A Family Guide to the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge and Omaha RiverFront

The kid plants one sneaker on the Nebraska side of the line and one on the Iowa side, throws his arms up, and announces to nobody in particular that he is in two states at the same time. And he's right. That's the trick of the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, and it never gets old, not for the kids and, if I'm honest, not for the adults either.

The bridge, everybody in Omaha just calls it the Bob, is a 3,000-foot cable-stayed footbridge that arcs across the Missouri River and connects Omaha to Council Bluffs. It opened in 2008, it's the longest pedestrian bridge to link two states, and right there at the midpoint are plaques marking the exact spot where Nebraska becomes Iowa. So yes, you can literally stand with a foot in each state, and every family that walks it stops for the photo. It's free, it's open all the time, and at night the whole span lights up in changing colors, which is worth timing a summer-evening stroll around.

But here's the thing a lot of visitors miss: the bridge is just the front door. On the Omaha side it spills into The RiverFront, which is 72 acres of brand-new, connected parkland that the city spent years rebuilding. Three parks stitched together, and each one does something different for a family.

Start at Gene Leahy Mall, the downtown anchor, which reopened in 2022 after a total overhaul. This is the one you'll come back to. There's an enormous sculptural playground, a proper slide hill, big open lawns, a dog park, a sculpture garden, and, the kid magnet, an interactive performance area and splash-friendly water features that run in the warm months. Bring a towel and a change of clothes, because if there's water, your children will find it and they will get in it. It's the kind of place where you can lose a whole afternoon and it costs nothing to walk in.

From there the parks chain north toward the river. Heartland of America Park and Lewis & Clark Landing both reopened in 2023, and together they give you the big lake, walking paths right along the Missouri, more play areas, a skate park, and open riverbank where you can watch the boats and barges go by. Lewis & Clark Landing is also home base for the Kiewit Luminarium, the excellent hands-on science center, so if the weather turns or you want an air-conditioned break, you've got 120-plus interactive exhibits sitting right there on the riverfront. Easy to fold a couple hours of the Luminarium into a RiverFront day.

How to actually do it with kids, in the order I'd run it. Park once and walk the whole thing, because the three parks connect and the paths are stroller-smooth. Hit Gene Leahy Mall first thing while everyone's fresh, let them wear themselves out on the slide hill and the splash features, then drift north through Heartland of America Park toward the bridge. Do the two-states photo, walk out as far as everyone's legs allow, turn back. On a good day that's three or four hours easy, and you've barely spent a dime.

Parking and logistics, since that's what makes or breaks a downtown outing. There's a parking garage right at the RiverFront off Riverfront Drive that's built for exactly this, plus metered street parking around the Old Market a couple blocks away. Weekends and event days fill up, so come earlier rather than later. Strollers and wagons are your friend given how spread out the 72 acres are. And check the events calendar at theriverfrontomaha.com/events before you go, because there's constantly something happening down there in summer, movie nights, concerts, festivals, markets, and half of it is free.

Where to eat is the easy part. You're right next to the Old Market, Omaha's brick-street historic district, which is wall-to-wall restaurants, ice cream, and coffee, most of it a short walk from Gene Leahy Mall. So the plan pretty much writes itself: run the kids ragged at the playground and fountains, then walk two blocks for pizza or ice cream and call it a perfect Omaha Saturday. If you'd rather picnic, the big lawns at the mall are made for it.

A couple of honest notes. Summer afternoons on the open riverbank get hot with not a lot of shade in spots, so sunscreen and water bottles are non-negotiable, and the splash features become less optional and more survival gear. And the water areas are seasonal, so if that's the main draw for your crew, aim for a warm day between late spring and early fall.

If the RiverFront becomes your family's go-to, it slots right into the rest of downtown-adjacent Omaha. Several of these green spaces also show up in the best parks in Omaha for families, and the paved trail along the river is a highlight in the best family bike trails in Omaha. If your kids are all about the water, we've got the full list in the best splash pads and spray parks in Omaha. And because so much of a RiverFront day costs nothing, it earned a spot in free things to do with kids in Omaha.

Walk the bridge. Stand in two states. Let them get soaked at the fountains. Then go find ice cream in the Old Market. That's the day.

Handy links:

Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge→ The RiverFront (Gene Leahy Mall, Heartland of America Park, Lewis & Clark Landing)→ Kiewit Luminarium→