Located on the Missouri River between Gene Leahy Mall and Lewis and Clark Landing is Heartland of America Park, the largest of Omaha’s three RiverFront Parks. If you’re looking for a space to chill, this one is a bit more tranquil than the others.
The park sits on land that once made up Jobber’s Canyon Historic District – the wholesale jobbing district that started around 1880. As the massive brick buildings began to deteriorate, the city saw another opportunity to revitalize the urban core. This came at the expense of Jobber’s which became the largest destruction of a historic district in the country when it was razed to make way for Conagra Foods downtown campus. The remaining land was and was turned into a park in 1990 and named after the Heartland of America fountain which as the parks centerpiece attraction shot water 250 feet into the air.
Much like Gene Leahy Mall on the western side of 10th Street, Heartland of America was often times under utilized. So when Conagra decided to relocate its headquarters to Chicago, the city took the opportunity revitalize it along with the other two parks which are now referred to as The RiverFront.
When the park reopened in 2023, the lake had been significantly reconfigured and reduced in size. A host of new attractions were also added including an all-season skating ribbon which allows for roller skating in the warm months and ice skating when its cold. It also includes the Farnam Pier which extends 200 feet into the Missouri River offering views of both it and Council Bluffs. Other features include a great lawn, walking trails, botanical gardens with a large area of restored prairie and native plants in addition to an amphitheater, bocce courts, horseshoe pits, hammocks and fire pits. While it lacks the large playground equipment seen at the other two parks, it does have a few slides, swings and a see-saw.
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