Winter Date Ideas

WinterDate Ideas

Nov 1

Coming up with fun date ideas when the weather gets cold can be a challenge — but no fret, cause we’ve got you covered. Here’s a BUNCH of winter date ideas around Omaha to inspire your plans.

Go ice skating

Grab your skates (or rent a pair) and get out on an ice rink together. Omaha is lucky to have multiple ice skating rinks available for all ages.

Heartwood Preserve Ice Rink

FREE skating & skate rentals! Make reservations online.
301 S 145th St, Omaha, NE 68154

The RiverFront Skate Ribbon

FREE skating! Small cost for skate rentals. Make reservations online.
South 8th Street &, Farnam St, Omaha, NE 68102

Visit an underground wine bar

Mon Càve is a romantic wine bar (underneath Le Bouillon) in the heart of The Old Market. Cozy up next to the fireplace with a glass of your favorite wine.

Mini bowling

Bowling with mini bowling balls is fun for any age! Both Bob & Willie’s locations are great spots for an indoor date activity.

Blue Sky Bar & Patio

Price depends on time & day. Reserve a lane online.
10730 Pacific St, Omaha, NE 68114

Take a snowy hike

If there’s snow on the ground, rent snowshoes from Visitor Services at Fontenelle Forest and take a hike around the forest. Warm up afterward with hot chocolate (maybe even a bite to eat) from a place nearby like Stella’s Bar & Grill.

Fontenelle Forest

General admission cost applies for entry to the forest. Snowshoes are available seasonally for a small fee. Call ahead to reserve snowshoes.
1111 Bellevue Blvd N, Bellevue, NE 68005

Visit a holiday market

Take a stroll around one of the many local holiday markets this season! Need ideas for which ones to visit? See our list of this year’s holiday events or sign up for our email list to get our monthly events list.

Tour a museum or art gallery

Spend an afternoon wandering through a museum or gallery together. Omaha has multiple to choose from! Here are just a few recommendations.

Joslyn Art Museum

General admission is always free.
2200 Dodge St, Omaha, NE 68102

Durham Museum

Tickets required.
801 S 10th St, Omaha, NE 68108

KANEKO

Admission cost applies.
1111 Jones St, Omaha, NE 68102

Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts

General admission is always free.
724 S 12th St, Omaha, NE 68102

Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum

Tickets required.
28210 W Park Hwy, Ashland, NE 68003

Kiewit Luminarium

Tickets required. (Pro tip: visit during their adults-only Night Light on Thursday evenings.)
345 Riverfront Dr, Omaha, NE 68102

Museum of Shadows

Admission cost applies.
1110 Douglas St, Omaha, NE 68102

Check out a holiday pop-up bar

What’s more festive than enjoying seasonal cocktails together at a decked out holiday bar? See our list of this year’s holiday pop-up bars to pick a spot. Visit them while they last this season!

Grab a bite & play arcade games

Drop into Fizzy’s for a fun meal and/or boozy milkshake in a retro restaurant with a 50’s diner vibe. Then walk across the street to play arcade games at Beercade2 with an after-dinner drink.

Fizzy’s Fountain & Liquors

21+ at all times.
1408 S 13th St, Omaha, NE 68108

Beercade2

21+ after 7pm. Minors allowed before 7pm when accompanied by an adult.
1423 S 13th St, Omaha, NE 68108

Try an escape room

Work together to find your way out of an escape room. Omaha has a bunch of options for escape rooms — these are just a couple top suggestions.

House of Conundrum

Book a room online ahead of time.
2564 Leavenworth St, Omaha, NE 68105

Entrap Games

Book a room online ahead of time.
7905 L St #110, Ralston, NE 68127

Drive around to look at Christmas lights

We’re always a fan of driving around to look at neighborhood lights! Not only is it cheaper than paying for entry to a lights display, there are SO many beautifully lit houses around town that are fun to see. Family Fun in Omaha has an interactive map of light displays in the Omaha area, so you can plan your route before you leave.

