The city of Omaha, Nebraska is known for its sports fans, beer culture, amazing food, and rocking concerts but when one becomes accustomed to such a lifestyle, life itself can get repetitive. What does one need to do when they desire a little culture now and again? The City of Omaha may surprise you with its hidden jewels in the entertainment district. The city has no shortage of love for the arts and here we will show you the best places to find your more sophisticated self while also having the best time of your life.

Orpheum

The Orpheum along with its twin the Holland Center has been entertaining the people of Omaha for only a short 16 years. But don’t get discouraged, they have honorably served over 3 million world wide visitors and have given over 220,000 students the opportunity to study under them. This theatre offers world class performances starting from Broadway all the way to Showcase arts. Jazz is actually a popular choice amongst the Omaha population and many shows are given monthly on the music genre. This opera will suit anyones needs from classy opera to fun sing-a-longs from your classic favorites such as Grease.

The Rose Theatre

As part of the Omaha Theatre Company, The Rose Theater has been serving young audiences for over 70 years. This is a place to bring your children for some family fun. Their mission is to enrich children and families through the power of theater and they have yet to disappoint. They perform kids friendly shows that you may never have known existed but also stick to the classics like Peter Pan. They also do movie adaptations and put it flawlessly into the theatre environment just for your enjoyment. More importantly, the Rose Theater supports its community by offering theater camp and and theatre classes.

Omaha Community Playhouse

Founded in 1924, Omaha Community Playhouse has served as a entertaining and enlightening source for the public. This theater has humble beginnings and in recent years has been breaking its own records in attendance and revenue. Omaha Community Playhouse currently has three stages: the 558-seat Howard stage, same size Rhonda Hawks Mainstage, and the newer Howard Dew Theater which seats between 200 to 250. The Howard Dew Theater “black box” is used to performing the more progressive stage productions. Like most top notch theaters, Omaha Community Playhouse offers educational opportunites for people of all ages.

Film Stream

In 2005, Film Stream was founded as a non-profit movie theater. This theatre specializes in showing movie classic that have made a significant impact in the world of movies. The theater was so popular it opened a second non-profit chain called the Ruth Sokolof Theater only two years later. Being a avid contributor to the community, they have dedicated every first Monday of the month to free screenings for full time students. Many schools have also made field trips to these two theatre in order to learn about their subjects through the power of the movies. Because the theatre is a non-profit they depend completely on the community for volunteers and financial support.

Joslyn Art Museum

In 1935, resident of Omaha Sarah H. Joslyn decided to create a memorial for her departed husband George A. Joslyn and the result was Joslyn Art Museum. This museum of art boasts a strong, elegant and permanent collection which features all forms of artwork from oil on canvas to bronze or stone statues. About every two months the museum will rotate its mobile exhibits to other museums to continue to keep an interest in the public mind. They are most proud of their William Merritt Chase collection which features their most popular painting Sunlight and Shadow on oil canvas. The Joslyn Art Museum also presents three different sculpture gardens: Peter Kiewit Foundation Sculpture Garden, Discovery Garden, and The Parking Garden. Peter Kiewit Foundation Sculpture Garden features spires that arise from a pond and other outdoor beauties. The Discovery Garden presents interactive sculptures that are meant to inspire children through art and educate them on art culture. The Parking Garden shows larger sculptures that are around a parking lot.

Benson Theatre

Here is a YouTube video of a virtual tour of one of the newest theatre’s in Omaha.

Whether you live in Omaha or just driving through to see the sights at least one of the wonderful places mentioned should be a destination detour for your journey.

If your ever passing through the friendly State of Nebraska and the city of Omaha, it is a must to visit Omaha’s Zoo & Aquarium before leaving state lines. Located at 3701 S. 10th Street, Omaha, NE 68107, this zoo holds 13 spectacular exhibits to help the public see and learn about the different animal kingdoms and covers over 130 acres of land. Omaha Zoo and Aquarium do their best to keep up with the times and are always renovating to improve conditions for both animals and people. The zoo’s “Master Plan” still has 6 new exhibits on their criteria to complete including exhibits such as Asian Highlands and Coastal Shores. The zoo has even made an official Pokémon Go page to their site to encourage zoo visitors.

