Gene Leahy Mall, Omaha, Guide du visiteur et quoi faire à proximité

Gene Leahy Mall is a public riverfront park in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, stretching between Farnam and Douglas streets. Rebuilt and reopened in 2022, it is the most urban of three linked riverfront parks, with open lawns, a playground, a dog park and a pavilion for live music, all framed by tall buildings.

The story behind it

For decades this park sat sunk below the surrounding streets, a green hollow in the middle of downtown. In March 2019 it closed for a complete rebuild, and the new design raised the whole park to street level so that it feels connected to the city around it instead of cut off from it.

The redesign added more than 40,000 square feet of lawn, a performance pavilion, a playground, a dog park and a reworked walkway along the water. Some of the old park's artifacts were kept, including its famous slides. The finished park was completed in July 2022 and celebrated with a grand reopening that marked half a century of the park's history.

What to look for

• The level of the ground itself: the park now sits at street height, so notice how easily the lawn flows into the sidewalks, where before you would have gone down into it.
• The slides, one of the old features that survived the rebuild and still link today's park to its earlier life.
• The walkway along the water, redesigned as part of the project and a good place to see the park's layout.
• The towers on both sides, which make this the most urban of Omaha's linked riverfront parks and give the lawns a canyon-like feel.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 30 to 60 minutes if you want to stroll the walkway, look at the playground and sit on the lawn, longer if a concert is on at the pavilion.
• It is an open public park, so you can wander in at your own pace. Check current opening hours and event listings before you go.
• Pair it with the nearby Old Market, a district of brick warehouses turned restaurants and shops, and with the neighbouring riverfront parks.
• Bring children if you have them: the playground and the slides make this an easy stop for families.

See it on a quest

The Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Omaha passes this park as one stop on a longer walk through downtown. You reach it on foot, the app tells you about the place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle in what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

If you prefer a spookier mood, Ghost Hunt in Omaha also takes you through the area. You move from place to place at your own speed, hear about each spot as you reach it and work out a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

The Oz Escape in Omaha is a third way to see the park, with an Oz theme. It is a self-guided route you start any time, with no guide and no group to join, and a puzzle at each stop. One ticket covers the whole group.