Holidays, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, Events, Celebrations, Omaha Area, Omaha, Omaha zoo, Zoolightful, Lauritzen Gardens, Botanical Gardens, Gift Shop, Durham Museum, Merry and Bright, Bright Nights, Advent, Fun, Activities, Lights, Food, Treats, Festive, Holiday Events, Christmas Tree, Culture, Flowers, Plants, Music, Games, Decorations, Council Bluffs, Papillion, Parade, Holiday Market, Holiday Lights Festival, Luminarium, Science Museum, Glow, A Country Christmas, The General Dodge House, Dodge House, History, Family Events, Family Night, A Day with the Dodges, Decorated Trees, Breakfast, Holiday Lights, Christmas Lights, Light Shows, Drive Thru Light Displays, Santa’s Rockin Lights, Christmas at the Dodge House, General Grenville M Dodge, Railroads, The American West, U.S. History, Historical Customs, Holiday Decorations, Christmas Trees, Tour, Garland, Iowa, Union Pacific Railroad Deanna Etherington Holidays, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, Events, Celebrations, Omaha Area, Omaha, Omaha zoo, Zoolightful, Lauritzen Gardens, Botanical Gardens, Gift Shop, Durham Museum, Merry and Bright, Bright Nights, Advent, Fun, Activities, Lights, Food, Treats, Festive, Holiday Events, Christmas Tree, Culture, Flowers, Plants, Music, Games, Decorations, Council Bluffs, Papillion, Parade, Holiday Market, Holiday Lights Festival, Luminarium, Science Museum, Glow, A Country Christmas, The General Dodge House, Dodge House, History, Family Events, Family Night, A Day with the Dodges, Decorated Trees, Breakfast, Holiday Lights, Christmas Lights, Light Shows, Drive Thru Light Displays, Santa’s Rockin Lights, Christmas at the Dodge House, General Grenville M Dodge, Railroads, The American West, U.S. History, Historical Customs, Holiday Decorations, Christmas Trees, Tour, Garland, Iowa, Union Pacific Railroad Deanna Etherington

Final Holiday Series Post (Part 7): Holiday Happenings in the Omaha Area!

Everybody loves doing something fun and unique for the holidays! This is the final post in my running event posts of select Omaha-area holiday events that I’ve either been to in the past or look like fun. I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing the options available and have maybe even been to something featured in this post. Get ready to see The Historic General Dodge House in Council Bluffs decorated for the holidays!

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Holidays, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, Events, Celebrations, Omaha Area, Omaha, Omaha zoo, Zoolightful, Lauritzen Gardens, Botanical Gardens, Gift Shop, Durham Museum, Merry and Bright, Bright Nights, Advent, Fun, Activities, Lights, Food, Treats, Festive, Holiday Events, Christmas Tree, Culture, Flowers, Plants, Music, Games, Decorations, Council Bluffs, Papillion, Parade, Holiday Market, Holiday Lights Festival, Luminarium, Science Museum, Glow, A Country Christmas, The General Dodge House, Dodge House, History, Family Events, Family Night, A Day with the Dodges, Decorated Trees, Breakfast, Holiday Lights, Christmas Lights, Light Shows, Drive Thru Light Displays, Santa’s Rockin Lights, Magical Lights at Lake Cunningham Deanna Etherington Holidays, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, Events, Celebrations, Omaha Area, Omaha, Omaha zoo, Zoolightful, Lauritzen Gardens, Botanical Gardens, Gift Shop, Durham Museum, Merry and Bright, Bright Nights, Advent, Fun, Activities, Lights, Food, Treats, Festive, Holiday Events, Christmas Tree, Culture, Flowers, Plants, Music, Games, Decorations, Council Bluffs, Papillion, Parade, Holiday Market, Holiday Lights Festival, Luminarium, Science Museum, Glow, A Country Christmas, The General Dodge House, Dodge House, History, Family Events, Family Night, A Day with the Dodges, Decorated Trees, Breakfast, Holiday Lights, Christmas Lights, Light Shows, Drive Thru Light Displays, Santa’s Rockin Lights, Magical Lights at Lake Cunningham Deanna Etherington

Part 6: Holiday Happenings in the Omaha Area!

Everybody loves doing something fun and unique for the holidays! Discover two fantastic Omaha area light shows this week, plus learn about the ongoing special events I’ve featured weekly in the past month. You’ll be dazzled!

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Part 5: Holiday Happenings in the Omaha Area!