Lets chat about Omaha Zoo’s top exhibits available to the public:

Berniece Grewcock Butterfly and Insect Pavilion

The Butterfly and Insect Pavilion is one the zoo’s most reputable exhibits. This total immersion exhibit features over 30 species of free flying butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds year around in an enclosed, butterfly shaped conservatory. These butterflies arrive from all over the world in their chrysalis state and are open to observe in the public for education purposes. Separated, the insect pavilion holds other insects varying from ants to walking sticks. Remember that is also part of the total immersion exhibit so if your afraid of spiders, beware.

Kingdoms of the Night

Kingdoms of the Night boasts to be the worlds largest nocturnal exhibit.This exhibit is also home to the worlds largest indoor swamp. The zoo has the day/ night cycles of the exhibit reversed so you can witness the night life of animals such as  alligators, bats, and fossa in their hight of activity. Walking through the dry caves to see the bats may be exciting but you may end up with a little surprise on the bottom of your shoe, or worse the top of your head.

Simmons Aviary

Located next to the Butterfly and Insect pavilion is the Aviary where over 500 species of birds free flying and await you to discover them. Thats actually a lot of birds for a only four acre exhibit but it does raise an excellent 75 feet high. Amongst the wild birds you may find a few native birds or even squirrels that have snuck into this sanctuary but what you really must look for are the rare tufted deer that roam the conservatory.

Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium

Finally we come to the aquarium where you can explore the underwater world of four different types of underwater kingdoms: The Amazon river, temperate oceans, polar regions, and coral reefs. In the same tanks you can witness a sea turtle swimming by while hungry shark circle overhead in their 70ft shark tunnel but if thats too scary for you, theres always the playful penguin exhibit where there is always at least 20 tons of man made snow!

These of course are only 4 of the current 13 exhibits that Omaha Zoo & Aquarium have to offer and this zoo is defiantly large enough to need more then one day to explore all of its potential. The coming years also hint at more days and memories need to be invested in the zoo but for all the good reasons. If you haven’t been to this zoo and you live in Omaha, well you need to rethink your life choices.

Anyone who lives or visits St. Paul Minnesota can’t leave without experiencing the power of St. Pauls theatre district. The performing arts are an important part of St. Paul life and the city has many different theaters each with their own missions wishing to share their talents with the public. The only problem with deciding to see a St. Paul performance is choosing which theatre to go to. Here we will list of some of St. Pauls best and most unique theaters that are guarantee to expand your cultural horizons and provide at least one night of your life shining with the stars.

Ordway Theater

Ordway Theater boasts to be America’s leading non-profit performing arts center and St. Pauls most popular theatre. The theatre first opened its doors on January 1, 1985 and was created by Saint Paul resident Sally Ordway Irvine. The goal was to design a theater that could host shows from the classic opera and music to more daring arts such as Russian circus and Broadway spectacles. The Ordway is extremely proud of being the number one field trip destination of the St. Paul area and offering children student tickets from only $3 to $5. Not only does the Ordway perform but they also teach. The Ordway Theatre is known for its for its school programing which allows students k-12 to participate in art classes varying from dance to songs often taught performers who they will see on stage.

Fitzgerald Theater

Fitzgerald Theater is the oldest standing theater in St. Paul. It was once called the Sam S. Shubert Theater and celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2010. The theater is home to Minnesota Public Radio and with its 1000 seat theatre it makes for MPR’s largest broadcast studio. Saturdays from 5 pm – 7pm MPR hosts A Prairie Home Companion, now on Sirius XM Radio, where over 4 million people from around the world tune in to listen to live music, here jokes, and tell stories. You can buy tickets at the Fitzgerald website to sit in on live radio. The Theater features performances from bands to book talks with popular authors.

Park Square Theatre

If you are wanting to support for local theater, Park Square Theatre is the place to go. Park Square Theatre is home to two stages: Proscenium Auditorium of the Historic Hamm Building and The Andy Boss Thrusts Stage. For a more grand tradition theatre experience the Proscenium Auditorium hosts more popular and known productions. The Andy Boss Thrusts Stage was built for the specific production of more intimate and humble theatre with their 200 seat wrap around stage. Both theaters offer amazing performing arts of the stage and offer season passes to view all of their works for a low price. They also give back to the community by offering student matinee’s of theater classics such as Mid summers Nights Dream and The Diary of Anne Frank.

