Things to Do in Omaha

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.

As an HGTV-featured glass artist and author of the short story collection An Extraordinary Life: …Once You Take Out All of the Boring Crap, Kristi Pederson encourages individuals to embrace creativity. Adult and kids' art classes at her studio, Adventure in Art, focus on fun over perfectionism as Kristi teaches beginner-level students to create projects such as fused-glass ornaments and custom jewelry. And during Paint N Pour sessions, adults sip goblets of vino as they fill canvases with color and learn how Leonardo Da Vinci invented red wine by cleaning his brushes in chardonnay.

Amid the lime-green and burnt-orange walls of Creation Station, an encouraging staff inspires visitors to follow their artistic impulses as they use pottery as their canvas. Seven days a week, experienced and casual artists alike can plunge their brushes into a rainbow of paints and let loose on a variety of mugs, figurines, and dishes. Once colorized to the artist’s content, finished bisque pieces visit a fiery kiln, where colors become more vibrant and snowmen melt into carrot-and-coal soup. Revelers can also gather at Creation Station to celebrate special occasions, such as birthdays, or make Christmas ornaments during the winter season.

The history of the punch is only slightly longer than that of tae kwon do, a fighting art whose origin lies some 4,000 years into Korea’s past. Throughout millennia, tae kwon do evolved through the stewardship of many masters, whose personal touch created many branches of the martial art. Grand Master Won-kuk Lee developed the chung do kwan school, and from this bough of the tae kwon do tree sprouts the style taught at Tiger Rock Academy.

The instructors splice the art’s ancient tenets with modern sports science to develop programs that implant athleticism, discipline, and self-confidence in students of all ages. Grappling and han mu do classes introduce the softer techniques of joint locks, takedowns, throws, and singing lullabies until an opponent falls sleep. Students condition their bodies for combat through exercise classes such as Kisado interval fitness training and YogaFit courses, in which students must yogafit into luggage of various shapes and sizes.

At Busy Scrappin’, more than a thousand papers, albums, decorations, and kits surround a comfy workroom filled with hobbyists hard at work. The one-stop scrapbooking emporium is dedicated to fostering a community of likeminded craftsfolk by helping visitors learn new ways to memorialize family outings, little-league triumphs, and scrapbooking-competition victories. Guests drop in to socialize during Friday-night cropping sessions or learn new techniques at weekly, fun-filled workshops. And during regular hours, friendly staffers shepherd patrons through the selection of holiday-themed embellishments, card-making supplies, and paper crafts—eagerly giving suggestions for any upcoming project.

Throughout the week, Thunderbowl puts its signature twist on the classic game of bowling with a lineup of themed leagues and events. Orchestrated by the alley's staff, the league roster includes the Golden Agers senior league, the Ladies Night Out league, and the Have-A-Ball league, which comprises teams of one adult and one child. Events include a carnival day held in August, which includes revelry and a chance to win prizes. At Thunderbowl's snack bar, the kitchen crew fuels bowlers to prevent them from hiding marshmallows in the finger-holes of their bowling balls by crafting specialty burgers, pizzas, and sandwiches such as a patty melt with grilled onions and a chicken philly.