The Durham Museum

Such a cool museum with something for everyone, truly! If you're an architecture fan, make a beeline to see the beautiful art deco train station lobby. If you're a locomotive buff, you can walk amongst and through trains to your heart's content, learning about Union Pacific as you wander. If you want to learn about the history of Omaha, this is a great place to get your bearings. And if you have a little one, there is plenty to keep them entertained.I highly recommend spending a few hours here and returning whenever one of their temporary exhibits catches your fancy.

I love the Durham!!!! I always have a great time here. I absolutely the different exhibits and there is so much to see. I always bring my family and friends when they visit and they love it too. It's such a great price and the membership is even better since I love coming to all the exhibits. Thank you to The Durham!

Durham truly is a hidden gem of downtown Omaha. If you have a big family, you should consider a family membership for only $70. The switch out exhibits every few months and their annual christmas tree is amazing. The have a soda fountain where you can get a pretty decent and economical meal. Highly recommend the dessert. Simply delicious.

I got a Durham Museum membership as a gift for my husband for Christmas, and we've visited many times since becoming members!The Durham has several permanent exhibits like the Harriman Train exhibit, where you can walk through actual train cars from the 1940s, the Byron Reed gallery that houses historical coins and documents, and the Baright Gallery that transports you back to the frontier times of Omaha - and many more exhibits in the permanent collection! We definitely took our time going through all these permanent exhibits and only made it through a tiny bit. You can spend the whole day just at these permanent exhibits, so we will certainly be back to explore those more.The rotating collections are fabulous also. So far we have visited for the Julia Child exhibit, Toytopia, and the Sherri Geeredes costume collection for the Rose Theater.I think my favorite of these was Julia Child: A Recipe for Life. It was so cool to see Julia's life through this exhibit and participate in the interactive bits. (Being filmed on a replica of her set, sit in a tub to recreate her iconic photo with her husband Paul, and creating your own recipe for a meal almost like a video game.)The Toytopia exhibit was also very cool, seeing the popular toys from each decade. There were lots of fun things to interact with here, too, like a giant Etch a Sketch, a Zoltar machine like from the movie Big, and a huge silver Monopoly car. The only thing I'd say about this one is that it definitely was geared more towards kids (there were literally a thousand kids playing with all the items) which is totally fine, but just be aware if you are childless and wanting to check out an exhibit like this.We've also visited the Hitchcock Museum Gift Shop and the Soda Fountain cafe in the Great Hall. The museum shop is great and always has some items based around the current exhibits (we bought some fun vintage-inspired toys during the Toytopia exhibit). And the Soda Fountain has actual food but it's the treats that are heavenly, like root beer floats, black cows, and phosphates!We are super lucky to have a museum of this high quality right here in Omaha, and I definitely recommend getting a membership or checking it out once to see if you think its worth it to sign up (it is!)

Extensive museum with displays and activities to engage all ages! My wife and I especially liked the chance to walk through train cars and imagine what it would have been like to travel years ago. We also enjoyed the short film about Omaha's history -- between that and the many exhibits, we learned a lot about the early years of this fine city. And oh, what a lot of interesting history! In addition, we had a delicious lunch at the throwback cafe--most especially the old-fashioned soda and the Art Deco Delight Sundae.

Always a new experience with each exhibit. Christmas, enjoy a tree that rivals Rockefeller Center and trees from around the world with their individualized decorations.Julia Child earlier this year along with white Christmas costumes to add to the holiday spirit.Now, enjoy the very special display of costumes from the Rose theater collection - Such creativity! Add to it in the special exhibit area the Toytopia which will bring back childhood memories from all the games and toys you enjoyed! The building's retro style, gift shop with special items for any occasion, and the standing exhibits that include model trains, history of Omaha, and many other delights. Highly recommend the membership so that you can go back and enjoy the different exhibits throughout the year.

We were just here for a wedding, and I love how this works! The entry area is great for mingling with folks before the ceremony. Then at wedding time everyone moves into the wedding area, the nuptials happen and then you head to the lower level as the upstairs transforms into a beautiful seated dinner reception. After dinner you head back into the dancing area, it's very slick! and quickly transformed. We loved the wedding and all the seamless details.

We had a fabulous family visit to the Durham Museum to extend our seasonal celebration of Christmas. From the parking lot to the end, we had a great experience from start to finish.The Durham Museum used to be the main train station during the 1898 exhibition in Omaha. It is now a beautifully renovated and maintained museum. The facade is pristine washed and stunning. The moment you walk in, the sites fill you with wonder. Shining gold and silver window treatments and wall/ceiling designs. Gorgeous marble and stone walls and pillars. And of course, a 40 foot tall Christmas tree. Absolutely stunning!Prices were fairly reasonable: $8 for kids, $12 for seniors, and $15 for adults. We did wish it was less for kids, but well worth the cost!They had a great activity for the kids. They had a sheet with 9 pictures of cartoon elves. The 9 elves had life-size displays throughout the lower level. If the kids found all nine, and took "s-Elfys", they could get a jolly rancher on the way out. The kids loved the challenge and we found all 9!We enjoyed the Christmas tree displays on the first floor, but the lower level is where the magic happens. Full of interactive and life size displays/exhibits about Nebraska history, we learned a lot and had a hoot doing it! Some highlights included a massive train maintained to look like a luxury old-time train liner, an ancient Wells Fargo Wagon, and a history film. We also visited the dual-special exhibit: 1. Costumes from the movie "White Christmas" and 2. Julia Childs wardrobe, props, and history. We absolutely loved this interactive exhibit and learned so much.There was also so much we didn't see at the museum...we'll have to go back! For example, they have diner modeled after the 30's and 40's. It looked yummy and fun. So you could definitely visit during a meal time.We look forward to future visits, but for sure during the holiday season!

Loved this museum. Attended a private dinner event, which included the museum. The museum provides the context behind the founding of Omaha and continued westward expansion of our country. Wonderful luxury train cars to explore and a whole lot more. Was the highlight of my week-long visit to the area.

They had me at lunch box exhibit. My special needs brother and I have been collecting for decades. He would have loved this exhibit but now has Alzheimer's so it was bittersweet. We drove from MN just to see this. Excellent exhibit that also includes some history. Plus the Holy Grail of lunch boxes - Toppie. Never thought I would see one in person. Missing Gunsmoke (including LL error) and Brazil Batman to name a few. Excellent collection though.The Super Hero exhibit was fun and interactive. Also enjoyed the other exhibits; especially the coins. Nice train exhibit and model train too. Don't miss this museum. I was also pleasantly surprised by the soda fountain as it was inexpensive and good. Have some ice cream, a perfect end to your visit.