OMAHA’S HISTORIC RAILROAD TOUR Omaha,

FEATURING: The , the National Museum, and the Historic General Dodge House, while experiencing other historic Omaha favorites.

DAY ONE:

Arrival – Check into Hotel

Dinner at Cascio’s Steak House Omaha is known nationwide for doing steak like no other. Al Cascio created one of Omaha’s most delicious and oldest landmarks. On your first night with us, let our city show you what we do best.

Cascio’s Steakhouse

DAY TWO: Lauritzen Gardens Explore a 100-acre urban oasis at Lauritzen Gardens, Omaha’s Botanical Center. Stroll through twenty themed gardens, including a rose and model railroad garden, and the 17,000 sq. ft. indoor Marjorie K. Daugherty Conservatory.

Lauritzen Gardens

The Durham Museum Travel back to the 1900s and explore the first Art Deco train station in the country. Hop onboard historic train cars inside the former Union Station and explore Omaha’s past. It’s easy to imagine the crowds of people and the sound of steam engines as you experience this hands-on museum. The Durham is also home to one of the world’s rarest document and coin collections. Enjoy ice cream or an old-fashioned phosphate at the original 1930s soda fountain.

Durham Museum OMAHA’S HISTORIC OMAHA’S HISTORIC RAILROAD TOUR RAILROAD TOUR Omaha, Nebraska Omaha, Nebraska

Group Lunch at Big Mama’s Kitchen If you’re looking for soul food, Big Mama’s delivers. Your group can select from a variety of soul food dishes along with Big Mama’s famous sweet potato pie ice cream. A member of Big Mama’s family will welcome you with a presentation on how their matriarch, at 60 years of age, fullfilled her dream of owning her own restaurant. Big Mama’s soul food has become a television culinary staple, featured on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, Sundance Channel’s Ludo Bites America and Travel Channel’s 101 Tastiest Places to Chow Down (ranked #56).

Big Mama’s Kitchen

Florence Bank Take a journey back to the 1800s with a visit to the historic Florence Bank. Founded in 1857, it’s the oldest bank in Nebraska and provides an intimate look back on this fascinating era. Tour the original bank vault and walk upstairs to see how the banker and his family lived. Your group will also learn about Wildcat notes – money that, banks back in the 1800s, printed themselves.

Florence Bank Omaha City Driving Tour with Step-on-Guide Enjoy a guided driving tour of Omaha’s past, present and future. A professional guide will join your group for an overview of Omaha’s top points of interest. Tour highlights include; the historic Old Market Entertainment District with its cobblestone streets and unique boutiques; Lewis & Clark Landing, the historic spot where the exploring duo landed; the historic Gold Coast District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places; Billionaire’s Warren Buffet’s home; a 1903 Scottish Castle; , the birthplace of the Reuben sandwich; St. Cecilia’s Spanish Cathedral; TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, home of the annual NCAA Men’s College World Series; the Omaha Community Playhouse, the theatre where actor Henry Fonda started his acting career; Fertile Ground mural, one of the largest Old Market Entertainment District murals in the country; Hollywood Candy, filled wall-to-wall with retro candy, …and much more.

Groups will also have an opportunity to experience Pioneer Courage Park. The park features more than 100 larger-than- life sized bronze sculptures that tell the story of the pioneer’s westward journey. Visitors can walk among the wagons, oxen, horses and pioneers. This unique public art display stretches six city blocks and features geese and bison flying and stampeding through office buildings.

Pioneer Courage Park OMAHA’S HISTORIC RAILROAD TOUR Omaha, Nebraska

Leisure Time: Shopping & Historic Old Market District Dinner The historic Old Market Entertainment District features cobblestone streets lined with unique boutiques, art galleries, antique emporiums, sweet shops, and more than 30 locally- owned restaurants. It’s a great place for your group to grab a bite to eat and enjoy the authentic turn-of-the-century charm of the area. Horse drawn carriage rides and street musicians add to the Old Market’s appeal. Make sure to visit Hollywood Candy with its large collection of retro antiques and nostalgic candy, or enjoy shopping at Tannenbaum, where Christmas in a year-round business. Hollywood Candy

DAY THREE: Union Pacific Railroad National Museum The Union Pacific Railroad Museum is located in downtown Council Bluffs, Iowa, in the beautiful and unique Beaux Arts-style building that formerly housed the Council Bluffs Carnegie Free Public Library.

The mission of the Union Pacific Railroad Museum is to provide quality exhibits and educational programming to Union Pacific Railroad National Museum a diverse audience about the past, present, and future of America’s premier railroad, Union Pacific, promoting a sense of connectedness showed through generations of people whose personal and family histories have been touched by the railroad. To accomplish this mission, the museum will preserve, protect, and promote the Union Pacific Railroad Historical Collection.

RailsWest Railroad Museum RailsWest Railroad Museum is a railroad museum operated by the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County. It illustrates the history of railroads in Council Bluffs, Iowa Union Pacific Railroad National Museum

Lunch in Council Bluffs Stop for lunch and enjoy one of the following local favorites!

Barley’s

Caddy’s Kitchen & Cocktails

Tish’s Restaurant

Glory Day’s Sports Bar & Restaurant RailsWest Railroad Museum OMAHA’S HISTORIC OMAHA’S HISTORIC RAILROAD TOUR RAILROAD TOUR Omaha, Nebraska Omaha, Nebraska

Historic General Dodge House The Grenville M. Dodge House is a historic house museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa. This Second Empire mansion, built in 1869, was the home of Grenville M. Dodge, a Union Army general, politician, and a major figure in the development of the railroads across the American West. Wikipedia

Black Angel: Ruth Ann Dodge Memorial Known locally as “The Black Angel,” this bronze sculpture was inspired by three dreams of Ruth Ann Dodge, wife of General General Dodge House Grenville M. Dodge before her death in 1916. Daniel Chester French, who created the statue of a seated Abraham Lincoln in Washington D.C., sculpted the likeness of the angel that appeared to Mrs. Dodge.

Golden Spike Tall golden spike built in 1939 to celebrate the Union Pacific & Central Pacific rail line junction.

Black Angel Omaha’s Reuben – Dinner at Crescent Moon Omaha is legendary for steak, but Omaha has been raising the Reuben since the beginning. That’s right, it was invented right here (we don’t care what those New Yorkers say). Many have duplicated it, but you should always travel for the original. The Crescent Moon still serves the original recipe created at the Blackstone Hotel back in the early 1900s.

DAY FOUR:

Golden Spike Monument Checkout & Departure

Contact: Jessica Settje Crescent Moon [email protected] (402) 444-1760