LiveGreen: Summer day trips

School is almost out and summer is on the horizon. We've all been cooped up inside from a particularly cold winter, so it's a great time to get outdoors. Did you know that spending time in nature is great for kids and adults and can improve health? Lots of people are considering saving money and being green by taking a "staycation," so what's a nature-loving person or family supposed to do in and around Omaha? Most of you are probably aware of options such as the Henry Doorly Zoo and Lauritzen Botanical Gardens, but LiveGreen would like you to know there are lots of options in and around this area: hiking, biking, fishing, bird watching, relaxing — there's something for everybody. Everything below is linked to easily allow you to find details and make plans for your weekends or staycations (and some have day camps for kids and teens):

• City of Omaha Parks (lists all parks, locations, and amenities)
• Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park and Wildlife Safari (go in the summer but make sure you come back in the fall to hear the elk "bugle." It's an experience you won't forget.)
• Fontenelle Forest
• Elmwood Park
• Hummel Park
• Zorinsky Lake
• Wehrspann Lake
• Standing Bear Lake
• Glenn Cunningham Lake
• Mahoney State Park
• Hitchcock Nature Center
• Neale Woods – which includes the Millard Observatory
• Heron Haven
• Boyer-Chute National Wildlife Refuge
• Loess Hills State Forest
• Ponca State Park
• Omaha City Trails
• DeSoto Bend National Wildlife Refuge
• Gifford State Forest
• Blackbird Marsh County Preserve
• Fremont State Recreation Area
• Schramm Park State Recreation Area and Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium
• Platte River State Park
• Fort Atkinson State Historical Park
• Lake Manawa State Park

Like things with nature, but being outside is not your thing? Don't forget the "Yellowstone and the West: The Chromolithographs of Thomas Moran" exhibit at Joslyn Art Museum, or the med center only preview night on June 6. Have fun and enjoy your summer. P.S. Know of something we forgot? Feel free to share it in the comments below.