Lauritzen Gardens

During our visit, we were absolutely captivated by the stunning beauty that surrounded us. The entire day was spent marveling at the incredible scenery, and I was filled with a deep sense of tranquility and peace. I plan on visiting again late summer/early fall to experience the change the season brings! I really do recommend going and checking this place out. Enjoy!

Wonderful gardens! The greenhouse always has the prettiest flowers and plants. They have fun events like Leashes at Lauritzen where dogs are invited and bands nights! Well kept and very much worth the membership. Even took my engagement photos here.

Nice botanical garden! We came on a rainy day so we unfortunately did not see the acres outside however the inside had a lot of festive decorations alongside the many plants. There is also a cute gift shop (which I did not get any photos of) with lots of things to look at and purchase. The only thing I wish they had more of was magnets and more post card options as I collect both as I travel!

We went to Bright Lights at Lauritzen Gardens and it was stunning!! Staff was cheery and knowledgeable! Such a fun holiday activity! The only downside was since it was indoors it was a little loud and overly crowded.

Such a fabulous event at Lauritzen Gardens during the holidays! We walked around and enjoyed the light displays through the indoor sections of the buildings. I particularly thought the little hut for writing Santa letters was very cute, perfect for all ages. I did feel like the price was a bit steep for what we were able to see and the sidewalks were packed with attendees, but still enjoyed the event nonetheless!

The Marjorie K. Daugherty Conservatory was closed. In the Model Railroad Garden, the trains are not running at this time of year. We passed by Sofia's Play Garden near the front and it is under construction. There are quite a few gardens, but we went in November so not much was in bloom. The major draw for me was the red torri gates at the Japanese Garden.

Very nice place with a wide variety of gardens! It's large -- I recommend adding the tram ride for older or very young guests because they are going to get quite tired walking to the far end. We were disappointed that the Conservatory was closed; hence 4 stars instead of 5.

Lauritzen is a beautiful space in Omaha, and I'm so eager to see the fruit of their expansions with a new kids/interactive nature play area (coming in 2024/25?)Our favorite parts to enjoy are always the indoor/tropical plant portion up near the front, and the natural forest just behind it. I love that they added a small coffee cart in the upper 'lobby' of this area now, too. Their accomodations - from the coffee cart to the cafe to the gift shop - make it easy to spend a whole day without much thought! I will note that they have asked guests NOT to picnic on the grounds - and as a SAHM who generally has at least my kids (and often a playmate or two) in tow, we've not had any issues bringing snacks for the kids, but just be aware that you shouldn't plan to pack in a lunch. Their cafe is handled by Abraham's catering and the offerings range from grilled cheese and hotdog meals to signature salads and burgers. Lauritzen kind of handles some of their displays similar to a museum, rotating different themes and events throughout the year so even while you might be trekking past the same garden beds, there's always new things to interact with and bring the space to life during the cooler months.

Going to the gardens is a fantastic pass time, whether the weather is fantastic or not so great. My toddler thoroughly enjoyed seeing all of the Lego dinosaurs in the current exhibit. I love how they do such a fantastic job of integrating their installations in with the existing plants. Our favorite dinosaur to see was the plesiosaur in the water!Lauritzen gardens also does a fantastic job at creating experiences for children! They had some games and toys to play with that tied in with the theme of Lego's and dinosaurs. It is always nice going when it isn't too busy. It is a very peaceful place and the scenery is beautiful.I especially love that they partner with the Omaha public library so that you can sign up to get a free ticket. Definitely a money saver!

My elderly mom and her elderly friend were in town and we were looking for something fun to show them around Omaha and we decided on LG. We looked on the website and confirmed they were open until 5pm Sunday. Skimmed thru the other info on the site about what they had going on, Lego displays etc. we live here in Omaha and have only been to LG one time before and figured since they have the huge indoor greenhouse it would be a nice thing to do since it is 4 degrees outside. We arrive and approach the counter and we're greeted and informed of the pricing and we paid. The cashier then was very assertive to point out a plant that hasn't bloomed in 10 yrs and when it does it smells of rotting flesh. Thought that was a strange thing to point us to as we received our receipt and entered the entry way. (It was a voodoo plant fyi) ok neat, we walk around the open area and that took literally 7 minutes and as we approach the green house there's a sign that says it's closed. So our $70 admission consisted of a short walk in their cafeteria that circled around to their gift shop. I politely approached the cashier and said, hi there, we don't want to be rude , but we weren't aware everything here was closed and we'd like to get a refund. She then said, oh, how long have you been here? We were only a party of 5 and there couldn't have been more than 15 other guests in the cafeteria, so I said, politely, you just checked us in, and she asked for our receipt, and apologized. Another cashier overheard us and interrupted and said, sorry, we don't do refunds, you guys came in and walked around and saw the Lego displays and the art on the wall and there are signs everywhere stating that the conservatory is closed and it's posted on our website. We don't do refunds. She was starting to get annoyed when I explained, yes we understand, but we're not from here and the ones who are don't visit regularly ( important because all the other guests that were there are annual members) and we didn't know that the conservatory meant that 99% of your attraction is closed, why did you take our money? No cooperation or customer service or empathy and just said we can call their members hotline and try to get a refund. Not wanting to cause a scene we just conceded and used the restrooms and purchased something from the grotto and left politely. The cashier should have explained to us before collecting our $70 admissions that their main attraction was closed. We were clearly "tourists". So we spent $70 to see a couple ponds and use the restroom and shop in the gift shop. It would be simple the right thing to do to offer a refund. And we were made to feel stupid and they clearly knew we're only there for less than 10 minutes before inquiring. Oh, she did tell us that the outdoor garden trails were open. ( we had two elderly folks with walkers with us and it's 4 degrees out. Thanks?