girl's night out Archives

May 8, 2018

Girls Night Out Event At Omaha Children’s Museum

This blog has been overdue sharing a girl’s night out information. The last official roundup of Girl’s Night Out suggestions was in 2013 (eek!). More recently, I shared tips on painting and drinking, making Knotty Nail art, and going to the theater. Most involved wine. I have one more girls night out idea that will likely involve a glass of wine: A night out at Omaha Children’s Museum.

What?! I know. The museum is having its first-ever Mom’s Night Out on June 9 and I’m here to share the details.

Stick around because I have a promo code for Buy One, Get One tickets!

Full disclosure: I work at Omaha Children’s Museum. Plus, I’m receiving complimentary tickets for writing about the event.

What’s Mom’s Night Out

Mom’s Night Out at Omaha Children’s Museum is a night for women ages 21 and older. If you want to be pampered, and you’re 21 or older, this is for you. You don’t have to be a mom to attend, by the way. All ladies of legal drinking age are welcomed.

As you guessed, since it’s a 21 and older event, there will be alcohol, and your admission fee covers one drink. There will also be food, shopping, and a place to chill with your friends and watch John Hughes movies. Sounds great, right?

BOGO Ticket Deal

Tickets are $15 each. Oh My! Omaha readers can use the promo code happymothersday to buy one, get one ticket FREE! Because really, you’ll want to bring a friend along. Or you know, make it a Mother’s Day present and buy one for your mom. You can purchase tickets online at here.

If you go

Mom’s Night Out

When: June 9, 8 to 11 p.m.

Where: Omaha Children’s Museum, 500 S. 20th St.

Cost: Tickets are $15 each. Use promo code happymothersday to get a second ticket FREE. Purchase tickets online here.

Stay in the know

Subscribe to the FREE twice a month(ish) e-newsletter sharing what’s new in Omaha, giveaways, family travel ideas, and more! Subscribe here.

Filed Under: What To Do In Omaha Tagged With: girl's night out

September 10, 2015

Competitive Wine Tasting For A Cause

By Kim Leave a Comment

UPDATE (April 7, 2019): When last checked, this organization hasn’t been active.

Do good and drink wine.

Now there’s a philanthropic idea I can stand behind.

Allow me to introduce you all to Bacchanalian Society of Omaha. They throw competitive wine tastings that benefit local nonprofit organizations.

The Fall 2015 Gathering is coming up – Oct. 8 – and they invited me to attend so you guys can hear about it. Twist my arm, right?

Here’s the lowdown

1. All Bacchanalian events raise money for a different charity. They try to vary between different types of causes, but all directly serve Douglas, Sarpy, and/or Pottawatamie counties. The Fall 2015 Gathering benefits the Literacy Center.

2. Prices to fundraisers are kept low to attract younger do-gooders and the rest of us who’d love to be more charitable but can’t afford the price of $100+ gala tickets.

About Competitive Wine Tastings

Photo courtesy The Bacchanalian Society of Omaha

I was intrigued by this too, so I asked Katy Spratte, Bacchanalian Society of Omaha Vice President, to give first-timers a primer on what to expect and some tips for bringing the winning wine.

Teams of 1, 2 or 3 people bring three bottles of the same wine fitting the event’s theme. For the Fall 2015 Gathering, white blends will be featured.
Two of those bottles are bagged (to hide what they are) for the tasting; the third is set aside for the winner.
Every attendee gets a set of voting cards, three green for the wines they like, and one red for the one they don’t.
Start tasting some of that wine, y’all.
Vote.
The teams that brought the five highest ranked wines divvy up each team’s third unopened bottle.
The lowest ranked wine will be returned to the team that brought it.

Tips to winning this thing

Look for wines with mass appeal. Think smooth and mellow stuff.
Since we’re talking whites here, make sure you chill your bottles before the competition.
Wines have ranged from $4 a bottle to $100… most expensive doesn’t always mean better. Katy said the last winner of a white theme (2014’s “West Coast Whites”) won with an $8 bottle purchased at Cubby’s in the Old Market.
Local or Midwestern wines haven’t fared well at past events, so consider that when making a purchase.

