The family and I have been wanting to go to the College World Series in Nebraska for several years now. We’d planned before but always had to cancel. This year, we pulled the trigger again and actually succeeded. If you’re hoping to go, regardless of which teams make it, here’s your guide.
Buy everything early!!! We booked our plane tickets on Southwest in January when they were still cheap. We actually flew in and out of of Kansas City, which is only about 2.5 hours south. It was cheaper and faster than trying to fly to Omaha, at least from New Orleans.
Same thing goes for our hotel. We booked in January, and the options were still limited and expensive. We paid $300/night for a Home2 Suites that was about 15 minutes from the stadium. I checked about a week prior to the first game to see if anything better was available, and by then, the cheapest rooms that any Hilton brand had were $700.
When we bought the tickets, LSU was ranked #2 in the country and Kentucky was #17. Neither made it. While that was disappointing in one sense, it was nice to go a simply enjoy ourselves rather than stressing over the success of our teams. We bought all of our tickets from resale vendors, and at the time, they weren’t crazy expensive. We spent about $100/ticket for five people for three games
We arrived in Omaha just before the start of the second game of the tournament on Friday evening. Parking would have been crazy, but we had the foresight to purchase parking from StubHub, so we were able to get in and out pretty easily.
It’s noteworthy that the parking lots nearby host several tailgates, including more than one for LSU, even though the team itself was not present.
All three games we attended were a ton of fun. An interesting aspect of the early CWS rounds is that the stadium is very split. About 25% of the fans are for one team, 25% the other, and 50% are just there to be there. The stadium itself is great, and while it doesn’t have the same amenities that a big league park has, there are plenty of food and drink options. You should research these yourself before and remember to get your ID checked once your inside. If you get in line for a beer without a wristband, you’ll have to get right back out, go to an ID station, then get back in line.
Outside the stadium, there are several family friendly, and baseball-specific, things to do. There’s a ballpark village with all sorts of interactive vendors that our 14 year old ball player loved. There’s also a fan area that has activities for younger kids, like a ferris wheel.
Aside from going to the actual games, there are some fun things to do in Omaha. We had planned to go to Treerush, a ropes course nearby, but weather changed our plans. It looks like a lot of fun though, and a nice way to knock out the morning, as the first games don’t start until 2 pm.
There’s also an NPS site, the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. This site actually spans 14 states, but the spot in Omaha is cool. It includes a bridge that crosses the Missouri and allows you to walk between Nebraska and Iowa. We took advantage of this on Saturday morning, completing the 50/50 states quest for Alyson, Eileen and JR.
There are also a lot of fun places to eat, of which was sampled several. Rocco’s Pizza and Cantina is the iconic home of the jello shots. We went, keeping the minors outside, and took a shot. They were pretty gross, and I understand the food is mediocre, but it seemed like something we couldn’t miss.
Before the first game on Saturday, we ate at Blatt Beer & Table, which is right next to the stadium, and unsurprisingly packed. The food is nothing amazing, but it is a fun atmosphere.
Our last meal was at Caddy’s Brunch Bar, which is actually in Council Bluffs, Nebraska. We had a great breakfast there, and it made it feel a little more legit that we had a meal in Iowa, rather than just a few minutes in the car and a few steps on a bridge.
I think you’ve got to be a pretty big baseball fan or have a dog in the hunt to really want to go to Omaha, but if either of those describes you, you should put the College World Series on your list. It is a great, unique experience.
Next up for the Traveling Igoes is a river cruise starting in Munich and ending in Budapest. Stay tuned…