We have a diverse team here, but we all share a common focus: working together to engage our community and share our passion for the beauty of the natural world. Spending time with nature – with the plants and creatures that live there – is good for both our emotional and physical well-being. And the beauty of nature is something we all can experience. So here we’re excited to share some of our own favorite places to explore nature right here in Omaha and across the state.
Cover photo by Jeremiah Knutson / @jereknut
Hitchcock Nature Center – Crescent, IA
Many of our team members love visiting Hitchcock Nature Center in the beautiful Loess hills of western Iowa. Hiking trails with almost magical ridge formations and bird’s eye vistas of the surrounding countryside make this a special place for visitors. Our Perennial Grower, Hannah Robertson, enjoys visiting because it’s essentially a bird oasis – especially for the indigo bunting.
Photo by Lance Brisbois / @lancefromiowa
Heron Haven Wetland Sanctuary – Omaha
Maybe you’ve driven by without even realizing it’s there, but just across from our store, at Heron Haven Wetland Sanctuary, you’ll find wooded trails, a pollinator garden and meadow, and a boardwalk over the natural wetland where you can look for all kinds of birds, frogs, turtles, and other water-loving wildlife.
Walnut Creek Recreation Area – Papillion
Alyssa Zajac from our Accounts Receivable team has a horse, so when she’s ready for a ride, she heads to the beautiful equestrian trails at Walnut Creek. The area surrounds a huge lake, and in addition to horseback riding, visitors can fish, camp, and picnic too.
Fontenelle Forest – Bellevue
Fontenelle Forest is a favorite for Elizabeth Hanson from our Graphic team. It’s her go-to place for a walk through the woods. She says its hiking trails through rolling hills and shady trees are a wonderful retreat from city life. It’s the perfect place to see wildlife, and there’s an impressive raptor recovery program and exhibit to explore too.
Photo by John Rasmussen / @jcsonofrasmus
Schwer Park – Papillion
This little recreational area and lake is only six blocks from the home of one of our Greenhouse team members, Terri Loewens. It’s surrounded by large old trees, native grasses, and cattails and features a two-mile loop for walking, biking, or exercising your dog. When visiting Schwer Park, Terri says she loves to listen to the insects, birdsong, and sounds of bullfrogs and turtles plopping into the water.
Holy Family Shrine – Gretna
You may have seen the beautiful glass chapel towering on a hilltop just off I-80 south of Gretna. The Holy Family Shrine and its Visitor’s Center are surrounded by native grasses and wildflowers along with some wooded areas too. And the wide open view from the chapel makes this another favorite place for Sarah Vanek to enjoy a quiet morning with nature.
Glacier Creek Preserve – Bennington
At Glacier Creek Preserve – owned and used for study by University of Omaha – are 140 acres of restored tallgrass prairie, making it a favorite place for Education + Outreach Manager Sarah Vanek to enjoy some peaceful quiet with the rolling hills of native grasses and wildflowers.
Photo by Kelly Bentley / @k_bentley
Lauritzen Gardens – Omaha
Lauritzen Gardens, Omaha’s popular botanical garden, is a favorite for many of our team members too. With the wide variety of outdoor gardens, trails, a huge greenhouse conservatory, and a bird sanctuary too, Nursery Yard Merchandising Assistant Kristin Tweedly says there’s always something new to see every time she visits.
Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park + Wildlife Safari – Ashland
The Wildlife Safari is well-loved for the North American native wildlife you’ll see as you drive through – including 70 American elk roaming across a meadow, a prairie dog town, bison, pelicans, and more. But it’s also a great place to explore the local landscape on foot – the park is always working to incorporate more native plants – and there are tons of educational opportunities too.
Hummel Nature Center + Park – Florence
Our Head Grower, Dana Leehy loves Hummel Park with its miles of hiking trails that take you through the forested hills just north of the Omaha metro. There you’ll see all kinds of beautiful native trees along with the chance to enjoy a great view of the countryside.
Photo by Patrick Mainelli // @good.cool.mud
Omaha’s Lakes + Bike Trails
Many of us enjoy spending time around the system of reservoir lakes along Omaha’s Papio Creek – Standing Bear, Glenn Cunningham, Zorinsky, and others. Depending on the area, you can walk, bike, picnic, and even explore more natural wooded areas too. The Paths of Discovery trail system is another great way to see natural landscapes around Omaha too.