Why not also stop by a local coffee shop to grab hot chocolate for the road? The Mill, Hardy Coffee at Chalco, Coffee Society, and 13th Street Coffee and Tea are open in the evening for a hot cocoa pit stop.

Go to Zoolightful

Take a stroll through the zoo . . . even in the winter! Through the rest of December, the zoo transforms into a holiday evening spectacle with festive lights and activities for all ages. Select exhibits are also open for the evening event.

Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium

Tickets required.
3701 S 10th St, Omaha, NE 68107

Stop into a board game cafe

Snuggle up with a warm drink and play unlimited board games at Spielbound Board Game Cafe.

Spielbound

Day pass required to play games.
3229 Harney St, Omaha, NE 68131

Try axe throwing

Take a crack at axe throwing at one of these local spots. Omaha has a variety of axe throwing options — these are a few of the top places.

Craft Axe Throwing

Book online ahead of time. Participants under 18 must have a guardian sign a waiver. 16+ only admitted after 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
2562 Leavenworth St #100, Omaha, NE 68105

Flying Timber

Book online ahead of time. Minors must be accompanied by an adult.
1507 Farnam St, Omaha, NE 68102

Race go-karts

Show a little of your competitive side on the indoor race track at Joe’s Karting.

Joe’s Karting

Race cost or day membership required.
2121 S 32nd St, Council Bluffs, IA 51501

Visit Bright Nights

The weather may be cold outside, but an indoor garden is a great spot for a warm walk. Lauritzen Gardens is open select evenings through December with their holiday display of lights, poinsettias, and activities for all ages. On certain Friday/Saturday nights, there’s a bar so you can get a drink and stroll around the indoor gardens.

Lauritzen Gardens

Tickets required.
100 Bancroft St, Omaha, NE 68108

Go on a tapas crawl

Head towards an area in town with multiple restaurant/bar options and make your own “tapas crawl”. Split a small dish, enjoy a drink if you want, then grab your coat and walk over to the next spot. See a few examples below, but you can always get creative and come up with your own combo!

Benson: SET The Bar → Bärchen Beer Garden → Ted & Wally’s Ultra Premium Ice Cream

Blackstone: Corkscrew Wine & Cheese → Nite Owl → Coneflower Creamery

Old Market: La Buvette → Jackson Street Tavern → Centi

Aksarben: Ponzu Sushi and Grill → Saffron Urban Kitchen → Freezing Thai Rolled Ice Cream

Go mini golfing

Work on your putting game together at an indoor mini golfing spot. Omaha has multiple options — here are just a few of the top recommendations.

The Fat Putter

21+ only after 6pm. Has an in-house bar and kitchen.
111 N 10th St, Omaha, NE 68102

Prehistoric Putt

2500 S 120th St, Omaha, NE 68144

Medieval Putt

20915 Cumberland Dr, Elkhorn, NE 68022

Thrift cozy sweaters

Hit up a local thrift shop and shop for the coziest sweater you can find for one another. Bonus: grab a warm drink at a nearby coffee shop afterward (I probably wouldn’t wear your new sweaters until you’ve had a chance to wash them though 😄). See our list of thrift shops to get ideas for where to shop.

Visit an entertainment center

Smash Park combines food and drinks with a bunch of fun activity options for any couple. Try duckpin bowling, indoor pickleball, axe throwing, karaoke, darts, arcade games, shuffleboard, ping pong, or cornhole — then grab some food or a drink from the bar.

Smash Park

Reserve activities online ahead of time. A few activities are free / first come first serve.
8121 S 125th St, La Vista, NE 68128

Check out a pottery studio

Omaha has multiple spots available for pottery — whether you want to paint a piece of pottery or throw a pot on a wheel, the options below have you covered.

Listen to live music

Check the upcoming schedule at a small-ish live music venue and grab tickets. It’s a fun way to discover new artists together!