Spring Tour
Spend the day exploring some very unique attractions in Omaha and Council Bluffs. Tour a toilet paper factory that hires blind employees, discover beautiful icon artwork of a Greek Orthodox Church, enjoy a Greek dance performance, have a close encounter with a live hawk, tour an old 1885 Lazy Susan type jail, and shop for some for some delicious afternoon treats at the International Bakery.
Tuesday, March 28, 2023
8:15 am – 6:15 pm
Tour starts at west Omaha locations
$109 per person
Price includes coach transportation, driver gratuity, attraction admissions and Greek lunch
Tour reservation deadline February 28, 2023
Highlights: Behind the scenes tour of Outlook Nebraska Inc. (Omaha’s toilet paper factory that employs blind employees), - Tour, lunch and entertainment at the Greek Orthodox Church - Live hawk and owl presentation - International Bakery in South Omaha - 1885 Squirrel Cage Jail in Council Bluffs, Iowa
This morning we tour Outlook Nebraska Inc., a toilet paper factory operated by blind and visually impaired employees. The factory produces paper products (TP) for the United States military and federal prisons. The factory machines are designed to enable blind employees to work safely on the factory line. The factory also has an Outlook Enrichment program. This program provides support for more than 15,000 people in the Omaha area who live with significant vision loss. Learn about their education programs that teach new technology to assist blind and visually impaired people in finding employment and learning new life skills to be independent.
St. John Greek Orthodox Church is our next stop. Upon arrival we will tour the beautiful icon artwork of the church and learn a little bit about the Greek Orthodox religion. A homemade Greek lunch will be served to us by the ladies of the parish followed by a Greek dance performance. There will also be an opportunity to participate in some dancing. Next, we visit the Fontenelle Forest Nature Center for a close encounter presentation with hawks and owls. Learn about the raptor’s habits, unique adaptations, and rehabilitation program. Our next stop is the nearby International Bakery in South Omaha; this traditional Mexican bakery features a huge variety of rolls and pastries. We’ll learn about the bakery operation before a little shopping time to select the special treat to take home.
We complete the afternoon with a visit to the historic Squirrel Cage Jail in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The jail was built in 1885 and used until 1969. It was one of 18 revolving jails (lazy Susan design) built in the United States. Today only three remain and this Council Bluffs jail is the only one built with three levels of cells with each pie shaped cell inside a round revolving cage. Tours also include living quarters for jail keeper, cell block for women prisoners, and items found in secret hiding places. Visitors learn about the jail’s history of housing murderers and more.
