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25 Things To Do In Omaha For About $25

If you have a little money to spend, but not too much, Omaha is the place for you. Take a look at a sampling of family-friendly things to do that costs around $25 in Omaha. If you’re looking for free things to do in Omaha, check out either 11 Free Things To Do In The Old Market or 100+ Free Summer Movies & Concerts In Omaha.

Updated: This post was first published in 2014, and was updated in May 2019, with price changes.

Looking for affordable things to do in Omaha? Here's a list of about 25 things to do for about $25! These kid-friendly outings include popular Omaha attractions, parks, and active play like ice skating. #Omaha #Nebraska #familytime

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Visit Lauritzen Gardens

25 things to do in Omaha for under $25 - Visit Lauritzen Gardens
Photo courtesy Nebraska Tourism

Assuming you have kids under the age of 6, you can get into the  botanical gardens for $20 with two adults and two children. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-12, and FREE for children younger than 6. Website

$5 Movie Nights

Head to Aksarben Cinema; a local Marcus Cinema (Majestic, Midtown and Twin Creek); or one of the two Alamo Drafthouse locations on Tuesdays for $5 movies. A family of four can go for $20.

By the way, Kids Camp Movies at Alamo Drafthouse have pick-your-price pricing, so you choose to pay either $1, $3 or $5 for those movies.

Hit an Omaha public pool

You can visit all of the city pools for under $20 for a family of five, even the ultra cool Zorinski Aquatic Center. Pack a picnic and bottles of water, and you’re set for an afternoon. The same goes for Council Bluffs public pools, where a family of 5 can get into the awesome Pirate Cove for $25 including use of the water slides.

Watch UNO teams

Some teams for the University of Nebraska at Omaha offer cheap tickets (cross hockey off your list).

UNO has a great program called Jr. Mavericks Kids Club. It costs $25 to join, but after that, the child gets free admission into every Mavericks home game that includes men’s soccer, women’s soccer, volleyball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball and softball (excludes hockey). So, for a sport like men’s soccer, your cost for two adults is $16 and your child gets in free.

Ice skate at Motto Mclean

A family of four pass to ice skate on select nights is only $10 ($3 for each additional person). The kicker is that price includes skates and a drink. Website

Film Streams

Take in one of the family-friendly films in Film Streams’ Forever Young series. A family of four could go for $25 (assuming you’re not members; if you are, it’s even cheaper!). Adults are $10 and children are $2.50. The films are a mix of classics and new releases, and you can always bet they’re entertaining for you as much as they are for your children.

Old Market Carriage Ride

Take a short carriage ride through the Old Market as a family. For $25, you can take a short historic Old Market tour – and that includes the Cinderella carriage! Please note these are for the walk-up tours and they last about 10 minutes.

Family Fun Night

Hop on over to KiDS body shop on designated Family Fun Nights for an active outing. Families have access to the pool and air-conditioned gym for about an hour and a half. A family of five can do this for less than $25 ($2/adults, $2/children 1 and younger; $5/current KiDS body shop students; and $8 for non-KiDS body shop students).

Mahoney State Park

Affordable things to do in Omaha for families - Play in the indoor activity center at Mahoney State Park

OK, this one’s not in Omaha metro area, but I love the place and it’s cheap, so deal with it. You kids can run wild at the Activity Center for cheap – a family of four can get in for $10 ($2 per adult, $3 per child). Add to it a daily park entry fee of $5, and you have plenty leftover to buy snacks. Or, pack a picnic and save the money for a half-hour paddle boat for four people, which is $8.

Related post: Mahoney State Park For Families

See a Big-Big Movie

Omaha’s zoo has the Lozier IMAX® Theater where you can see exciting family-friendly movies (some in 3D). If you’re a member, score! It’s free for you. If you’re not, a family of four can get tickets for $24.

Related post: Expert Tips For Visiting Omaha’s Zoo

Visit the Planetarium

Bring the kiddos explore space at the University of Nebraska at Omaha Mallory Kountze Planetarium. Admission is only $4, so you can keep things well under $25 (unless you’re a family of seven, then sorry). Public shows exploring seasonal and current astronomical events are usually the first weekend (Friday and Saturday) of each month. Sometimes they offer rooftop observing after the shows.

Bowling

This one you’ll have to do a little legwork first. Sign your kids up for the Kids Bowl Free program (info here) and see which bowling alley nearest you is a program participant. Your kids get two free games a day all summer long.

Pay a one-time fee for yourself to bowl (and shoe rentals for all), or opt to buy the family pass – it allows two games per person per day, covering up to four adult family members.

