Day {four} of the shortest short list

Just play!

Fat Brain Toys
It’s a relaxed, creative, toy wonderland where touching is encouraged!
Rememberromper-stompers? I had a red pair that I trekked all over the house in and now my daughter has her very own too! Her second favorite thing? A ride on the Plasma Car!

Boingz vs. Bounce U
Can’t decide on which place to let the little ones jump, slide, crawl, and run? How about someplace other than your living room! Make it a weekend project to scout out the best jumping in Omaha!

Omaha Childrens Museum
We have a set Saturday pattern that starts with a climb through a tunnel, picking some corn, going grocery shopping, playing in the ballroom, and making crafts. How do we find the time to do it all? Easy, it’s the Omaha Childrens Museum! Spend a few hours letting imagination and play take shape and as a reward, a craft or two to hang on the fridge at home! Exhibits upstairs are always changing, making the experience different each time. Super secret favorite item in the spring/summer is the splash garden. It’s just the perfect size for little ones to run through the shooting sprinklers!

Family Fun Cutz
It’s like going to your best friends house that has ever game that you could ever want! Half play area, half salon it’s the perfect place to keep little ones entertained!

Sweet and Sassy
Every girl wants a pink limo to drive her around town, lucky for them Sweet and Sassy has one! Get a sassy up-do or a mani/pedi just like mom!

Enjoy!

Brooke

Day {three} of the shortest short list

And our list continues, {five} things to do before your little one is {five} feet tall!

{number three!} take a trip to NYC in Omaha

When I think of New York City, several things come to mind…Times Square, Central Park, Broadway Shows, taking the subway, the Statue of Liberty and the pizza! Why not bring a little of NYC to Omaha and let your little ones experience Omaha in a brand new way!

Little NYC in Omaha ideas:

Purchase a map of Omaha (or take the one from a phone book) and map out the route you are going to take to each location just like you would on the NYC Subway maps. Be sure to let the little ones draw the path and let them tell you were to go!

Hang out in the Old Market, stop by Zio’s and grab a slice of NYC style pie and then spend the afternoon searching for a tourist treasure. It may not have the glitzy jumbo-trons of Times Square, but it is just as much fun!

Dress up in your Sunday best and attend a “Broadway show” at The Rose Theater. The Rainforest, There’s an Alligator Under My Bed, and The Bridge to Terabithia are upcoming shows guaranteed to give your little one a taste of the acting bug!

Take a stroll along the Missouri river and visit the Bob Kerrey Bridge. The best part? One foot in Nebraska, one in Iowa!

Cozy up with some hot chocolate and take a carriage ride around the Gene Leahy Mall. After the horses are gone take a few trips down the slides – see who can win best out of 5! Head over to the Omaha Visitors Center and grab some postcards and tell your grandparents about all of the fun you are having on your NYC in Omaha vacation!

Enjoy!

Brooke

Day {two} of the shortest short list

They’ve mastered the sweets, what’s next?

{number four!} Explore like Diego

photo via Fat Brain Toys

Make flash cards with pictures of different animals to “rescue”. Search the Henry Doorly Zoo for baby jaguar, discover a lemur, seek out a polar bear – take pictures by each animal and create your own explorer book! Local toy store, Fat Brain Toys offers a Travel Notebook (pictured above), perfect for your little explorer!

PS -Best part about this one is the great exhibits that are indoors! So throw on a hawaiian shirt and get ready to see some animals!

Enjoy!

Brooke

Day {one} of the shortest short list

What’s the short list? {five} things to do this winter before your little one is {five} feet tall! So grab the kiddos and head out for some fun in Omaha!

{number five!} Eat your dessert first! Our {3} favorite stops:

photo via Cupcake Island

{Cupcake Island} As if Celebration Cake (vanilla confetti cake) wasn’t good enough they offer different specialty cupcakes each day of the week. A Wednesday stop will fetch you a Mud Pie and Friday pick-me-ups include Peanut Butter Cup and Strawberry Shortcake.

photo via eCreamery

{eCreamery} Located in Dundee, the ice cream and gelato shop is known for their original combinations from avocado to chipotle and back to cotton candy and bubble gum. Not in Omaha? eCreamery website offers full range of services from creating your very own flavor to naming the product.

photo via Swirls Donuts & Bakery

{Swirls Donuts & Bakery} Try the Reese in Pieces (chocolate cake donut with Reese’s Puff cereal on top) or try a donut sundae – it’s a sweet tooth’s dream breakfast!

Yum! Enjoy!
Brooke

PS Stay tuned for four more ways to enjoy Omaha with your little ones!

Liberty Tavern featured in Enounter Magazine

encounter mag

Full Enounter Magazine version is available here.

Liberty Tavern is located within Hilton Omaha, with stunning views of Qwest Center Omaha and fresh, local Midwest favorites on the menu.

Enjoy!

Brooke

We are adding some new sparkle to our hotel!

