19 Best Holiday Events for Kids in Nebraska (2026)

Free, if you own ice skates. That is the Skate Ribbon at 8th and Farnam on a Tuesday in December, and the cheapest hour in a season that otherwise runs $9 to $27 a head.

Omaha's zoo has turned its paths into a lantern safari, the Durham has a 40-foot tree standing where travelers once caught trains, and Stuhr Museum opens a lamplit 1890s village in Grand Island for four nights. What the holiday events for kids in Nebraska are short of is tickets: four of the nineteen below sell by date, so pick a night and live with it.

The other fifteen you can decide on the day. Seven of the nineteen sell their own tickets, one costs nothing to walk into, and twelve come with GetOut Nebraska, a membership covering 21 venues across the state. The back half of this guide reads like a list of indoor afternoons.

If you buy two tickets this week, buy the zoo lights in Lincoln and Omaha. Those are the two that can turn you around at the gate.

Holiday Events for Kids in Nebraska, in One List

Every event in order, with its window and the age it suits.

The Lights: A Zoo Safari, a Garden, and 72 Acres Downtown

Three of the state's four big light shows are within twenty minutes of each other in Omaha. The fourth is in Lincoln, an hour west on I-80.

Zoolightful at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (Omaha)

Bigger footprint this year. Lantern animals line Holiday Way, the Reindeer Game Zone has Sue's Carousel and a lit play area, and the gingerbread village lets kids decorate a cookie before dinner at Durham TreeTops. Santa's North Pole is a letter drop with a free photo, and storytime runs at 6:30 and 7:30 in the Merry Magic Theater. The Aquarium, Kingdoms of the Night and the Wild Kingdom Pavilion stay open all night.

It runs November 18 through January 10, Wednesday to Sunday, 6 to 9:30 p.m., with Monday and Tuesday openings added on December 14, 15, 21, 22, 28 and 29. Adults pay $27, children 3 to 11 $17, under 2 free, and daytime zoo admission does not carry over. Each evening is capped, and 13th Street road work backs up traffic at opening.

This is the one big holiday event in Omaha that GetOut does not cover. The membership passes on the fun centers and museums, not the zoo's seasonal gate.

Bright Nights at Lauritzen Gardens (Omaha)

The garden does this indoors and outdoors at once. The floral display hall holds thousands of poinsettias and a 20-foot poinsettia tree, the conservatory is lined with luminaries, and Sofia's Play Garden is strung with installations built for kids to walk under. Model trains run, fire pits burn, and Santa sits through December 23.

It runs November 27 to January 3 on select nights, 5 to 9 p.m.: November 27 to 29, December 3 to 6, 10 to 13, 16 to 23, 26 to 31, and January 2 and 3. Through December 13, tickets are $18 for ages 13 and up and $9 for ages 3 to 12. From December 16 they go to $22 and $11, and the door price is $4 more. Entry is by date and time and same-day tickets are not guaranteed.

The RiverFront: Holly Days, the Lighting Ceremony, and the Skate Ribbon (Omaha)

Downtown's three parks turn on together on November 28. Hundreds of trees across 72 acres go lit, and the ceremony runs 5 to 7 p.m. Holly Days follows from 4 to 8 p.m. at Heartland of America Park with ice sculpting, a photo booth, hot cocoa, holiday DJs and a community forest of trees decorated by elementary school classes. Both are free.

The Skate Ribbon at 8th and Farnam stays open after that, and it is the cheapest hour on this list. Skating is free if you bring your own skates; rentals are $5 for adults and $4 for children 12 and under. A waiver is signed at the kiosk, and reservations are required Friday through Sunday.

Christmas Events for Kids in Nebraska: A 40-Foot Tree, a Museum Santa, and Scrooge

Christmas at Union Station at The Durham Museum (Omaha)

The tree is 40 feet tall and stands in the old waiting room where Union Pacific used to park a Christmas tree for travelers in the 1930s. A local family donates it; this season's came from Bill White of Omaha. Around it: a sock skating pond open daily, trees decorated by countries around the world, a Log Cabin Christmas on Saturdays through December 19, and an exhibition on the film White Christmas.

