Question - Omaha visit

[RoyalShock]

I know several of you go there for the CWS and other things. My wife and I are planning a Labor Day weekend getaway and am looking at hotels/motels in areas that are at least a reasonable distance from downtown and have some restaurants/attractions nearby. And preferably for under $100 per night and includes internet access in the price.

I've been scouring the usual booking sites (hotels.com, Kayak, etc.) and narrowed it down some but would love some first-hand recommendations.

[ShockTalk]

Haven't been to Omaha overnight, but I've had good success using TripAdvisor.com as another tool for rating hotels to B&B to condos.

[martymoose]

Anytime I've gone to Omaha, I've stayed with friends, so I'm not too much help. If you're flexable, I'd try name your price on Priceline and pick the area you want to stay in. My second suggestion would be to use Hotwire which I've started to use more often the last couple years. Hotwire doesn't tell you exactly which hotel you're staying at so if you'd like to know, this site will tell you: http://www.betterbidding.com/ I've used it for my trips the St. Louis the last couple of years because like to stay in certain places and this way I get the exact hotel I want for sometimes half the price. Booked a small block of rooms 2 years ago and saved over $1,000.

[ShockBand]

I've stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott down near downtown and the Old Market. A quick look at their site shows $89 per night for Labor Day weekend Fri and Sat night if prepaid 7+ days in advance, non-refundable. Broadband wireless access is complimentary. It is a nice, albeit not fancy place, but near lots of fun stuff at the Old Market.

BTW, that is where I was when we beat Tennessee to go to the Sweet 16. Wore the black and gold with pride in the land of dirty birds that day!

[RoyalShock]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys! More would be welcomed!

[martymoose]

Isn't a WSU fan vacationing in Omaha like a KU fan vacationing in Colombia, MO?

[RoyalShock]

Having already done weekenders in KC, OKC and Tulsa, the wife insisted we go somewhere different. So we decided on Omaha.

But I bet there's more to do in Omaha than Lawrence and Columbia combined. :)

[martymoose]

We're doing a weekend trip with the kids to KC this weekend....my 6 year old daughter thought it was only fair she get to go on a vacation since mommy and daddy are going to Maui. Her choice of vacation was a Royals game and Worlds of Fun.

[RoyalShock]

Got back from Omaha today. Here are some observations, since I know there's been some intense Wichita vs. Omaha discussions on VT in the past.

Omaha feels like a much bigger city than Wichita. The highway and road system feels more like KC, even though size wise it isn't. We aren't the night-life types so I can't compare the two. Keep in mind, I'm not the type to think bigger is better. It's just an observation.

A couple of Creighton-related items. I saw exactly one person who wasn't representing Creighton in an official capacity (they had some sort of both at the Old Market on Saturday) wearing any CU apparel. I also saw exactly one person wearing WSU and one wearing UNI apparel. The only place I saw any CU gear for sale was at a Target store.

Driving by on the highway, their campus looks way more "urban" than WSU. Office-style buildings packed fairly close together. Maybe the rest of the campus is different, but that's how the south side looked.