While visions of sugarplums danced in their heads, we are hard at work giving our Executive Lounge an extreme makeover! The project started on Sunday and is anticipated to end shortly after Christmas – fear not, the executive lounge has been relocated with the same amenities for anyone staying over the holidays but for all you folks that start off 2010 with a trip to downtown Omaha you’ll experience our enhanced Executive Lounge.

So what is an Executive Lounge? I’m the perfect person to ask! You know how you feel when you get to walk through a restaurant and are seated at the best table in a private area – it’s kind of like that. Almost every luxury hotel offers an enhanced experience to guests seeking more than just a place to lay their head and is often located in a key access only area of the hotel so guests are not interupted.

What are the amentities of an Executive Lounge? At Hilton Omaha we have an entire dedicated floor, called the Executive Level and these rooms showcase amenities such as cozy, plush robes and luxury linens. Each guest on our Executive Level receives access to the Executive Lounge, there they can sit and read, watch television, utilize our complimentary computer services, or grab a bit to eat – but the best secret of the Executive Lounge? Conceriege services! Hilton Omaha provides Conceriege services with a smile that know all of the best places to go in Omaha.

Okay, I’m sold! How do I gain access? If you want exclusive amenities, we offer upgraded rooms – browse hilton.com to see the different features of each room. Stay with Hilton often, then join Hilton Hhonors. The Hilton Hhonors program allows our guests to earn points and miles each stay and after a guest moves into Gold or Diamond member status they are rewarded with complimentary upgrades to our Executive Level. Whether you are staying with us at Hilton Omaha or at another hotel chain, the smartest investment is to become a member of the loyalty club for the brand – you’ll receive perks and know about events before anyone else.

it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

I love the holidays in Omaha. The twinkling lights sparkling against the whitest snow, window shopping on a cold winters night, and sipping hot chocolate while waiting for the Christmas trees to glow. What’s your favorite thing about the holidays in Omaha? Are you a photographer {or just love to take pictures?} We’d love to see what the holidays in Omaha mean to you so we started a Flickr group – A Very Merry Omaha Holiday 2009
Share the spirit of the holidays with everyone!

Enjoy!

Brooke

Weekend {What to do’s} in Omaha – December 3rd – 6th

Looking for holiday activities this weekend? Click on the icons below (or click view larger map) to see a full range. Have an event that you would like to see on the map for this weekend or anytime in December? Comment below and I’ll get it on the map! Get out and experience Omaha under the twinkling of lights!

View Larger Map

Enjoy!

Brooke

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…{thanks to our little ones!}

Hilton Omaha is a proud supporter of Liberty Elementary and our Green Team loves to see their smiling faces each month! Once a year they bring their smiles to our hotel! We invite the entire kindergarten class to decorate trees (on display on our second floor) and sing Christmas carols – all we have to do is provide them with cookies and milk – not a tough gig!

We love the enthusiasm they bring to Hilton Omaha and always look forward to seeing their beautiful trees!

Thanks Liberty Elementary!

Holiday Season Kick-Off

If you’re traveling or living in Omaha, the city offers a vibrant selection of festivities to welcome the Christmas holiday this week. There is nothing quite as stunning as hundreds of lights twinkling in the winter night’s sky. Consider this your invite to the best of the season!

10th Annual Holiday Lights Festival
Thursday, November 26 @ 6pm
Gene Leahy Mall, 14th and Farnam
One million lights bring the Christmas spirit to downtown Omaha. Take a stroll by the water for a romantic look or bring the kids and create memories racing down the slides or spend the evening visiting Old Market shops and restaurants. A special treat, Making Spirits Bright Concert will begin at 7pm at Holland Performing Arts Center featuring the Nebraska Wind Symphony.

Village Pointe Holiday Lighting Event
Friday, November 27th @ 6pm
Village Pointe, 168th and Dodge Street
Sparks will fly when Village Point lights up the night. Start the evening with a family concert, refreshments, holiday parade and that jingle, jangle of Santa! Friday is just the kick-off to the month long list of fabulous festivities – check out Village Pointe Events for a full listing! (PS includes information on how you can pick up a custom hand-blown ornament globe from our North Downtown neighbor, Crystal Forge at the Hot Shops!)

Christmas at Union Station Tree Lighting Ceremony
Friday, November 27th @ 4pm
Durham Museum, 801 S 10th Street
See the region’s largest indoor Christmas tree sparkle while listening to the sounds of the season and enjoying Santa time, cookie decorating, crafts, and story time. Durham Museum continues the Christmas spirit with programs throughout December, including Ethnic Holiday Festival, The Durham Museum Concert Series and Family Night with Santa – find out more here.

Laurtizen Gardens’ Holiday Poinsettia Show
Friday, November 27th – January 10, 9am – 5pm daily
100 Bancroft Street
Experience more than 5,600 poinsettia plants, including a 20 foot poinsettia tree, holiday decorated trees, model trains, and more.

Sounds of the Season
Every Saturday November 28 – December 19 @ 7pm
Gene Leah Mall, 14th and Farnam as well as 11th and Howard Street in the Old Market
Enjoy the Sounds of the Season with local choirs, carolers and musicians performing throughout downtown Omaha.

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

Brooke