Spirit World in Aksarben and Corkscrew in the Blackstone District are offering 10% off for all “bach” attendees who purchase their competition wine there; just mention Bacchanalian Society of Omaha.

If you go

Bacchanalian Society of Omaha Fall 2015 Wine Gathering

When: Thursday, Oct. 8; doors open at 7 p.m. and bottles popped at 7:30.

Where: Hot Shops Art Center, 1301 Nicholas St.

Cost: Early birds can register as individuals for $20; price goes up to $25 later. Teams of 2 or 3 can register for $57. Register here.

Filed Under: What To Do In Omaha Tagged With: date night, girl's night out

May 5, 2015

5 Things About Big O Bocce

By Kim 3 Comments

I’ve been thinking about getting in some sort of sports league lately. One to be social but maybe a little active.

So I joined a bocce ball league.

Spoiler alert: My team isn’t going to win this league.

This year.

View this post on Instagram

My #bocceomaha team, Joanie Loves Bocce. @momontheside #DontKnowWhatWereDoing #omaha #MidtownCrossing

A post shared by Kim Reiner (@ohmyomaha) on Apr 28, 2015 at 6:09pm PDT

Didn’t know people played bocce ball in Omaha? And they’re like, our age?

There are 70-odd teams in the Big O Bocce league at Midtown Crossing this spring.

Bocce ball is not a physically demanding sport, and can be played with a beverage in your hand – making it appealing to older folks and college-aged kids alike.

(Wait, does that make me an “older folk”?)

5 Things To Know About Big O Bocce

1. Anyone can play it.

I’ve never played bocce ball until last Tuesday. Nor had any members of my glorious bocce ball team, Joanie Loves Bocce, played. We had to google how to play.

So you can bet we were worthy adversaries.

Luckily our opponents had never played either, so there wasn’t a whole lot of pressure.

In case you were wondering, we lost to Balls Deep. I’ll let you come up with a joke right here.

Joanie Loves Bocce has serious game face, though.

Take heed, though, there are some competitive souls out there.

2. Anyone can play it but that doesn’t mean everyone’s good at it.

There is some skill to bocce, so even though we can all throw a ball, it’s not so easy to master. Being a competitive person, I had a hard time coming to terms with this. Kim wants to win.

3. League play is at Turner Park

Put two and two together – sports and a public park – and you wonder if alcohol is involved. Well. Yes and no. People brought coolers, people purchased beer from Brix. But, it’s a public park so no one was throwing a kegger in Court No. 3. Everyone seemed pretty responsible, but having fun.

Not only can you play with a beverage in hand, you can pretend to measure distances as well.

4. The real fun is afterward.

Sponsors of Big O Bocce – Cantina Laredo, Black Oak Grill and Chicago Dawg House – rotate offering post-game specials. We went to Cantina Laredo last week, and they offered $2 tacos and $2 Tecate beers. I’m excited to see what the other places will offer teams.

5. Summer league is on the horizon.

Will Joanie Loves Bocce be back? Who knows. But if you’ve got 5-8 friends, pool together your registration fee of $35 each and join the summer league. Registration starts May 25. You guys get a tshirt and an invite to the end-of-the-year party, and if you’re any good, maybe a trophy. Top scoring fees get money to donate to charities of their choice in addition to a trophy.

Disclaimer: I was provided complimentary registration in exchange for telling you about Big O Bocce. It was kinda unspoken that I wouldn’t tell you any rules or provide any “how to” tips because clearly, I have no idea what I’m doing out there.

Filed Under: What To Do In Omaha Tagged With: date night, girl's night out, Omaha parks

April 7, 2015

Girls Night Out To Mamma Mia

By Kim 2 Comments

“Mamma Mia” is one of those Broadway shows that have been around for decades and every time you meet a woman who hasn’t seen it, you’re a little surprised. But they’re out there, so I’m guessing when the Broadway touring production stops in Omaha April 24-26, there will be pockets of newbies having a ball watching it for the first time.

“Mamma Mia” runs April 24-26 at Omaha’s Orpheum Theater.