Everybody loves doing something fun and unique for the holidays! I have decided to create a running event list of select Omaha-area holiday events that I’ve either been to in the past or look like fun. This post contains two new holiday events, plus the previous events I featured last week. See what’s happening this weekend at Ditmar’s Orchard and Vineyard and the Historic General Dodge House.

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A Plethora of Holiday Purchases at Palmer’s Olde Tyme Candy Shoppe in Sioux City, Iowa

It’s no secret that I enjoy historical and boutique shops, so on a recent trip up I-29 I made a beeline for Palmer’s Olde Tyme Candy Shoppe (Palmer’s Old Time Candy Shop). While I have been here before and the shop is always a treat, it’s especially fun near the holidays. It’s also a great place to buy gifts, particularly if you love Twin Bings, like I do!

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Part 2: Holiday Happenings in the Omaha Area!

Everybody loves doing something fun and unique for the holidays! I have decided to create a running event list of select Omaha-area holiday events that I’ve either been to in the past or look like fun. In this post are two more new holiday events, plus the three events I featured last week!

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The World’s Greatest County Fair - The Clay County Fair in Spencer, Iowa

Most folks know that state fairs are usually big events. But did you know there is a fair in Northwest Iowa that rivals many state fairs? It’s called The Clay County Fair and is held each year in Spencer, Iowa. I had a fun time attending this past Saturday, September 7, with two friends I’ve known since age 3. We had a blast! The fair continues until September 15, so there’s still time to go yourself!

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The Inspiring 2024 Iowa State Fair!

I just returned from yet another fun day at the Iowa State Fair! You might think a fair in 2024 is an old fashioned place that only a few folks attend. Not so in Iowa and several other places in the U.S! In fact, in 2023 more than 1.1 million folks attended the Iowa State Fair and this year at least one daily attendance record was broken, so the Fair just keeps getting more and more popular.

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An “Iowa Nice” Kind of Day!

I spent the Fourth of July this year in the Okoboji area in Iowa, as I sometimes do. This year, due to flooding in Northwest Iowa (heartbreaking), I had to take a different route than normal to get there. On the way home I was looking for fun stops on Google Maps and I spotted Lost Island Lake Nature Center a ways south of Spencer, Iowa. So I paid it a visit on the Sunday afternoon after the 4th.

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Lucky Star Farm (near Iowa City, IA) - One of My Happy Places!

Whether you grew up on a farm or have never stepped foot on a farm, you will LOVE your stay at Lucky Star Farm near Iowa City, Iowa. So much to do on the farm and so much to see within an hour’s drive in any direction. Come explore one of my “happy places!”

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A Perfectly Peaceful City Park in Johnston, Iowa

While I love road trips, sometimes driving for several hours makes this body ache a bit. My usual solution is to find a highly rated city, county, or state park to get in a quick walk.

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Get Your Fabric and Art Fix at The Iowa Quilt Museum in Winterset

Someday when I decide to slow down a bit, I want to learn how to quilt. I have said that for at least 20 years, so maybe someday I will actually do it. I just adore the artistic aspect of quilts. They are blank fabric canvases and you can create a thousand different masterpieces with them, depending on the pattern, the fabric and even the quilt stitch. The possibilities are endless. You can even tell a story with them, as folks did on the Underground Railroad.

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Deanna Etherington Deanna Etherington

In Honor of July 4: Iowa Freedom Rocks

As I was driving out of Sac City, Iowa yesterday a Freedom Rock captured my eye, surrounded by a tall circle of American flags. What is a Freedom Rock? It is a large rock painted on all sides with patriotic murals and tributes to those who have served in our armed forces in the U.S. These unique murals are painted by Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II. Many towns in Iowa have one.

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A Fun Restaurant to Try Near Iowa’s Capital City of Des Moines

Des Moines is a beautiful city with enough population to bring in major concerts, events, and restaurants, but small enough to feel like a large small town. I always enjoy going to Des Moines. One of the things I enjoy there is trying new (to me) restaurants.

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Farm, Iowa, Iowa City, Tours, AirBnb, Milk House, Fun for kids, Pond, Games, Books, Toys Deanna Etherington Farm, Iowa, Iowa City, Tours, AirBnb, Milk House, Fun for kids, Pond, Games, Books, Toys Deanna Etherington

Part One: Incredible AirBnbs in the Midwest!

It’s hard to believe that around 13 or 14 years ago a co-worker had to explain to me what an AirBnb was. I had never heard of the concept and found it a bit odd. The thought of staying in someone else’s home seemed odd to me. Fast forward to 2024 and I have now stayed in 35 of them.

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