History Theatre

The History Theatre of St. Paul is a modest theatre that hosts a 587–seat thrust stage theatre for the mission of the education on Minnesota’s past. Every production will have something to do about Minnesota and life as an American. If you think that lowers their production options, you are wrong. Each season the History Theare successfully hosts different play productions and is even a three-time IVEY Award-winning theater. This theatre has been host to at least 100 world premiers of playwright arts from famous writers such as Jeffrey Hatcher and Eric Simonson. This theatre is the prefect blend of history and art and should be visited by every St. Paul citizen.

MU Performing Arts

Mu Performing Arts is a theatre dedicated to performing arts inspired by the Asian American life and experience. Performing classic Asian American works such as Flower Drum Song and Year of the Dragon. This theatre works hard to become mainstream in order to show public troubles on gender equality or social injustice but also work on their commitment to chose others how to accept cultural diversity through the power of the arts. Mu Performing Arts not only hosts plays but also has shows and classes on the Japanese drumming art of Taiko. The organization Mu Daiko, hopes to educate the community on asian culture through the music lessons of Taiko. Members of Mu Daiko have been performing over 100 education classes and concert performances annually since 1997. This special group has made Mu Performing Arts a major performer in St. Pauls theater melting pot.

Video of the Illusionists at Ordway Theatre

Whether your planning a visit to Saint Paul, Minnesota or you live there and are looking for something new and fun to do, St. Paul had many attractions to offer without ever leaving city limits. Here are some great places you should visit.

Como Park Zoo and Conservatory Plus Como Town

Located at 1225 Estabrook Drive in St.Paul, Mn, Como Park is actually 5 attractions in one. First you have the zoo which features animals from anacondas to zebras. Como Park Zoo is actually Minnesota’s first zoo that began with just four deer and the zoo recently witnessed the birth of a new baby zebra. The zoo also has many different shops that serve food to wonderful souvenirs you can get during your visit.

Next to the zoo you have the Como Conservatory which features thirteen different gardens including the Japanese garden, bonsai collection, and the sunken garden. For a limited time only you can see the Blooming Butterflies exhibit where hundreds of butterflies from around the world fly freely in their indoor habitat.

Cafesjian’s Carousel is the next attraction which is perfect for family fun. The Cafesjian Carousel is a large 68 horse ride carousel next to Como Town the amusement park which features over 20 rides for all ages. They also have Leonard Wilkening Children’s Gallery which holds hands on activities for children to help them learn about plants and animals. Right next to the Children’s gallery is the Ribbit Zibit, frog conservation which educates children on the frog species and boasts a large collection of poison dart frogs from the Amazon region.

Then you have the Como Recreation Parks which comes with athletic fields including six softball fields, three soccer fields and a baseball field. There is also an 18 hole golf course for adults and the “Putt’er There” mini golf course which has been family owned and operated for over 50 years. And we can’t forget the water features of Como Lake, Pool, and Dockside. Como lake allows for romantic walks around the shore, paddleboat rides and  limited but fun fishing. The Como Pool features a lap pool, diving pool, water zip line, the splash pool with water slides and a beautiful lazy river. Finally the Como Dockside is a beautiful lakeside pavilion with restaurant and banquet. The pavilion offers concerts and and plays throughout the summer.

The last attraction is the art of Como park. To find these beautiful artworks you need to explore all of Como Parks in almost every attraction. The most popular art work is “Crest of the Wave”, a bronze statue that sits atop a fountain in Marjorie McNeely Conservatory Palm Dome.

Science Museum of Minnesota

The Science Museum of Minnesota not only boasts its native american and fossil exhibit but it also holds its own omni-theater where education goes to the big screen. Their new exhibit on the tombs of Egypt and Peru contains over 20 mummies and its only available  through September 5th of 2016. They also have an Experiment Gallery where kids learn the basics of science and they offer the Math Moves, an interactive education area designed to help children understand common math problems they come across in school. The Science Museum of Minnesota is the perfect place to take anyone of any age to learn something new and challenge their minds.

Cathedral of St.Paul

Saint Pauls Cathedral is the national shrine to apostle Saint Paul that is still in use today. Its a beautiful tourist destination due to its architecture and history. Built in 1904, the cathedral holds multiple masses throughout every Sunday of the year. They also have tours including a virtual tour on their website at https://www.cathedralsaintpaul.org/ .

