The Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau kindly sponsored my family’s trip to Lauritzen Gardens during our Omaha weekend. We were there on a very busy day as it was “Railroad Days” in Omaha. Regardless of the increased crowds we had a very fun time exploring the gardens.
Even though half of the gardens were under construction there was still plenty to see. It was a very hot afternoon, but luckily the gardens are surrounded with tall shade trees so walking around wasn’t too bad and there were water fountains and water stations around. There are paved paths and roads so it was easy to get around, even pushing our stroller.
There are many, many different gardens in this 100 acre botanical paradise. Each garden has a different theme. The first garden we came upon was the Victorian Gardens. These beautiful flower beds were hidden behind a beautiful brick wall. I felt like I had fallen into “Pride and Prejudice” as I walked through the entryway into the garden. It was one of my favorites!
As we wandered on we came across a sitting area with multicolored umbrellas. It was very interesting to see. We didn’t stop, but kept walking on.
My most favorite garden of all was the model railroad garden. In this cute garden is built a little city and tons of railroad tracks. There were long trains, short trails and a trolley all chugging along over trusses and through tunnels. It was such an amazing little railroad village with Omaha landmark buildings included!
If you visit the Lauritzen Gardens website you can read about all the different gardens and see some pictures of each garden as well. Some of the other gardens we wandered through were the Rose Garden, Garden of Memories, Woodland Trail, Founders Garden, Children’s Garden and the Festival Garden. I love the flow of the gardens. They each lead right into each other and pathways all connect. It was easy to wind our way through and not miss a thing.
As I mentioned it was Railroad Days so there were some fun craft stations set up for the children. My kids had so much fun making a sheriff badge, conductor hat and a bandana. They also colored some coloring pages and did a word search.
What a fun morning we spent at Lauritzen Gardens. I am definitely interested in visiting again once the construction is completed and there are additional new gardens to see and paths to wander. For other family friendly activities in Omaha, be sure to check out my reviews for The Durham Museum, Omaha Children’s Museum, The Henry Doorly Zoo and the River City Star.
Janell Poulette says
That looks so beautiful!