We love living in the Omaha area, and are always looking for ways to stay entertained on a budget! Here are a few of our go-to ways for keeping entertained in Omaha while keeping our pocket book in mind.
Watch for free days at the local museums: Durham, Lauritzen Gardens, SAC Air have free days a couple times a year. It is a great excuse for some free fun! Or try Railroad days which is $15 for the family for any of the museums.
Joslyn Art Museum has been free for the permanent exhibits for the last few years. I'm not sure how long they will be doing this, but in the past even when it did cost money, admission was free before 10 a.m on Saturday mornings.
Follow the Omaha-focused blogs on facebook or by email. Here are two of my favorites. Family Fun in Omaha and Oh My! Omaha. They are always in the know about great events, discount days and other fantastic weekly updates on Omaha.
If you buy tickets to shows at the Holland, Orpheum or any others through ticketomaha.com, pop by the box office and you'll be saving all the transaction fees (which can sometimes be like purchasing an extra ticket, they add up so quickly!) If you are a student, sign up for student emails to get $10 rush tickets to a lot of events. The Omaha Symphony also allows students to buy up to 2 tickets one hour prior to any concert for just $10 at the box office.
If you love shows, check out the Omaha Community Playhouse, and get tickets for $10 on Wednesdays during the first week of any show, or $7 student tickets on opening weekend! If those options don't work for you, they allow half off tickets when purchase the day of any show!
$6 Student/Teacher Thursdays and $5 Tuesdays at the select Marcus theaters are my favorites! Not only are the tickets a great price, but you get a free small popcorn. Score! Here is the best trick...sign up for their free rewards program and you transaction fee for online ticket purchases on fandango is waived...so it really is just $5/$6 AND you can request a refund up to 2 hours before the start of the show.
If you go downtown very often, check the parking map ahead of time here. If a meter is a red 2 hour meter, that means it is a $1.25 an hour...but a green 10 hour meter is $0.25 an hour. I quickly learned if I park just one block further from the courthouse (as a new attorney trying to pay off my student loans...) I could save a little money by walking an extra block, or when I go to photograph for events.
Benson and the Old Market hold a "First Friday" on the first Friday of each month. It is an excuse to get out and look at local artists, walk around and enjoy these areas of town.
Even if you live in West Omaha, it is still worth the trek to pay attention to the events happening at Midtown Crossing and Aksarben during the summer. Any given night there is likely a free event happening in that area of Omaha. Jazz music, night markets, festivals, yoga, free movies and other entertainment is a great way to spend any evening.
The Kaneko has been around for a while, but became even more popular with their exhibit "Light". It is a non-profit with ever-changing exhibits. Follow Kaneko on social media to see what exhibits are currently there. (And catch "Light" through March 23).
Visit Dundee and stop by eCreamery for icecream on Tuesdays for $2 Single Scoop Tuesdays!
Check out Kids Bowl Free at some of the local bowling alleys! This allows kids to receive 2 free games bowling each day in the summer.
Pinpoint has a number of participating restaurants and businesses in the Omaha area! From free meal to discounts, it is worth checking out before you head out to eat.
The Omaha and surrounding area libraries have so many amazing free events (or very cheap ones) from story time, to speakers, lessons on running a business to Mr. Darcy themed valentine parties....the libraries in and around Omaha are amazing. Did you know most libraries in the area don't require you to be members to attend story time or other activities?
What other budget secrets do you have for keeping entertained in the Omaha area?
Watch for free days at the local museums: Durham, Lauritzen Gardens, SAC Air have free days a couple times a year. It is a great excuse for some free fun! Or try Railroad days which is $15 for the family for any of the museums.
Joslyn Art Museum has been free for the permanent exhibits for the last few years. I'm not sure how long they will be doing this, but in the past even when it did cost money, admission was free before 10 a.m on Saturday mornings.
Follow the Omaha-focused blogs on facebook or by email. Here are two of my favorites. Family Fun in Omaha and Oh My! Omaha. They are always in the know about great events, discount days and other fantastic weekly updates on Omaha.
If you buy tickets to shows at the Holland, Orpheum or any others through ticketomaha.com, pop by the box office and you'll be saving all the transaction fees (which can sometimes be like purchasing an extra ticket, they add up so quickly!) If you are a student, sign up for student emails to get $10 rush tickets to a lot of events. The Omaha Symphony also allows students to buy up to 2 tickets one hour prior to any concert for just $10 at the box office.
If you love shows, check out the Omaha Community Playhouse, and get tickets for $10 on Wednesdays during the first week of any show, or $7 student tickets on opening weekend! If those options don't work for you, they allow half off tickets when purchase the day of any show!
$6 Student/Teacher Thursdays and $5 Tuesdays at the select Marcus theaters are my favorites! Not only are the tickets a great price, but you get a free small popcorn. Score! Here is the best trick...sign up for their free rewards program and you transaction fee for online ticket purchases on fandango is waived...so it really is just $5/$6 AND you can request a refund up to 2 hours before the start of the show.
If you go downtown very often, check the parking map ahead of time here. If a meter is a red 2 hour meter, that means it is a $1.25 an hour...but a green 10 hour meter is $0.25 an hour. I quickly learned if I park just one block further from the courthouse (as a new attorney trying to pay off my student loans...) I could save a little money by walking an extra block, or when I go to photograph for events.
Benson and the Old Market hold a "First Friday" on the first Friday of each month. It is an excuse to get out and look at local artists, walk around and enjoy these areas of town.
Even if you live in West Omaha, it is still worth the trek to pay attention to the events happening at Midtown Crossing and Aksarben during the summer. Any given night there is likely a free event happening in that area of Omaha. Jazz music, night markets, festivals, yoga, free movies and other entertainment is a great way to spend any evening.
The Kaneko has been around for a while, but became even more popular with their exhibit "Light". It is a non-profit with ever-changing exhibits. Follow Kaneko on social media to see what exhibits are currently there. (And catch "Light" through March 23).Visit Dundee and stop by eCreamery for icecream on Tuesdays for $2 Single Scoop Tuesdays!
Check out Kids Bowl Free at some of the local bowling alleys! This allows kids to receive 2 free games bowling each day in the summer.
Pinpoint has a number of participating restaurants and businesses in the Omaha area! From free meal to discounts, it is worth checking out before you head out to eat.
The Omaha and surrounding area libraries have so many amazing free events (or very cheap ones) from story time, to speakers, lessons on running a business to Mr. Darcy themed valentine parties....the libraries in and around Omaha are amazing. Did you know most libraries in the area don't require you to be members to attend story time or other activities?What other budget secrets do you have for keeping entertained in the Omaha area?
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