History Lover's Guides

In Omaha, an evening stroll can provide passage into a fascinating past. Travel from a madam’s elaborate grave in North Omaha to the site of the first U.S. airmail flight in Aksarben. Chase down the echoes of a Duke Ellington performance at the Dreamland Ballroom in the Jewell Building. Stow away on a tour that treats the whole city like a museum. Colorful street murals and Gilded Age mansions stand in as exhibits alongside the more traditional offerings of state markers and archival collections. Gain fresh appreciation for familiar landscapes and famous landmarks as Eileen Wirth and Carol McCabe move through Omaha neighborhood by neighborhood.

Dramatic change accompanied Lincoln’s growth from a village of 30 settlers to a city of 300,000.  Today, Lincoln retains the residue of its fascinating past for those who know where to look. Tour Lincoln’s storied heritage by charting the arrival of the university, penitentiary, asylum and railroads. Learn how the early churches still anchor the community. Discover the five towns that later merged into Lincoln. Visualize the artwork that best reflects Lincoln—both the person and city. Locate where Lindbergh learned to fly. Revisit the downtown Lincoln scene of what was once the largest bank robbery in the United States. Picture the once thriving Capitol Beach Amusement Park. Explore Nebraska’s capital city in the expert company of Gretchen M. Garrison.