found Omaha to be a walkable city, but it is a big city. And there are hills. Lots of hills. Most of Nebraska may be flat, but Omaha is not.
The public transportation system is decent and you can use an app to get around easy enough. The biggest downside is that not all of the routes run on Sundays. We found this out the hard way after getting stranded on a street corner west of town. Thank goodness for Uber.
Omaha, like most cities, has rental programs for electric scooters and bicycles. The scooters are fun and especially nice on the hills. R got a monthlong subscription for the local bike share and rode an ebike when heading into downtown. It’s important to look up docking stations if you are interested in this and make sure they are convenient to where you want to be in. In Omaha, it was sort of convenient. In Philly, totally convenient.
It was a little tough not having a car, particularly with grocery shopping. We made do with Uber rides and small loads, but it was not ideal. If you can drive or get your hands on a car to work and travel in Omaha, I recommend you do so.
We did rent a car one weekend to explore parts of Nebraska outside of Omaha. It was a nice change of pace to be able to go where we wanted when we wanted. And we made sure to pick up some groceries while we had the car.
What to see outside of Omaha
If you ever get the chance to work and travel in Omaha, you may want to rent a car for the day or a weekend. The following spots are not too far from Omaha and worth the trip:
Visit Lincoln, Nebraska, and tour the capitol building. This capital building is very unique looking and quite interesting. Tours are free. I particularly enjoyed the old-school elevator ride and view of Lincoln from the top of the tower.
Catch a Nebraska football game. We picked up Huskers shirts before the game so we fit into the sea of red. It was an experience catching the first home game of the season. These folks sure do love their team.
Hit up the Nebraska State Fair. Lucky for us, it was fair time while we were there and we spent an enjoyable day wandering the livestock barns, eating fair food and people watching.
Lessons learned working and traveling in Omaha
As mentioned above, it is important to think about bike docking stations and bus stops if you don’t have a car when picking a place to stay. R gets a little stir crazy if she feels stranded and Omaha was borderline stranded-making.
Funny things about Omaha (and Nebraska)
They brag about their corn. In fact, we saw a shirt that said, “Iowa has bad corn.” I had no idea that was such a sick burn, but I do now. Also, I have never seen so much corn at a fair before (you know, the kind that gets judged).
Summary
Omaha, Nebraska, might not be an obvious spot to choose to work and travel in the U.S. But as you can see, it has a lot to offer. The people are nice, the food is tasty and there were more than enough activities and things to see to keep us entertained for a month. Do not discount Omaha, Nebraska, the next time you are looking for a random place to see and explore.
Whether you call it digital nomading, location independent, extreme remote work or something else, this not-so-new lifestyle is something that a lot of new people are choosing. My best friend and I are two such people. We are living and working remotely from various places …
The Idaho State Parks Challenge consists of visiting all of Idaho’s state parks in one year. We made up this challenge to see a bit more of our beautiful state and help alleviate the restlessness caused by Covid-19 travel restrictions. It was maybe the best …
When B and I started our Idaho State Parks Challenge we were a little confused on how many state parks there actually are in Idaho. It seems like this should be pretty clear. So our first step was to get a list of all of the state parks. Imagine our confusion when we saw different numbers listed for the total number of Idaho State Parks in different publications! I reached out to the Idaho State Parks department to get to the bottom of the discrepancy. It turns out there are a few parks that have flip-flopped between being on the list and off the list over the years. If you look in Idaho State Code, you’ll see 30 parks listed. However, the Idaho Park and Recreation website lists the number at 27, which includes two trails.
Four “parks” you may see listed on literature but no longer make the cut are Veterans Memorial State Park, Mowry State Park, Glade Creek State Park, and Malad Gorge State Park.
The Parks
Veterans Memorial State Park: this park has been turned into a city park in Garden City/Boise. It is right on the Boise River and has access to the Greenbelt. There are playgrounds, bathrooms, picnic areas, and lots and lots of grass. In one area there is a tribute to veterans, and different vet’s names are written on bricks. I’m partial to this particular park because my dad’s name is on a brick (Go Pops!).
Mowry State Park: this teeny former state park is only accessible by a boat now. It is essentially a campground. We weren’t able to actually go there, but from where we stayed in Harrison we figured we could see it across the Lake Coeur d’Alene.
Glade Creek State Park: This former state park can be found on the stunning Highway 12 between Missoula, Montana, and Kooskia, Idaho. The park is now basically a campground. It will be pretty clear when you visit here why this area was a state park for a hot minute. The Lochsa River is one of Idaho’s prettiest, and that is a bold statement given Idaho’s stockpile of gorgeous rivers.
Malad Gorge State Park: this park got absorbed into the Thousand Springs State Park. If you are ever driving across southwest Idaho on I-84, you will drive over the gorge. However, you need to pop off the freeway and walk over to fully experience this deep canyon.