Santa's Cabin runs November 27 to December 23, and kids can sit with him or pick up the old telephone and call him instead, which is the better option for a kid who freezes. Hours are Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday noon to 4, closed Mondays.

Santa's Magic at Omaha Children's Museum (Omaha)

This is a show rather than a queue. Santa's Magic runs November 27 to December 23 with indoor snowfall, Rudolph, elves and the man himself, and after each performance kids get one-on-one time with Santa and a photo. Multiple shows run daily, and it is included with the $17 admission.

The catch is the calendar. The museum is closed Mondays, which is also the one day the GetOut Nebraska pass does not apply here. Tuesday to Friday it opens 9 to 4, Saturday and Sunday 9 to 5. Santa's Arrival weekend runs November 27 to 29.

A Christmas Carol at Omaha Community Playhouse (Omaha)

Fifty-one years is a long run for any production, and this one has the sets to show for it: Victorian costumes, a full score, and a cast that fills the Hawks Mainstage. It runs November 20 to December 20, with an ASL shadow-interpreted performance on December 13 at 6:30 p.m. and a pre-show discussion on December 3 at 6:30. Eight and up is the realistic floor; the ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is the part that undoes younger kids.

Christmas Break Indoors, on the Membership

By December 26 the lights have been seen, the cookies are gone, and there are nine days before school. Most of the cheap indoor options sit on the membership. A few tips for using the pass through winter cover the parts that change when it is cold out, and how to use your GetOut membership covers check-in at the counter.

Altitude Trampoline Park (Omaha)

Wall-to-wall trampolines and foam pits on North 90th, with a 60-minute jump pass. Weekdays only: Saturday and Sunday are blacked out, so this is a Monday-to-Friday afternoon pick.

BounceU (Omaha)

Inflatable slides, obstacle courses and an open bounce session for the under-8 crowd, any day the place is open. One open bounce admission per member.

Prehistoric Putt (Omaha)

Four 18-hole courses, more than 40 dinosaurs including a 20-foot T. rex, an arcade and VR laser tag. One round of 18 holes per member, any day, no blackout. The courses are indoors and take about an hour.

Medieval Putt (Elkhorn)

The castle-themed sibling out on Cumberland Drive, two 18-hole courses, one round per member, any day. Worth knowing if the Omaha location is packed.

Pirate Putt (Council Bluffs, Iowa)

Blacklight mini golf across the river, one round of 18 holes per member. The pass works Monday through Thursday only. It is the only Iowa venue on the pass, so a Council Bluffs family does not need a second membership.

House of Conundrum (Omaha)

Escape rooms on Leavenworth Street, built for groups of four or more, best with kids who can read and argue. One general admission per member. Saturdays are blacked out.

Scheels (Omaha)

The indoor Ferris wheel at the sporting goods store, which sounds like a joke until you are 40 minutes into a December afternoon with a five-year-old. One ride per member per day, no blackout.

The pass lists 21 Nebraska venues. This is what each of the twelve on this list hands over, and how often.

Beyond the Metro: Lincoln, Columbus, Grand Island, Scottsbluff

Half the state is a two-hour drive from Omaha, and three of the best things on this list are out there.

Zoo Lights Powered by LES at Lincoln Children's Zoo (Lincoln)

Lincoln's version is smaller than Omaha's and easier with small kids. A light tunnel, hanging vine lights, more than 30 lit animal silhouettes and multiple light shows choreographed to music, plus a holiday train that costs $3 on top of admission and s'mores and hot cocoa stands along the route. It runs November 20 to December 30, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Tickets are timed and non-refundable: general admission $16.95, members $13.95, ages 2 and up need one. Entry slots run every 15 minutes from 6 to 8 p.m., and VIP is $25.95 with the train ride and a 5:30 entry.

D-Bat Lincoln (Lincoln)

Indoor batting cages on Libra Drive, five credits from the membership on any day the place is open. The right stop for a kid who has been inside for a week and needs to hit something. A family driving in from Kansas City has the same membership waiting: GetOut Kansas City covers venues on that side of the state line, and the Kansas City holiday events guide lists what is running there in December.

