The Weekend: Omaha

1. Lauritzen Gardens More than 5,000 poinsettias + model trains running past miniature Omaha landmarks = instant holiday hit (lauritzengardens.org).

2. The Durham Museum The city's largest indoor Christmas tree stretches 45 feet toward the Art Deco ceiling of the train-station-turned-history-museum (durhammuseum.org).

3. The Berry and Rye Craft cocktails- like the Trinidad Smoke made with dark rum and infused with tobacco smoke- reflect the bar's sexy appeal (theberryandrye.com).

4. Pitch Pizzeria Coal-fired Thai Pie with peanut sauce or Pitch Your Own with fresh mozzarella warms a winter day at this lively Dundee spot (pitchpizzeria.com).

5. Residence Inn Marriott Omaha Downtown A vintage FBI poster, vault door and terrazzo tile remind guests of the all-suite hotel's days as the Federal Building (marriott.com).

6. Old Market Snowflake-shape lights, an ice-skating rink and strolling musicians bring the holiday spirit to the revived warehouse district (oldmarket.com).

7. Over Easy Locally sourced ingredients flavor dishes like fruit-filled Pop Tarts and Dutch Baby pancakes with house-made jam (overeasyomaha.com).

8. Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium Gaze into a klipspringer's eyes and you'll never want to leave the toasty Desert Dome, part of this huge zoo containing an indoor jungle, too (omahazoo.com).

Three Things You Probably Didn't Know

1. The 2,080-piece Chihuly glass sculpture at the Joslyn Art Museum weighs 15,000 pounds (joslyn.org).

2. Even the ice cream at Modern Love restaurant is vegan (it's made with coconut milk) (modernloveomaha.com).

3. Magnolia Hotel Omaha sets out free milk and cookies every night-and not just for Santa (magnoliahotels.com).