O! What a week!

Hello fellow Omaha Stalkers! It's hard to believe that it has been such a short time since my last post. There has been so much to see and do. I had a long weekend this past week, so I decided to turn it into a "stay-cation" so I could knock some things off my list of places to visit in Omaha.

My "stay-cation" started with an afternoon CWS (College World Series) game with fellow blogger, Diana. This was my first trip to the TD Ameritrade Park since it has opened. Now, don't get me wrong, I will ALWAYS have a spot in my heart for Rosenblatt, but this park is amazing! After finally seeing it up close and personal, I can give my blessing to the new home of the NCAA Men's College World Series. There is not a bad seat in the house. We sat in the general admission seats in right field and had an amazing view, not only of the game, but the whole stadium.

The great thing about the park is that it is not only the place where people come to cheer on the best college teams in the nation. It also hosts concerts, like the upcoming Red Sky Music Festival, the Omaha Nighthawks UFL Football Team will play there, and they are adopting some of the Blatt's other traditions as well as the CWS. Next week there will be a College Home Run Derby on July 3, followed by the Omaha World Herald's Firework Show. If you are looking for the best place in Omaha to see fireworks, this is where you want to be. For ticket prices and event information check out their website http://www.tdameritradeparkomaha.com/

The second day of my tour started with a trip to the Durham Museum. This was a spot I have wanted to visit again for several reasons. The first being that this is my second "pin" on the VisitOmaha map of Omaha's top attractions. The second reason is that the traveling exhibit that is there right now is the Mindbender Mansion. My sisters and I took my niece and nephew, but this exhibit isn't just for the kids. It is set up almost like a life-sized CLUE game where you have to go from "room" to "room" and solve different interactive puzzles to become a member of the Mindbender Society. You can easily spend hours doing the different puzzles. Although, here is a helpful hint: try and go with at least three other people. There are several activities that require teamwork to complete. Take this from one of the newest members of the Mindbender Society. 

My evening was crammed full of more Omaha goodness. Our first stop of the evening was the Olympic Swimmer statue in front of the Mutual of Omaha building. We had a group of eight out there taking pictures and just having fun with it. Diana posted one on her entry over the weekend. Our next stop was an unexpected one, but a fun surprise nonetheless. We parked in a lot by the ConAgra campus on 10th and  Farnam. When we started walking we came upon a giant food stand that was set up by ConAgra. They are selling snacks there and the proceeds go to their project: Child Hunger Ends Here. It is so neat to have the Headquarters to a Fortune 500 Company right in the heart of downtown. And this project that they are so dedicated to is so easy to participate in. Besides this fun snack stand, you can go to www.childhungerendshere.com and enter codes that can be found on select ConAgra products. Their goal is  to donate 5 million meals to hungry children across the country. As of January 1, they had already donated over 2 million meals.

Directly across from the snack stand is a 6 foot tall statue of Chef Boyardee. Supposedly, if you touch his hat you will have luck in the kitchen. I wasn't aware of this legend when we took these pictures, but I wonder what it means when you give him a big kiss!

Laura - hanging with Chef Boyardee

Kari and Mary smoochin' the Chef

ConAgra snack stand

Our final destination was actually the Holland Performing Arts Center. They are showing several movies out in their courtyard this summer, and before each show they have a local band play. The event is free unless you are interested in treats, which are available for sale on site. You can bring blankets or lawn chairs to sit on and enjoy some classic movies. The movie that showed last weekend was the Karate Kid. This is a favorite of mine and to see it in a movie theater atmosphere was pretty neat. The whole audience applauded when Mr. Miyagi kicked some Cobra Kai butt and again after Daniel beat Johnny in the championship. The whole night was a blast. The weather was beautiful, the sound was perfect, and the movie was a classic. For more information on these music and movie nights, be on the lookout for Kat's first entry. 

I can't finish this without noting that as I am writing this I am also watching the Olympic Swim Trials that are being held here in Omaha right now. Kat and Diana will be writing about their experiences and Olympian sightings this next week, so be sure to check back in with us soon!