Minnesota State Fair

The Minnesota State Fair is located at 1265 North Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul, MN 55108. The fair is open this year from August 25 to Labor Day September 5. This state fair is the largest in Minnesota and features multiple activities such as Arts A’fair and Horse Shows to 17 rides in the Adventure Park amusement park.  Like any other fair there are also competitions for livestock and horses but also a     k-12  art competition and the Milk Run 5k race. Pre-fair tickets are on sale for only $10 at the Minnesota State Fair website so take advantage before prices go up.

These are just a few of what Saint Paul Minnesota has to offer and hopefully you will get the change to visit each and every one of these wonderful attractions.

 

The History of St. Paul, Minnesota

Here is a brief history of St. Paul, one of the great cities in the state of Minnesota. Very rich in culture and diversity, St. Paul is a beautiful city just across the river from it’s Twin City of Minneapolis.

Old History

Before European settlement, the land that is known as Ramsey County was inhabited by the Native American tribes Sioux and Ojibwa. In 1680, a Franciscan missionary named Louis Hennepin first explored the site and the upper Mississippi river before being captured by the Sioux in April the same year. Even though France and Spain would dispute over the territory, the next explorer didn’t arrive until 1766 when Jonathon Carver traveled thought the Great Lakes and spent the winter with the Sioux tribe while exploring a cavern now known as Carvers Cave.

In 1787 the land became part of the Northwest Territory which England had been planning to use as a Native American reservation. However, once the Treaty of Paris of 1783 was signed, the land became U.S. territory. In 1805, United States send Lieutenant Zebulon Montgomery Pike to explore the upper Mississippi River. Once there he made a treaty with the Sioux tribe for possession of the land, a treaty that was never officially  approved.

In 1819, Fort Snelling, formally Fort Saint Anthony, would be built on the land of the Sioux tribe. Fort Snelling would be the first major United States military presence in the upper Mississippi River. It was built at the river mouth of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers to create American dominance of the fur trade industry. The Fort banned distillers from operating on the land once whiskey trade become popular in the area. In 1838, a fur trader turned bootlegger, Pierre “Pig-Eye” Parrant, was forced to move his operation five miles north into what is now downtown St. Paul. He called the land “L’Oeil de Cochon”, which is French for “Pig’s Eye”, this became the first land claim in Minnesota. French Canadians would soon move into the land and in 1837 a treaty with the Native Americans secured the land for settlement.

It was known as Pigs Eye Landing until in 1841 that the settlement was called Saint-Paul, in honor of Paul the Apostle by Father Lucien Galtier who built a log chapel dedicated to the apostle. St. Paul became known as a trading center and stop point for first generation Americans pioneers heading west.In 1847, Baptist school teacher, Harriet Bishop came from Vermont and opened the city’s first school in a cabin located at  St. Peter Street and Kellogg Boulevard. In 1849 the Minnesota Territory was formalized and St. Paul was named its capital and Justus Ramsey moved to there to become the territory governor. However in 1850, the territory capital was almost moved to Saint Peter but legislator Joe Rolette mysteriously disappeared with the approved bill. Saint Paul officially become a city in 1854 and in 1858, Minnesota was admitted as the Union’s 32nd state with Saint Paul its official state capital.

A Booming City

With the industrial revolution and the invention of the steam engine, St. Paul becomes a powerhouse of trade and commerce. The first bridge to cross over the Mississippi River in Saint Paul was the wooden Wabasha Street bridge completed in 1859. Early population growth was due to at least one million French Canadians, Germans, and Irish immigrating from the Old World. With people came religion and the first German-Jewish synagogue in 1854. One Catholic parish had to divide into three different sections to accommodate French, German, and Irish languages. In 1856, the Diocese allowed the Germans to build their own parish which became known as Assumption Church. With German culture on the rise the German cultural society Leseverein built Athenaeum, a Deutsch House for theatrical productions. The College of Saint Paul was founded by a Presbytrain minister and later combined with Baldwin School to create Macalester College. And in 1860, Saint Paul received its first telegraph line.

St. Paul Today

Today Saint Paul, along with its twin city Minneapolis, prides as a industry, education, and health care center. Manufacturing products include automobiles, chemicals, computer products and software, tools, machinery, and medical equipment that help give Saint Paul its stable local economy. Saint Paul boasts the home for many higher education colleges such as College of St. Catherine, University of St. Thomas, Hamline University, Macalester College, Bethel University, Luther Seminary, and Concordia University. Culture Institutions are very popular in Saint Paul and some of the best are the Science Museum of Minnesota, Minnesota Museum of American Art, the historical museum and Minnesota’s Children’s museum.