I’ll be there on opening night. Omaha Performing Arts, who is my employer and the presenter of this show along with Broadway Across America, asked me and a few bloggers to write about the show before it comes to Omaha. I’ve seen it once already and I have a few opinions on it, so I agreed to it.

What you need to know about “Mamma Mia”

“Mamma Mia” is about friendship and the bonds between mothers and daughters.

It really is a great girls night out show. This is one you’ll want to see with friends, your sister, your mom…anyone but your husband. I took Mr. Wonderful to see this bright, cheerful musical when I was a young newspaper reviewer who always wanted her beau to accompany her to shows no matter what. He kinda dampened my fun (not once would he join in with me in singing “Dancing Queen”). He’s not the target audience; it just wasn’t what he’d call a good time. While he rolled his eyes, all around me groups of women were laughing, dancing, having a ball. Lesson learned.
It’s all ABBA music. You probably already know this. The creators faithfully kept the ABBA songs whole and managed to write a musical around them. It’s not a jukebox musical, but a traditional musical whose story is moved forward each time someone sings a song. It’s a fun time if you enjoy an ABBA song or two (or the whole catalog); it’s a drag if you don’t. Haters gonna hate.
There is a plot to the musical. It’s not complex, and its meaning will seem more profound if you have had a drink before the show, but there’s still a nice storyline to it. It’s about mother-daughter bonds, the bonds between friends, and getting older (but not getting old).

Which circles me back to why this is a great girls night out show: No guy can relate to the difficult but profoundly meaningful relationship that is the mother-daughter relationship.

What guy wouldn’t want to see a musical with ABBA music that focuses on female friendships? I mean, really.

Maybe I’ll see you there on April 24! I won’t be there with my husband.

If you go

“Mamma Mia”

When: Friday, April 24, through Sunday, April 26. Performances are Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday at 1:30 and 7 p.m.

Where: Orpheum Theater, 409 S. 16th St.

Get tickets

Tip: Do not wait to get your tickets! Tickets are selling well and will not get any cheaper.

Filed Under: What To Do In Omaha Tagged With: Broadway in Omaha, girl's night out, Orpheum Theater

December 22, 2014

Heritage Opens In Downtown Omaha

By Kim Leave a Comment

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. My meal and drink was provided by the restaurant in order to experience all Heritage has to offer. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Omaha’s newest restaurant, Heritage Food and Wine, held a soft opening this past weekend. Located just north of the Orpheum Theater in downtown Omaha, it’s in a downtown area that’s becoming a known for good, locally-sourced food.

Heritage is located on South 15th Street in downtown Omaha.

My dinner companions were fellow bloggers and social media hotshots – Lisa at amomontheside.com and midwestmammas.com, Dana at triwivesclub.com (and also momsgoodeats.com and part of travelingmom.com), Janelle at bakesinslippers.com, Sarah from saraheatsomaha.com (and Yelp), Liz at LPObeauty.com and Kris, a brand-builder extraordinaire.

Bakes in Slippers and Momsgoodeats, AKA Janelle and Dana.

The atmosphere

It’s pretty modern looking with some interesting light fixtures.

Look up.

The lights were dim for the evening, so if you’re thinking on wooing someone with some mood lighting, here you go.

Foodies are going to flock Heritage since many working here have come from places like V. Mertz, Dante’s and The Boiler Room. If that’s not your scene, you won’t be impressed by that, and you probably avoid places that attract foodies anyway. However, if you like to eat good food, you’ll want to try this place out.

The straight forward menu. You want something from the garden? Got it. Want something from the sea? Easy.

You can be adventurous in ordering or stick to what you know. Menu’s pretty straight forward.

Drinks

I first noticed the beer list – small but a great selection (Delirium Tremens, folks). Then I pondered the extensive wine list – now we’re talking my territory – but my crew that night was ordering craft cocktails, so I followed suit.

I joined Liz in requesting “something fruity with rum.” I’d tell you to get it if I knew what it was. The bartenders know their stuff, though, so if you’re a cocktail novice like me, just tell them something vague and they’ll make something spectacular.

It turns out I would’ve been more than fine getting wine. They have a certified sommelier on staff, which explains the enviable wine cellar. Next time, I’m pairing stuff with wine.