Omaha Things To Do Category

Fun things to do for under $40

Visit Fontenelle Forest

25 affordable things to do in Omaha - Visit Fontenelle Forest
The entrance to Fontenelle Forest’s Raptor Woodland Refuge in Bellevue, Neb.

Prices have increased at Fontenelle Forest since this post was written. It is now no longer feasible for a family of four to visit for less than $25. Adult admission is $11 and children (ages 2-12) are $8. However, if you have a child younger than 24 months old, he/she are free. Website

See the Storm Chasers

25 things to do in Omaha for less than $25 - Attend a Storm Chasers game at Werner Park
The Storm Chasers offer a ton of family-friendly activities and promotions. Photo courtesy Nebraska Tourism

Ticket prices have increased since this post was first written. In 2019, a family of four can get Berm seat tickets to an Omaha Storm Chasers’ game for $9 each (that’s seating on the grass). You time your game right and you can get a better deal. Sometimes there are promotions to get money off each ticket if you bring a canned food donation, so check the schedule

Related post: Fan Tips For Storm Chasers Baseball Games

See the Omaha Rollergirls in action

Since writing this post, the age limit for free tickets has lowered. Now, a family of four can watch these fierce rollerskating women compete for about $36 (kids 3 and younger still get FREE admission).

Watch Creighton teams

Not all Creighton teams have the same price tickets, but you can catch a lot of sports action for cheap if you buy general admission.

Since this post first published, general admission tickets have increased in price. For a family of four, you can catch a game women’s soccer for $28 (men’s goes up to $36); and softball for $22 (baseball’s lowest price are higher). You’ll want to get cool Creighton Bluejay apparel before you go!

You’ll want to fit in, so outfit your family in UNO hats and shirts.

Have a blast at the Kroc Center

My kids loved – I mean LOVED – the aquatic center with the slides and nifty little lazy river. We went on an Inflatable Friday night, which was added fun. There’s a lot to do there in addition to swimming, like open art class, so check it out.

UPDATE: The discounted family pass is no longer a thing since 2019. Now, a family of four can visit the Kroc Center and enjoy the pool for about $30 (depending on your kids’ ages). Website

Putt Putt Golf (outdoors)

Prices have gone up since I wrote this post and now it’s more than $25.

Head to Boulder Creek Amusement Park in Millard and get a round of putt putt in with the littles. Two adults and two kids can play for about $29 ($8.50 for adults, $5.95 for kids). Tricky thing is to get out of there without playing something else.

Related post: See all the places to play putt putt in Omaha.

Visit the Bellevue Berry Farm

Affordable things to do in Omaha - Visit the Bellevue Berry Farm (especially during berry picking season)
Photo courtesy Nebraska Tourism

Since I wrote this post, the prices have increased.

If you go during pumpkin season, a family of four can visit Bellevue Berry Farm on a weekday for $28 (kids 2 and younger are FREE, though).

If you go during berry picking season, admission is much lower.

Visit Ditmars Orchard

25 things to do in Omaha under $25 - Go to an orchard
My family visiting Ditmars Orchard last fall.

OK, OK. Ditmars Orchard is also not in Omaha, but it’s close enough being in Council Bluffs. Since I first wrote this post, the prices have increased.

A family of four can visit here on the weekend for about $28 – activity wristbands are $7 each (children 3 and younger rare FREE). This price only includes all of the activities there though if you plan on picking apples, know that you’ll be paying more during your visit.

Related post: Apple Picking Near Omaha

Get creative together

If you’re in the Fremont area, head to CREATE for a drop-in project. While there isn’t a set range for, kid’s projects start at $10 each. I can see it being tempting to do a more expensive project, though.

I went with the kids to The Makery earlier this year and there were pretty inexpensive projects to make by yourself and/or with your kids. Bonus: What you spend at The Makery can be TAGGed to support your favorite charities.

Your turn: Since writing this post, several places have closed or increased in price. What should be added to this list to make it 25?

Here's a list of things to do in Omaha that are affordable for families - Most things are about $25 for a family of four! See which attractions, games, and activity centers have low admission fees. #Omaha #Nebraska #familyfun

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Bob Furr

Friday 15th of June 2018

On the list of inexpensive things to do as a family are the activities at the Omaha Parks Community Centers. For example there is Square Dancing at the Mockingbird Hills Community Center for just $5 a person on Monday Nights!

Brennon

Sunday 12th of February 2017

An awesome list, complete with the exact budget information I was searching for! Thanks!

Gretchen

Friday 11th of July 2014

This is a great list. There are many places I have not heard about before. Thanks for compiling it!

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