#10 Omaha, Neb.
▶ RÉSUMÉ: Omaha has been home to the NCAA Men’s College World Series since 1950, and played at Charles Schwab Field starting in 2011. The week-plus event drives huge tourism to the eastern Nebraska city with last year’s edition bringing more than 392,000 fans to Omaha over 10 days. College baseball aside, the city’s CHI Health Center is a workhorse. Omaha hosted four consecutive USA Swimming Olympic trials — that event has moved to Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium, which can hold much larger crowds — and is a mainstay stop for NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball and
Women’s Volleyball Championships. The 17,000-plusseat arena also was the setting for the 2023 US Equestrian FEI World Cup Finals.
Omaha’s Eppley Airfield is undergoing a $950 million renovation to be completed by 2028, and the city has added more than 600 hotel rooms in its downtown core. A $300 million stadium and mixeduse development for USL club Union Omaha, to be built just down the street from Charles Schwab Field, was recently announced and would give the city another outdoor venue with flexible event-hosting capabilities.
▶ DEVELOPMENT: CHI Health Center; Werner Park (built in 2011 for $36 million, home to the Class AAA Storm Chasers); Liberty First Credit Union Arena (4,000-plus-seat hockey arena in downtown); Baxter Arena (University of Nebraska-Omaha); and Union Bank & Trust Sports Complex (large indoor sports facility).
▶ FUNDING FOR THE SPORTS COMMISSION: Grants, donations and sponsorship.
▶ STAY AND PLAY: Interested in flying or space exploration? Check out the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Otherwise, hit one of the area’s four casinos.