The food

That’s what you really want to know about, right? It’s comfort food. Things are served family-style, which I liked a lot since it allowed for us to try a lot of food instead of being saddled with one entree and wishing you could sample someone’s food.

Huge fries and biscuits with honey, yes please.

Being family-style, things come on small plates and there’s no appetizer, entree, dessert order to things. Instead, the menu is divided into garden, pasture, sea and coop (and cave – the charcuterie option).

Sweet potatoes like your mama never used to make.

Among the dishes I like: Sweet potatoes with carmelized white chocolate and marshmallows; house pickles; smoked salmon and gravlox; roasted vegetables; and the creamed kale that came with the duck breast. There were some incredible homemade biscuits too.

There’s no way to photograph creamed kale and make it look good. Just take my word for it, it was good.

Would I bring my kids?

I wouldn’t feel out of place doing it – there were some dishes I mentally checkmarked as things I bet they’d eat. I could see bringing them along if we were having a nice dinner out with their Grammy and Grampy.

However, this seems more to me like a great date spot to hit before a show. Or even better, to go with a group of friends so you can order a bunch of plates and taste a lot of stuff.

If you go

Heritage Food and Wine

Where: 316 S. 15th St.

For reservations: (402) 991-0660

Facebook

Filed Under: Where To Eat In Omaha Tagged With: date night, girl's night out, Omaha restaurants

April 11, 2014

Birthday Celebration Day 5: Vino Van Gogh Giveaway

By Kim 25 Comments

Stock photo by Praveen (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en). Photo has been edited.

I don’t have the booming social where a girls night out needs to be more than just drinks. I’ll take anything if it means I don’t have to say “potty” in a conversation.

But, it is fun to be out with friends doing something in addition to having a drink. Being creative while drinking, for instance.

Painting and drinking, specifically.

I don’t always paint while holding my wine glass, but when I do, I’m sure to slosh my wine on my apron.

I recently took another Vino Van Gogh class (read about the first one here). This time, it was a special night out – a birthday celebration for my sister-in-law (belated, but she doesn’t mind).

So, we sipped some, painted some, laughed a lot.

Here we are with our finished masterpieces.

My first experience was similar. Vino Van Gogh classes are held at different locations around Omaha – from bars to restaurants to retail locations like the one we were at recently, Vine + Branch. The location is different each time but I’m learning that the atmosphere is similar: Relaxed, supportive and festive. Two different teachers, two different styles, but both were encouraging with a side of sass. You aren’t going to learn a lot of technique just enough to help you paint something like this.

So if you’re looking for more instructional painting classes, perhaps look for a different sort of school.

It’s mostly women in the class, though my first class had a few couples on dates. Drinks and food are additional costs – you’re not required to drink (it just helps). I found a glass of wine loosened painting inhibitions – we started out worrying about every brush stroke, but about 20 minutes into it, woowee, who cares, let’s add a little more color here and a little swoosh there.

* * * * *

Giveaway!

Do you have a need to tap into your inner-artist? Does the sound of painting with a glass of wine within reach sound just about right? Do you have three friends who need a night out? Or maybe you have a special someone who’d join you on two dates to two different classes?

Lucky you, then. I’m giving away FOUR (4) passes to any Vino Van Gogh class in Omaha on any day you choose (assuming it’s not already a full class). The passes are codes you’ll use when registering for the class(es) of your choosing.

It’s easy to enter. You can get extra entries if you follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, plus you can tweet about this giveaway daily for an extra entry each day! Must be 21 or older to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. on April 27. A random winner will be selected by Rafflecopter, and I will contact that winner via email with details on registering for the class(es) he or she wants to attend. Total value of the tickets is $152.

Vino Van Gogh provided complimentary classes to me in exchange for my honest reviews. All opinions expressed are my own.

I want to thank the sponsors who are making Oh My! Omaha’s birthday celebration so awesome, especially Vino Van Gogh for providing the four free class registrations for today’s giveaway! Other great sponsors are Omaha Symphony, The Rose, Omaha Performing Arts, Omaha Children’s Museum, the Strategic Air & Space Museum, and Bluebarn Theatre.