Inside A 1931 Art Deco Train Station, This Nebraska Museum Still Runs An Old-Fashioned Soda Fountain

A former train station waiting room with a 60-foot ceiling now shares space with a soda fountain pouring phosphates and malts. Yes, phosphates.

The fizzy kind your great-grandparents ordered while waiting for a train.

The building opened in 1931, back when about 10,000 passengers moved through it each day. Six giant chandeliers still hang over the main hall.

Each one stands 13 feet tall.

I like how this Nebraska landmark lets you wander restored train cars, then sit down for a hand-scooped sundae. It feels like history with a sweet tooth.

I can’t imagine a better excuse to skip the gift shop guilt and order the malt anyway.

So what happens when a grand old depot stops serving trains and starts serving ice cream sodas? Turns out, quite a lot.

A Grand Old Depot Became One Of Omaha’s Favorite Museums

Trains stopped rolling through here decades ago, yet the building never lost its sense of arrival. The Durham Museum sits inside the former Omaha Union Station, a 1931 Art Deco depot in Omaha, Nebraska.

The museum focuses on the history of Omaha and the surrounding region. You’ll find permanent galleries, restored train cars, and a rotating lineup of traveling exhibits.

It also works as a Smithsonian Affiliate. That connection helps bring national-level exhibits right to the riverfront city.

Of course, the building steals plenty of attention on its own. The Art Deco details start at the doors and keep going all the way up the ceiling.

Then there’s the soda fountain, which might be the sweetest surprise in any Nebraska museum. Phosphates, malts, and sundaes are all part of the plan here.

The museum holds a 4.8-star rating on Google from nearly 4,000 reviews. That’s a lot of happy history fans, train lovers, and malt drinkers in one place.

Families come for the trains and stay for the treats. History buffs come for the exhibits and somehow end up at the counter too.

Funny how that works.

Ten Thousand Travelers A Day Once Passed Through These Doors

Sixty-four passenger trains a day. That was the rhythm of Union Station at its peak, with roughly 10,000 people moving through daily.

The station opened on January 15, 1931. Construction started in May 1929 and took twenty months to finish.

Union Pacific built it as its first station in the Art Deco style. Architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood designed nearly every detail, right down to the doorplates.

Together with the nearby Burlington depot, the station helped make Omaha the fourth largest railroad center in the country. Not bad for a city on the Missouri River.

Travel habits eventually shifted, though. The station closed to passengers on May 2, 1971, when Amtrak took over passenger service.

Two years later, Union Pacific gifted the building to the City of Omaha. That handoff kept the depot standing for the generations who now visit it as a museum.

In 2016, the building was named a National Historic Landmark. It’s a fitting honor for a place that once linked Nebraska to the rest of the nation.

Stand in the hall today, and that busy past feels surprisingly close.

Look Up, Because The Great Hall Ceiling Rises 60 Feet

Necks get a workout in the Suzanne and Walter Scott Great Hall. This was the station’s Main Waiting Room, and its ceiling soars 60 feet overhead.

Ten cathedral-like plate glass windows pour light into the space. On a bright day, the whole room seems to glow.

Six massive chandeliers hang about 20 feet below the ceiling. Each one measures 13 feet tall and five feet across.

The finishes are just as showy. Think sculptured plaster, gold and silver leaf trim, and polished Belgian marble.

Designers even gave the building a deliberate sense of strength and power. You can feel that boldness in the clean lines and sheer scale.

Around the holidays, the hall gets a towering Christmas tree. It turns an already striking room into a seasonal tradition for many Nebraska families.

Plenty of museums keep their best work behind glass. Here, the main attraction is the room you’re standing in.

Take a slow lap before heading downstairs. Snap a photo, find the chandeliers, and let the 1930s soak in for a minute.

Phosphates, Malts, And Sundaes Still Flow At The Soda Fountain

Order a phosphate, and you’re ordering a drink straight out of the station’s heyday. The Soda Fountain mixes flavorings with soda water from the dispenser, just like old times.

The menu goes well beyond that fizzy classic. You can get ice cream sodas, root beer floats, malts, shakes, and sundaes made with hand-scooped ice cream.

Chocolate malts are a popular pick. There’s even a birthday malt, which sounds like a celebration whether it’s your birthday or not.

Fair warning about appetite. The shakes and malts come in generous portions, so dinner plans might need adjusting.

Hungry for something savory? The fountain also serves lunch items like hotdogs, pulled-pork sandwiches, and mac-n-cheese.

Right next door, an old-fashioned Candy Shop stocks a big variety of nostalgic and hard-to-find sweets. Good luck walking past that without grabbing a bag.

The soda fountain is one of the most talked-about features of The Durham Museum. It’s easy to see why.

