You know that Counting Crows song? I must have sung it in my head a hundred times after we arrived in Omaha! I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this city so much. In my planning it felt as if it was going to be something more of a rest stop but not a day that I’ll probably count as one of the best of this trip. It wasn’t as if we did anything very exciting, in fact, it was really a very ordinary day as far as vacations go.
We arrived in Omaha at lunchtime and discovered the most picturesque park on the edge of the city (Heartland of America Park) to picnic. Funny how something as ordinary as a family lunch at a park can be so memorable. We converted L to a geocaching fan (if you don’t know about this hobby just google geocaching and prepare to be amazed at how many “treasures”are hidden all over the world, just waiting for you and your navigational skills…super fun family activity). We walked around the lake in the middle of the park, the kids spotting every critter both in and out of the water.
We loved downtown Omaha and had a great dinner and local ice cream afterwards. It was such a simple and relaxing day and I think it was just what we needed after all the action packed days we’d just experienced.
This morning we hit the Omaha Zoo and loved every bit of it (thanks Jules for the recommendation!). We then made the two and a half hour drive to Sioux Falls, SD where we had dinner at a fun diner downtown and then walked the streets looking at all the sculptures on display (it’s a yearly event where sculptors from around the country send in their work). Lou especially enjoyed reading the description of each piece and my favorite was a sculpture of a pig with a little girl riding on his back. It was entitled “Girls Can Do Anything.”
We headed over to Sioux Falls Park and it was just as beautiful as the travel brochures promised. The kids played on the rocks near the river and then we waited for the sun to set so we could watch the laser show. It was a very interesting production that told the history of the city. L and I enjoyed the history lesson but the kids started getting tired and fidgety towards the end. They are now all currently asleep as I do laundry. On a trip this long you eventually run out of clean clothes!
