Visiting the Old Market in Downtown Omaha, Nebraska

In my late teens, The Old Market was pretty much my favorite place to go hang out in Omaha. Let's face it, Nebraska hasn't really got a lot to offer in the way of excitement. It is a great place to have a family, plus they have excellent steaks & the restaurants to serve them. Even Johnny Carson built his restaurant here, in the city of his birth. But other than stockyards, Paypal, and Mutual of Omaha there just really is not a lot here. Except The Old Market.

Back in the day, The Old Market was a hippie haven. We all flocked downtown to hang out with other like-minded folks complete with flowers in our hair and dreams of a peaceful world. The cobblestone streets reminded us of a simpler time (a time that exists only in our imaginations, really) and the shops all sold lots of wonderful 60s & early 70s attire. Incense and pagan shops were plentiful, as were old bookstores and head shops. One even had wonderful pinball machines. You know, the old school type, not these new fangled machines. Oh yes, I have many a fine memory of hanging out with the local artists hawking their paintings on the street here. It is one of the few fond memories I have of my teens in Omaha.

Flash-forward over 30 years and I find myself visiting my oldest daughter. She lives in nearby Lincoln, and apropos of the times I named her Destiny... and she still has not forgiven me for that. Hey, I said I was a hippie type. Her sister was a bit luckier. My last name at the time was Fields, and my friends talked me out of naming her Strawberry. At any rate, my daughter & I stopped in to this blast from my past on the way to the airport to head back to Sweden.

My first thought as we rounded the corner into the Old Market district was 'Gee, I remember it being much bigger then.' Indeed, The Old Market was much larger to us kids back then. Still, the cobblestone streets do remain and that was a nice sight in otherwise ugly Omaha. (Oh don't get your knickers in a wad... Omaha is not a pretty city and you know it.)

I never found those old pinball machines, but we did find a few stores still selling wonderful clothes that would have fit right in 30-odd years ago. Prices have, of course, gone up on everything. Omaha now markets The Old Market as a tourist destination, so everything that goes with that hype is now present.

We decided to have lunch at the Spaghetti Factory, but opted to sit outside on the walk since it was a nice day. The food here was typical of this chain, which is to say good yet inexpensive. It is a good place to sit if you are at all into people-watching, and I am.

We were here the end of April, on a weekday, so it was not very busy at all. There were people here and there wandering about, but the tourist season was not yet in full swing, especially for this part of the country. This left the area feeling a bit lonely and deserted... and me with feelings of melancholy.

During the tourist season there are carriages and trolley running through the area. You can also find quite a few art galleries and museums in the area if that is the type of thing you like. Me, I prefer street vendors to art galleries, but still...

I have been told that in the height of summer you can still find local artists lining the sidewalks. We did manage to catch one street performer just setting up so that was hopeful for busier summer days. If for some reason you find yourself stranded in Omaha, Nebraska then I do highly suggest you visit The Old Market. Do it during the summer months though. You can pick up souvenirs and have a nice relaxing lunch if nothing else, and as I said earlier, this is the coolest part of Omaha.