Local State Parks
The numerous State Parks and recreation areas near Omaha are popular places to visit – including Two Rivers, Memphis, Platte River, Mahoney, and Schramm. You’ll see all kinds of natural habitats represented. And Schramm Park just renovated their education center too – Mark Perley, our Director of Operations, says it’s an amazing place for both kids and adults to learn.
Fort Robinson State Park – Crawford
History and nature enthusiasts love Fort Robinson. Alyssa Zajac says the bluffs are a beautiful change from Nebraska flatlands, and they’re home to all kinds of special wildlife including bighorn sheep, bobcats, and bison.
Photo by Amy Cox Musgrave / @acmusgrave
Maxwell Arboretum – Lincoln
For Annual Grower Kara Sousek, the Maxwell Aboretum is one of her favorite places in the spring. Redbuds and magnolias bring that first wave of color after a long winter. There’s an incredible lilac collection, as well as collections of iris, hosta, fragrant viburnum, and some of the biggest bald cypress in the state. And as a bonus, it’s not far from the Backyard Farmer trial gardens.
Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center – Denton
For a taste of Nebraska’s waving prairie past, take a short drive southwest of Lincoln to Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center. This 850-acre tallgrass prairie preserve is home to many species of grassland birds, mammals, insects, and the native prairie plants they depend on. Three miles of trails take you through grasslands, wetlands, ponds, and even a tract of undisturbed, never-plowed prairie – a rare thing to find.
Photo by Peter Palermo / @pejamo
Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area – Ogallala
The rugged landscape of Nebraska’s largest reservoir, Lake McConaughy, is very different from eastern Nebraska. Its white sandy beaches, blue waters, surrounding sandhills, and western prairie plants – like sagebrush, cacti, and yucca – make this one of Annual Buyer Barb Marsh’s favorite nearby getaways.
Indian Cave State Park – Auburn
Indian Cave State Park is a favorite destination for one of our Garden Store Team Leaders, David Klein, who loves hiking the hilly trails and taking in the views across the southeastern Nebraska landscape. History enthusiasts will enjoy exploring a cemetery and restored buildings from St. Deroin, a now-abandoned river town. And you can’t miss seeing the prehistoric petroglyphs located in the sandstone cave the park is named after.
The Sandhills – Western Nebraska
When Kimberly Grassmeyer in Employee Experience decides it’s time for a scenic drive, she heads for the treasured Sandhills of Nebraska, an ecosystem like no other. With over 19,000 square miles of sand dunes covered and stabilized by shortgrass prairie, its wide-open beauty leaves a lasting impression on any visitor.
Photo by Erik Johnson / @erikjohnsonphotography
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument – Harrison
At Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, you can explore the mixed-grass prairie and gaze at the surrounding buttes and mesas, then go see skeletons of ancient mammals of the Miocene Epoch – rhinos, antelope, corkscrew-tunneling beavers, and something called a beardog.
Oglala National Grasslands – Crawford
The Oglala National Grasslands offers stunning views of mixed-grass prairie and steep rock formations formed by eons of wind and water erosion. It’s also a great place to spot pronghorn. Nearby Toadstool Geologic Park is another fascinating place to explore too.
Niobrara River – Valentine
Another treasure of our state is the beautiful Niobrara River, one of the incredibly few rivers to be designated under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. There, you’ll find impressive bluffs, waterfalls, wildlife, and lots of opportunities to float on the river while enjoying the views.
Photo by Elizabeth Hanson / @lafphoto
Scottsbluff National Monument – Scottsbluff
Bob Ewing, our Assistant Greenhouse Team Leader, says if you haven’t visited already, Scottsbluff National Monument is really something to see. The historical landmark towers 800 feet above the North Platte River to give an incredible view from above – and there are some amazing plants and wildlife living on top too.
Get Out + Explore
Whether you have an afternoon or an entire week to get away, go explore some of the natural landscapes our city and region have to offer. For more great ideas, visit the City of Omaha interactive Parks Finder map, Nebraska Game and Parks, the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resource District, or the National Parks Service.
