Tales, Trails, Rails & Jail
We will begin our trip with a stop for lunch in Ames, Iowa at the Hickory Park Restaurant. After lunch we will head to Council Bluffs to tour the 1880 Squirrel Cage Jail. It is a unique “rotary” Lazy Susan jail of the old west. Next door is a completely different experience at the Union Pacific Railroad Museum. Railroad artifacts and interactive exhibits chronicle the history of America - from construction of the first transcontinental railroad in the U.S. to our current high-tech rail transportation system. Lodging is at the Holiday Inn – downtown Omaha. Tonight, take a dinner cruise on the River City Star a Missouri River cruise onboard a 1940s era paddlewheel-style riverboat. The captain will provide a narrated tour of the various sights and landmarks along the river. Wednesday enjoy Father Flanagan’s Boys Town, tour the expansive campus. It is a National Historic Landmark District. Preserved in time, this world-renowned village reveals the Hall of History Museum, historic chapels, gardens, and Father Flanagan’s 1920s home. Spend time in the historic Old Market District featuring cobblestone streets lined with unique boutiques, art galleries, antique emporiums, sweet shops, and more than 30 locally owned restaurants. Visit Hollywood Candy with its collection of retro antiques and nostalgic candy. Tour the Joslyn Art Museum filled with more than 11,000 works of art from antiquity to the present featuring work from artists such as Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, and Jackson Pollock. Tonight, have dinner at the Inner Rail Food Hall. Thursday, A Step-On Guide will give a narrated riding tour of Omaha’s past, present and future. Drive past the Lewis & Clark Landing, The Blackstone Hotel, St. Cecilia’s Spanish Cathedral and the Omaha Community Playhouse, where actor Henry Fonda started his acting career. See places frequented by self-made billionaire Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. Visit Pioneer Courage Park with larger-than-life sized bronze sculptures of the pioneer’s westward journey.Conclude our stay with an Omaha Steak at one of Warren Buffett’s favorite restaurants.