Shoot 360 Lincoln (Lincoln)

A tech-heavy basketball gym with sensor-driven drills and instant feedback, two one-hour sessions per member, any day. Best for a kid who already plays; a kid who does not will spend the hour chasing the screen.

Boulevard Lanes (Columbus)

A bowling alley with a retro lounge attached, one game per member, any day, no blackout, once a quarter. Columbus is 90 minutes northwest of Omaha on Highway 30, directly on the way back from Grand Island if you take the long route.

Christmas Past & Present at Stuhr Museum (Grand Island)

Stuhr's Railroad Town is a village of historic buildings that sits closed most of the winter. These four nights are when the interiors open. Christmas Past is the village by lamplight, with the log cabins and Cleary Farm dressed for the 1890s. Christmas Present is the Stuhr Building with the Fantasy of Trees, seasonal music, cookies and cocoa, and Santa.

It runs December 4, 5, 11 and 12, 6 to 9 p.m. Admission is $15 for ages 6 and up, members free, paid at the gate, and advance tickets are not sold. Grand Island sits astride I-80, so it also works as a stop for anyone driving east, where a GetOut St. Louis membership covers the venues at the other end.

Riverside Discovery Center (Scottsbluff)

The panhandle's zoo is 22 acres with 170 animals, from bison and swift fox to lions and tigers, plus a playground, a petting zoo and a dino dig. Winter hours are 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., weather permitting, and it closes Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. One admission comes with the membership, any day it is open.

It is not a light show, just somewhere to take the kids between Christmas and New Year's, when the nearest alternative is a two-hour drive. The Colorado line is an hour west, and a GetOut Colorado membership opens up the venues on that side, with the Colorado holiday picks as a starting point.

Which Night to Book First

Four need a decision in advance. The fifth you can decide on the day.

New Year's for Kids in Nebraska, Without the Midnight

Midnight is a hard sell for a five-year-old, and the state has three answers that do not require one.

The Durham's Noon Year's Eve runs December 31 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with Dino O'Dell and the T-Rex All-Stars, a party hat craft, bubble wrap on the floor and a balloon drop at noon. It is included with museum admission.

Omaha Children's Museum's Bubbly NYE runs the same day with the Amazing Bubble Show, NYE swag, a dance party in the seasonal exhibit space and bubble drops every hour. It is included with the $17 admission.

The Skate Ribbon stays open on December 31 and January 1, with the fire rings going and the downtown lights still up. Fireworks go up over Heartland of America Park that night. On January 1 the zoo's main grounds open 10 to 4, which is the quietest the place gets all year.

A January start gets a full calendar out of the membership rather than three weeks of it. Six reasons members begin in January covers the rest.

FAQ

Do the Omaha zoo lights come with GetOut?

No. Zoolightful is a separate event ticket: $27 for adults, $17 for children 3 to 11, free under 2. The membership does not include the zoo. It does cover the Omaha Children's Museum, the Scheels Ferris wheel, three mini golf courses, two trampoline and inflatable parks, two Lincoln sports facilities, a Columbus bowling alley and the Scottsbluff zoo.

What is open on Christmas Day in Nebraska for kids?

Zoolightful, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. It is the only light show on this list that runs on December 25. Lincoln Children's Zoo closes Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Lauritzen Gardens skips December 24 and 25, Stuhr Museum is closed, and the Omaha Children's Museum closes for major holidays.

Where do kids count down to New Year's in Nebraska?

The Durham runs Noon Year's Eve from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on December 31, with a balloon drop at noon. Omaha Children's Museum holds Bubbly NYE the same day with bubble drops every hour. The Skate Ribbon stays open through the evening, and fireworks close the night over Heartland of America Park.

Which Nebraska holiday events sell out?

Lincoln Children's Zoo's Zoo Lights is the one that turns people away: entry is timed in 15-minute slots and nothing is sold at the gate after a night fills. Zoolightful caps each evening and can sell out. Bright Nights sells by date and time, and same-day tickets are not guaranteed. Stuhr's Christmas Past & Present never sells out, since admission is paid at the gate.

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