After we’ve opened our last present, popped our New Year’s champagne, and picked the tinsel out of our rugs we’re left with: January. With no holidays and abysmal weather, it’s hard to find the motivation to leave our houses this time of year. However, we’ve created a list of cozy outings to prevent cabin fever this January! Our criteria included: easy parking, minimal exposure to the elements, and a cozy interior.
Drinks and Dancing
Travel down to The Trap Room and bask in the warm 70’s inspired interior with a nice cocktail. You can park close to the door in the Slowdown parking lot and sip a delicious delicious margarita (on tap) or a Two Plums Up Whiskey Sour. If you’re feeling extra ambitious, you can walk a mere 20 steps to the Slowdown for a tribute to The Eagles, a Taylor Swift Party or The Dolly Disco (a Dolly Parton-inspired dance party).
The Holy “Spirit”
Nothing warms you up from the inside out like a good whiskey and in Omaha one of the best places to get it is Proof. With a Midtown Crossing and an Elkhorn location, you can easily step out and sample a Kentucky whiskey or a single-barrel bourbon. If sipping straight scotch isn’t your thing, they also have cocktails, beers, and small plates available. With dark wood, leather, and soft lighting, you’ll feel you’re in an old speakeasy.
Curtain Call
Going out Downtown feels extra challenging when it’s below freezing, but don’t be deterred! A night at the theater is the perfect way to spend a winter evening. With easy garage parking connected to the Orpheum Theater, you can almost avoid being outside at all, but you will want to walk a block north for a drink and bite to eat at Mercury before or after the show. Mercury is a mid-century cocktail lounge that has a creative cocktail menu, an extensive wine list, and delicious appetizers, sandwiches and pasta.
That’s Amore
Is there anything that pasta doesn’t fix? If you feel the January blahs setting in, you can head to Avoli Osteria in Dundee and imagine yourself in the northern Italian countryside. With mood lighting from the chandeliers, a glass of northern Italian wine and a big plate of mezzi rigatoni you’ll completely forget that it’s five below in the Midwest.
Movie Magic
What if I told you, you could have a nice dinner and see an independent film and only park once? At Film Streams Dundee Theater you can do just that. Grab a ticket to see one of their January films and then have a seat at Lola’s for a glass of wine, a charcuterie board and an espresso to keep you awake during the movie. Though it’s easy to fill up at Lola’s, I promise you don’t want to sleep on the popcorn at the concession stand.
Hopeless Ramen-tic
Ika Ramen is an Omaha staple for a steaming bowl of ramen, and with four locations from downtown to West Omaha, you’re never far from this comforting meal. However, for this outing we’ll focus on their original Benson location. The Benson Ika is smaller which lends to the warm cozy vibe we need in January, but the best feature of this location is that after your ramen you can simply walk down the basement stairs to Kaitei. Kaitei is a Japanese-inspired speakeasy featuring craft cocktails, sake and boba drinks. The windowless bar has soft red lights and candles, making it the perfect spot for a drink on cold winter nights.
The Show Must Go On
Another great 1-stop night out is Barrel & Vine in Elkhorn. You may only know Barrel & Vine for their rooftop pool and summer fun, but as the Omaha area’s only Supper Club, this is the place to go to eat a delicious meal while watching live music or a comedy show. Their menu features a wide range of options from pizza and burgers to steak and grilled mahi mahi. You can get tickets for their dueling pianos dinner show or one of their comedy dinners and soak up all the fun that January can bring.
We hope this list will help bring a little fun to the start of your 2023. We’d love to hear about your favorite cozy winter spots. And if you’re hoping to find a new house this year, we can help with that too!
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