If you are visiting Omaha, Nebraska the Lauritzen Gardens Botanical Park is worth a visit if you do not mind doing a little bit of walking. I visited Lauritzen Gardens in August 2008 and found it to be quite nice. Sadly a lot of the greenery was already dead, such as the rose garden, but there were still plenty of things to see.
My favorite area was the Hitchcock-Kountze Victorian Garden, pictured below.
It reminded me of the movie The Secret Garden and it was truly the highlight of my trip to Lauritzen Gardens.
Lauritzen Gardens is a 100 acre site that could use a bit better design. Once you enter the main building and pay ($7 adults, $3 children), you go out the back where your tour begins. Instead of having the path in a circle, you basically walk all the way through the gardens and then have to backtrack the exact same way to exit.
There is a cafe on-site that boasts being open year-round, however it was not open the day I was there in August. The gift shop area does not sell any type of drink or snack, so be sure to bring a cooler or some drinks to leave in the car for after your walk through the gardens. Otherwise you will find yourself quite parched with no way to get a drink!
Possibly the most interesting part of Lauritzen Gardens is the Model Railroad Garden. It is really quite impressive. What you will see are several model trains continually traveling through miniature communities, landscapes and countrysides. What is most intriguing is that the garden’s structural elements are constructed of natural materials such as leaves, twigs, bark, berries, pinecones, gourds and cinnamon sticks. And you will notice as the trains wind through the tracks that they are passing amazing reproductions of natural landscapes as well as recognizable buildings and landmarks seen in and around Omaha. There is an upper and a lower railroad garden for visitors to check out.
While I was at Lauritzen Gardens, also checked out Kenefick Park. It is a small area that is home to two of the largest locomotives to ever run on the Union Pacific Railroad. If you are driving by on Interstate 80 you can see them from the front.
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Just a note about the state of the plants during your August visit. Omaha was hit by a severe storm (with over 100 mph winds and large hail) in June of 2008, which did incredible damage to Lauritzen Gardens. Hardest hit was the rose garden, which needed over 600 roses planted in spring of 2009. A typical visit would find the rose garden in full bloom in August and thru September as well as the rest of the garden annuals and perennials. The timing of your visit was unfortunate. Be assured the garden is typically at its peak during this time.