Gretna and Nebraska Crossing: A Family Day Guide

You get off I-80 at Exit 432, and the first thing the kids spot is the outlet mall. Every time. Gretna's only about 20 minutes southwest of downtown Omaha, straight shot on the interstate, and it packs a full family day into a pretty small footprint. Shopping, a river, an aquarium, and in the fall the biggest pumpkin patch you've ever seen. Here's how to work it.

Start with the obvious one. Nebraska Crossing sits right off Exit 432, and parking's free and plentiful, so you're not circling. It's the Midwest's big outlet destination, around 75 brands, the names you'd expect. Nike, Under Armour, Coach, Michael Kors. Bring a stroller if you've got littles, because it's an open-air layout and you'll walk more than you think. Half a day here if everybody's into it, an hour if they're not.

When shopping runs its course, get outside. Schramm Park State Recreation Area is a short drive southwest, up on the north side of the Platte River. Three miles of scenic trails, picnic tables, and the oldest fish hatchery in the state. It's shady, it's quiet, and it's a real break from the concrete.

The part the kids will remember is inside the park. The Schramm Education Center used to be the old Aksarben Aquarium, and it got a full renovation a few years back. Freshwater aquariums with 60-plus Nebraska species, a sturgeon touch tank, a play area, interactive screens, the works. It's open 10 to 5 daily, year-round (as of July 2026), so it's a good rainy-day card to have in your back pocket too. You need a Nebraska park entry permit for the recreation area, and there's a small admission for the center, so bring a card.

Gretna sits right at the edge of the Platte, so the whole area is quarry-and-river country. You'll drive past sand-and-gravel operations and old quarry lakes on the way to Schramm. It's not a tourist stop, exactly, but the landscape shifts from strip mall to water and bluffs fast, and that's kind of the charm of the trip.

Now, fall. If you come between late September and the end of October, Vala's Pumpkin Patch over on South 180th is a whole day by itself, so don't try to stack it with everything else. It's one of the biggest fall festivals in the country. Pumpkins, apples, a couple dozen food stops, live shows, more than 50 attractions. Buy tickets ahead, go on a weekday if you can swing it, and wear shoes you don't mind getting muddy. Just know it's seasonal. The rest of the year those gates are closed, so plan around it.

Everybody's going to get hungry, and the good news is the food's right where you are. There's a cluster of family spots near the Exit 432 interchange, the usual reliable sit-down and fast-casual chains, plus a few local places in old-town Gretna a couple minutes north. Nothing fancy. Just easy, kid-proof, and close. If you want a plan for the drive home instead, one of Omaha's best family burger spots is an easy stop on the way back into town.

Want to stretch the day? Gretna pairs naturally with a couple of nearby trips. Papillion is just east in Sarpy County if you want a pool and a park, and Mahoney State Park is a little further down I-80 toward Ashland for a bigger outdoor day. And if the kids catch the pumpkin bug, Nebraska City and Arbor Day Farm is another good fall run.

Here's the tip. In summer, do the outlets in the morning before it gets hot, then cool off inside the Schramm aquarium in the afternoon. In fall, forget all that and just give Vala's the whole day. Two very different Gretna trips depending on the season, and both are 20 minutes from your front door.

Then hop on I-80 and make a day of it.

Prices and hours change, so always confirm the latest on each place's official website before you go — the figures in this guide are current as of July 2026.