A museum visit with a malt break built in? That’s a plan almost anyone can get behind.

Restored Train Cars Let You Walk The Aisles Of Rail Travel

Here’s a museum where you’re allowed to climb aboard the exhibits. Downstairs, restored train cars from the 1940s and 1950s wait for passengers again.

The lineup includes a Pullman car, a lounge car, and a caboose. Walking through them gives you a real sense of how people once crossed the country by rail.

A powerful steam engine anchors the display. Seeing one up close makes it clear why trains once ruled travel.

Then there’s the O scale model train layout. It recreates Union Pacific’s double-track main line from Omaha to Ogden during the 1950s.

Kids especially love the push-button features. They can control crossing guards and lights on the tiny railroad.

Honestly, adults tend to push those buttons too. Nobody’s judging.

The rail exhibits rank among the most popular parts of the museum. They connect perfectly to the building itself, since this was once a working station.

Train fans could spend a long stretch down here. Casual visitors will still leave knowing a lot more about Nebraska’s railroad story.

Rare Coins, Old Storefronts, And A Famous Family Grocery

Few museums can claim a link to one of Omaha’s most famous family names. The Durham Museum includes a replica of the original Buffett Grocery Store, which first opened in the Dundee neighborhood in 1915.

Nearby, a row of 1940s storefronts recreates a busy commercial street. It’s a fun stroll through an era of shop windows and main street errands.

Coin lovers should head straight to the Byron Reed collection. It includes some of the world’s rarest coins and documents.

The permanent galleries also cover Omaha’s growth, its architecture, its companies, and its people. You’ll even find displays on Native American history in the region.

Each exhibit adds a different piece of the local story. Together, they show how a river town grew into a major Nebraska city.

These galleries reward anyone who likes reading the details. You can learn a surprising amount between the trains and the soda counter.

And if you grew up in Omaha, some of these names and places might feel very familiar. That’s part of the fun.

Disney Costumes And Other Traveling Exhibits Keep It Fresh

Nearly 70 original Disney costumes now share a roof with steam-era train cars. That’s the draw of “Heroes and Villains: The Art of the Disney Costume,” running through October 25, 2026.

The exhibit includes kid-friendly extras too. Families have found a magnetic costume wall and a fabric design area for young creators.

Thanks to its Smithsonian Affiliate status, the museum hosts a steady rotation of traveling shows. Partners include the Library of Congress, National Archives, and the Field Museum.

“In Search of the Signers” continues through January 10, 2027. Then “White Christmas – The Exhibition” opens on November 27, 2026.

Past exhibits have covered everything from Jim Henson to dinosaurs. Topics have also included Jane Goodall, Julia Child, Nelson Mandela, and the Green Book.

That variety gives locals a reason to come back again and again. Almost every season brings something new to explore.

Check what’s showing before you go. You might catch a once-in-a-lifetime exhibit only a short drive from home.

Kids, Train Fans, And Date-Night Duos All Fit Right In

Pulling off something for everyone is tricky, but this depot manages it. Little ones get push buttons, train cars, and hands-on exhibit areas.

Older kids and teens can explore the traveling shows and the bigger history galleries. Adults get Art Deco grandeur and plenty of reading.

School groups often visit on field trips. Guided tours are also available for anyone who wants deeper stories about the building.

Couples can make a relaxed date of it. A slow walk through the Great Hall followed by a shared malt sounds pretty great.

The pace stays easygoing. Plan on about 90 minutes to two hours to see the highlights without rushing.

Holiday visits bring an extra layer of charm. The big Christmas tree in the Great Hall has become a seasonal favorite for many families.

The building also hosts events. It’s hard to beat a 1930s train station as a backdrop.

Grandparents might spot a little of their own past here too. Few places spark family stories quite like a old depot with a soda counter.

Plan Your Afternoon Around Free Parking And A Malt Break

Getting there is the easy part. The Durham Museum sits at 801 S 10th St, Omaha, NE 68108, just south of downtown.

A free two-level parking deck sits right by the building. Park on the top level, and you’ll get a view of the old station’s upper floor.

The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, with shorter Sunday afternoon hours. It’s closed on Mondays, and hours can shift by season.

Admission tickets are available online or at the door. Memberships are offered too, which makes sense if you plan to catch every traveling exhibit.

Start in the Great Hall, then head downstairs to the main museum. Save the soda fountain for the end as your reward.

Nearby, Lauritzen Gardens makes an easy pairing for a full Omaha day out. Both fit nicely into one relaxed outing.

For a Nebraska afternoon packed with trains, history, and ice cream, this one’s tough to top. Go for the architecture, stay for the exhibits, and leave with a malt in hand.