Vala's Pumpkin Patch
Vala's Pumpkin Patch and Fall Festival offers an experience that defies explanation. It has grown into a 152-acre operation, with nearly 55 acres of pumpkins planted each year for one whirl-wind month when guests can have a spectacular experience. It's a wholesome family entertainment destination that operates September through October of each year. This family experience offers tractor rides out to the pumpkin field to pick that one perfect pumpkin, train rides, and pony rides. Themed attractions include the Pumpkin Mine, Storybook Barn, Haunted House, and the Spook Shed. Vala's Pumpkin Patch is one of the most unique experiences offered in the Gretna area. It is a celebration of the harvest, a medley of bright colors and distinctive flavors. It's the memories and traditions and a wholesome family destination that you don't want to miss.
Vala's Pumpkin Patch is located at 12102 South 180th Street and can be reached by calling 402-332-4200.
Holy Family Shrine
Located just off 1-80 at exit 432, south of Highway 31, the idea of the Holy Family Shrine was for travelers to pray and discover the Catholic faith. Visitors can experience the chapel façade as high as 49 feet, with the arching members of wood framing the stone entry. With an open view of the prairie and Platte Valley beyond, the image of the Holy Family appears like spirits in the heaven. The prairie grasses embrace the glass walls on all sides of the chapel. The sereneness of the gentle waving of the grain places the chapel as if in a cloud and surround the visitors with the natural gifts from God.
The Holy Family Shrine can be reached by calling 402-332-4565.
Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium- Schramm State Recreation Area
Located about 6 miles south of 1-80 at exit 432 Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium, Schramm Park is a picturesque Platte River area and home of the exceptional Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium with excellent wooded habitats that teem with warblers during spring migration. Also the site of the state's first fish hatchery (1882), the old hatch house is now a fish management museum. Picnic areas offer spectacular views of the countryside and five miles of trails, as well as an educational center with 12 viewing tanks and intriguing displays of native and introduced fish species.
Check out Nebraska Birding Trails, visit state parks, or call the aquarium at 402-332-3901.
Eugene T. Mahoney State Park
Located just off 1-80 at exit 426, Eugene T. Mahoney State Park offers year-round accommodations and recreational use. This ultra-modern park offers a spectacular array of lodging, group meeting facilities, and activities. The dominate feature of the park, the Peter Kiewit Lodge which offers 40 guest rooms, sleeping lofts with fireplaces, as well as secluded cabins. Mahoney has a myriad of recreational activities which include 690 acres along the picturesque Platte River with a family aquatic center complete with zero depth swimming and wave pool and two 200-plus-foot curling water slides. Other activities include miniature golf, driving range, tennis and basketball courts, softball fields, horseback trail rides, fishing, picnicking, hiking, 70-foot observation tower, nature conservatory, the Denman and Mary Mallory Kountze Theater, hiking and biking, and much more for everyone.
Contact the state park at 402-944-2523.
Strategic Air & Space Museum
Located just off 1-80 at exit 426, the Strategic Air and Space Museum is regarded as the nation's foremost facility of its kind. The $29.5 million museum is to preserve aircraft and missiles for future generations. It features a 300,000 square foot building that features a glass atrium, two aircraft display hangars, a traveling exhibit area, a children's interactive gallery, and a 200-seat theater The glass atrium is a breathtaking structure constructed of 525 glass panels that encase the awesome Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird.
The Strategic Air and Space Museum can be reached by calling 402-944-3100.
Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park & Wildlife Safari
Located just off 1-80 at exit 426, Wildlife Safari allows you to experience a 4-mile drive through the North American wilderness Wildlife Safari (operated by the famous Henry Doorly Zoo of Omaha). Conduct face-to-face encounters with elk, white-tailed deer, bison, pronghorn, and other native wildlife. Although it is a zoo, it is the visitors who are confined in their vehicles or the safari's tram while the animals are free to roam about in their habitats. Explore the Wolf Canyon Overlook, a boarded walkway that spans 30 feet into the display allowing visitors to peer in on a pack and watch as they prowl and play. The road exits through the elk pasture to the visitor center where guests find interactive nature exhibits, small animal displays, gift shop, and a walk-through aviary.
You can reach the Omaha Zoo at 402-944-WILD or 402-733-8401.
Tiburon Golf Course
Tiburon Golf Club features 27 holes of championship golf and superior greens. With over 12 acres of lakes and natural wooded areas, Tiburon offers both spectacular scenery and challenging golf shots. With three distinct nines, Tiburon provides variety and fun for players of all levels. Tiburon prides itself on being Omaha's best setting for golf events providing a beautiful golf course and a newly expanded clubhouse. The course is open to the public and available for private events.
Located at 10302 South 168th Street, Tiburon Golf Course can be reached by calling 402-895-2688.