Advice & Suggestions - First Time Trip to Omaha

Don't jinx us

Why not just reserve a room? And cancel it if you end up not going?

the best advice i can give is dont make any plans. just go with the flow and take in the experience.

That is what my husband says everyone is telling him too, but I am a planner and nervous we will miss out or have to drop a fortune to make it happen. Thanks for your encouragement! I appreciate it knowing that my husband (shhh) might be right.

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That plan would be fine if your hotel is downtown and in walking distance from TD Ameritrade. Also, many hotels offer shuttles to the park so look into that. No car doesn't give you the ability to go see places like the Zoo, Barrett's, etc unless you want to fork out cash both there and back. We always rent a car because it makes it easy to do whatever you want. That said, if your hotel is downtown, then you will be able to freely walk to the stadium and walk to several restaurants and breweries in the downtown area. Really nice spot IMO.

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My hotel is 1 mile from the stadium. What I planned on doing is just cabbing it downtown, watch games, go to bars and then just cab it back when we're ready for bed. Isn't barrets downtown?

I was in Omaha for a week in January for another sporting event and I would really recommend spending the extra money if you can afford it for one of the downtown hotels near the stadium. Makes getting around and being part of the experience all the better.

We stayed at the Hampton Inn next to the stadium and it was very nice, clean, good free breakfast, and worth the cost not tho have to worry about renting a car and getting cabs. The hotel shuttle driver will even take you to Old Town if you don't feel like doing the 6+ block walk.

Hampton Inn Downtown Omaha

Go ahead and book a room...you can always cancel (obviously don't book it through prepay sites like expedia/priceline, just book it directly through the hotel where you can cancel later if need be).

It is indeed true that as the tournament plays out, many rooms get cancelled and/or open up as team don't make the CWS and then in the CWS people leave early as their team is eliminated. So if you decide you want to switch to another/cheaper hotel, then you are certainly able to do that later.

You DO NOT have to stay right next to the stadium (those are the most expensive rooms in town not to mention the most booked/full).....Council Bluffs Iowa is not far from the stadium and they have casinos there and cheaper rooms. Also if you like to camp Lake Manawa State Park is an option.

Tickets are fairly easy to get when you get there...As the tourney plays out and teams are eliminated, tickets are aplenty.

Do NOT pay over $250/nt for a room...If you do that, you are getting ripped off. There are plenty of rooms in Omaha and surrounding areas. And I repeat, IT IS NOT necessary to stay right by the stadium downtown. Obviously if you are ok paying $400 for the convenience of being right there, fine, but there are plenty of other options around town.

FWIW, I suggest Harrah's in Council Bluffs. (or somewhere around there) and either rent a car or take a cab back and forth to downtwon on gamedays.

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Isn't barrets downtown?

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Yes.

Yeah, I was about to say, unless they've moved since 2009 I don't recall Barrets being downtown.