When we want to get away for the day, we often head down south to Kansas City, but what about that city up north? Sure, Omaha's a little farther, but it's got plenty of attractions to make it worth the drive.

If you're a first-time visitor to Omaha, the Omaha Convention and Visitor's Bureau has created an easy way to find the city's top 15 attractions. Just look for the 9-foot-tall blue pushpins out in front.

"We wanted a way to get people who are visiting Omaha, give them an easy and fun way to explore the city," says Deborah Ward, marketing director for the Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Here's a quick and easy map, look for the big pushpins..."

The pins are located in front of 15 of Omaha's most popular attractions. Here are just a few places following the pushpins will take you.

Durham Western Heritage Museum

Located in Omaha's Union Station, the Durham museum highlights the rail history of the region, as well as Omaha's rise from a cattle town to a booming city. With several permanent galleries covering different aspects of Omaha's history, the museum really feels like multiple museums housed together.

"I think people are pleasantly surprised when they get here," says Shawna Forsberg, director of marketing and public relations. "They don't realize how many hours they can spend when they get here."

Permanent galleries include exhibits on life in early Omaha, rail travel (complete with real train cars), the Trans-Mississipi International Exhibition, which brought more than 2 million people to Omaha in 1898, and the Byron Reed collection of rare coins and documents, which is one of the top 10 rare coin and book collections in the country, according to Ms. Forsberg.

Hot Shops Art Center

Perhaps a more fitting name for this attraction would be Hot Studios. Located at an old Serta mattress factory, Hot Shops is an arts center that houses 50 art studios and four art galleries.

The three main shops - Crystal Forge, Loken Forge and Bruning Sculpture - feature glass blowing, iron working and bronze casting, all of which visitors can see demonstrated.

The Omaha Children's Museum

If you're wondering what the difference is between a regular museum and a children's museum, it's pretty simple: At a children's museum, you're allowed to touch pretty much everything.

"... We are a hands-on interactive museum," says Christina Kahler, museum director of marketing and public relations. "In every sense we encourage learning through play."

The museum's permanent exhibits include: a creative arts center, where kids can dress up, make and take art and learn a new craft from the museum's artist in residence; the science center, which features the Super Graviton and The Amazing Bubble Show; and Imagination Playground, a replica farmstead - complete with farmhouse, crops and animals - for children zero to five.

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

Yes, everyone knows about the world-renowned San Diego Zoo. But did you know that the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha ranks just behind it? When it comes to world-class animal exhibits, this zoo has it all.

Featured attractions include: the Desert Dome (the world's largest indoor desert), the Lied Jungle (the world's largest indoor rainforest), the Hubbard Orangutan Forest and Gorilla Valley, a Cat Complex, Bear Canyon and much more.

Other pushpin attractions include: Lauritzen Gardens, Pedestrian Bridge, Mormon Trail Center, Heartland of America Park and El Museo Latino, to name a few. For more information and a downloadable push pin map, visit www.visitomaha.com.

Lifestyles reporter Lacey Storer can be reached at lstorer@npgco.com