Conclusion
We’ve learned a lot about Idaho State Parks during 2020, and were able to see the great, not quite as great, and average parks throughout the state. While we didn’t physically step foot in every one of our four missing Idaho state parks, we can understand why they didn’t quite make the cut, mainly due to size. This is not to say you shouldn’t go visit! Like we learned at Harriman State Park (neighbor to Yellowstone National Park), sometimes it is better to be the unassuming neighbor with all the perks and not as many people.
Note: we visited Idaho State Parks as part of our Idaho State Parks Challenge. The challenge consists of visiting all of Idaho’s state parks in one year. We made up this challenge to see a bit more of our beautiful state and help alleviate the restlessness caused by Covid-19 travel restrictions. Feel free to join the challenge!
State Park Overview Ponderosa State Park is in McCall, Idaho, which is two and a half hours north of Boise. Boiseans enjoy this park in all seasons, with hiking, boating, cross country skiing and mountain biking accessible in a pretty area. Pros: Lots to do …
Learn a little history or ride a jet boat at the lowest point in Idaho (733 feet) when you visit Hells Gate State Park. The name sounds a lot less inviting than this park actually is. State Park Overview Hells Gate State Park is located …
Heyburn State Park is Idaho’s and the Pacific Northwest’s first state park. Created in 1908 (or 1911, depending on who you ask), this park on the banks of Lake Coeur d’Alene set a great example for parks to come.
State Park Overview
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Heyburn State Park is located at the southern end of Coeur d’Alene Lake, where the St. Joe River feeds into the lake. Technically, there are a lot of lakes merging in this area. But to a layman (me), it all seems like Coeur d’Alene Lake. You can relax and soak up the scenery of pines trees and idyllic lakefront property. Boating activities abound.
Pros:
Interesting history with the CCC
Nice lake activities
Chill swim areas
Cons:
Road construction (to be fair, this is only a problem in 2020 most likely)
Pretty crowded
If you live in Coeur d’Alene, you pass a lot of nice areas that look a lot like this on your way to this park
What To Do
Boat
Swim
Paddleboard
Amenities
The park and rec’s site lists the usual suspects for amenities in this park, but also has quite of variety for water activities, including non-motorized boat rentals and boat ramps. There is also a store with gasoline and some unusual lodging opportunities, including cottages and cabins.
Crowd situation
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
There are a few different places you can visit the park. We went with the Rocky Point area and there were not that many people at the beach. The other ones might be more popular.
Unique to Heyburn State Park
Being the first state park in Idaho is pretty cool. Only one park gets that distinction.
A little history about Heyburn State Park
In the early 1900s, Idaho’s congressional Senator Weldon Heyburn pushed real hard to get a national park in this area. His bill didn’t quite make it through Congress though. At the time, the feds were breaking up the Coeur d’Alene reservation and land that was a part of that would eventually be turned into Heyburn State Park. But don’t feel super sorry for Mr. Heyburn; he also got a mountain and town named after him.
In the 1930s and 1940s the Civilian Conservation Corps came to the area and built up the park. We saw the Rocky Point Lodge they built, which looks very good for its age.
We decided paddle boarding at Heyburn State Park would be a fun way to see this area and also get a little more experience on paddle boards. There are a few different places that have places that have beach areas that we could start at, but we decided to launch our boards at Rocky Point. Rocky Point Lodge was right next to the parking lot; we couldn’t go in, but we took a peak-see around and it was super cool.
We were both successful at not tipping our boards over and we were able to follow along the edge of the water. In the distance, we could see the Chatcolet Bridge, which we would ride our tandem bike over the following day as part of the Coeur d’Alene trail. The paddle boarding was very nice and a good place for beginners (which I am). I didn’t tip over once and there weren’t that many boats to send wakes that would threaten my balance too much. We saw a bunch of boat slips, so this place could probably get pretty busy, but we didn’t see that much traffic.
There was a nice grassy area where we could fill and empty our paddle boards (they are inflatable) that was close distance to the car and water, so we didn’t have to carry them far.
Conclusion
Heyburn State Park, on the opposite end of Coeur d’Alene Lake from Coeur d’Alene, is a nice alternative to hanging out in Coeur d’Alene. It is more secluded and has a more outdoorsy, camping feel while not being too far away from the city.
Note: we visited Heyburn State Park as part of our Idaho State Parks Challenge. The challenge consists of visiting all of Idaho’s state parks in one year. We made up this challenge to see a bit more of our beautiful state and help alleviate the restlessness caused by Covid-19 travel restrictions. Feel free to join the challenge!
Forces of nature (wind) tried to keep us away from Farragut State Park by knocking over trees and power lines, but we persevered and got to explore (some) of this beautiful park. State Park Overview Farragut State Park in northern Idaho is located on the …