Things to Do in Bellevue

When the Joslyn Art Museum opened in 1931, more than 25,000 people lined up to see the exhibits. It had taken three years of construction and $3 million to create the splendid art-deco building, which was inlaid with more than 38 types of marble imported from around the world. The force behind this enormous effort was philanthropist Sarah Joslyn, who had the building built in honor of her late husband. But instead of standing front and center, Sarah quietly mixed in with the crowd. "I am just one of the public," she said to people who recognized her.

Sarah truly viewed the museum as a gift to the people of Omaha. And for more than 75 years, they've cared for it like one. With the 58,000-square-foot addition addition of the Walter & Suzanne Scott Pavilion, a sculpture garden, and other enhancements, the museum has grown with time. Visitors today find more than 11,000 works of art inside, with collections and exhibitions that include pieces of ancient Greek pottery, Renaissance and Baroque paintings by Titian and El Greco, and Impressionist works by Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Claude Monet.

After admiring the peasant portraiture of 19th-century French realist Jules Breton, guests can cartwheel over to a collection of 18th- and 19th-century American artwork, which includes portraits by James Peale and landscape images by Thomas Cole. Pieces from the 20th century from artists such as Grant Wood transition visitors into viewings of more contemporary works or attempts to find a 3-D Magic Eye picture in Jackson Pollock's Galaxy.

Kelli Morgan is so passionate about yoga that she can't help but share it with others. Her zeal for the discipline surfaced in 1989, when she began studying Bikram yoga, a series of 26 poses performed in a heated room. Eleven years later, she completed the 500-hour teacher-training program at Bikram's Yoga College of India and launched a career as a hot-yoga teacher. Since then, she's also incorporated traditional, non-heated yoga into her class lineup at Liv Yoga Bellevue. Hatha sessions focus on alignment and breathing techniques, whereas Vinyasa classes meld breath and movement into a practice that moves fluidly, like a freshly shaven dolphin. The studio also hosts yoga classes for kids aged 4–10 and participates in community events such as Yoga Rocks the Park.

From bounce houses and jumpers to inflatable slides and moonwalks, Jumpin' Jax Bounce & Party Center's humming air blowers are a siren call to kids and adults for safe family fun. A mecca for parties and leisurely afternoons, the bouncy playplace lets kids roam free while under the supervision of both parents and employees, and parties are augmented with pizzas and a private room. The facility also hosts a summer-camp program with field trips to the zoo, forest, and museums, and emphasis is always placed on keeping kids active and afraid of cubicles.

Fox Run Golf Club prides itself as a course that challenges boundaries. From a design perspective, it represents the two different architectural models of golf courses, at points immersing golfers in a wooded, parkland setting and, elsewhere, challenging them to display deft control over an open, links-style layout. A semiprivate club, Fox Run also eliminates the barrier between public courses and members-only clubs, inviting daily fee players and members alike to enjoy manicured grounds worthy of an exclusive club or a course covered in Persian rugs. Measuring 6,200 yards from the back tees, the layout provides four tee options from which golfers can play. On the driving range, players can calibrate their swings while aiming at 11 targets equipped with Laser Link flagsticks, which ensure that distances are accurately measured and also to make sure pins don’t run away to pursue careers as javelins. Off the course, guests can relax in The Den at Fox Run, which serves up drinks and casual grill food.

Champion Sport Karate embraces the five character-boosting tenets of tae kwon do—courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit—to effectively imbue their students with martial-arts know-how. Guests absorb combative techniques in the 10,000-square-foot facility during kickboxing, tae kwon do, sport karate, and afterschool programs. Youngsters aged 3–7 can spar safely at Little Dragons and Kicking Tigers classes, which sharpen motor skills as well as discipline, confidence, and the ability to cut their own sandwiches in half with a hand chop. All sessions weave fitness elements into their routines, coordinating jabs and jumps that tone muscle while fending off surplus calories.

The shifting seasons bring beauty and bounty to Ditmars Orchard and Vineyard, from the baby buds and bursting petals of spring to the branches heavy with peaches, apricots, cherries, and apples during summer and autumn. In 1994, the Ditmars family laid 300 trees into the ground as a family project, but slowly expanded their hobby into a full-time orchard, now cultivating almost 4,000 trees.

In the summer, fat juicy strawberries nestle in rows ready to be picked, and in fall, fields overflow with acres of bulbous orange pumpkins ready to become jack-o’-lanterns or a horseman’s fancy new hat. Amid fiery foliage and crisp autumn air, families adventure through the onsite corn maze and attend fun fall festivals that feature face painting and hayrides. Kids can clamber over tractor tires and whoosh down slides in the orchard’s large playground. Guests reenergize at the country kitchen, where lunch selections include apple cider, frozen fruit pies, and fresh-made chicken-salad sandwiches, as well as native Iowa wines available by the bottle or glass.