Omaha is famous for its “Nebraska Nice” charm, but turning that surface-level kindness into a deep, lasting friendship can feel challenging. How do you make friends as an adult, especially if you’re new to the city? Use this guide with practical tips for how to make friends in Omaha to find your group of like-minded people.
- Join a Club for Repeat Interactions
- Take a Class to Learn Something New with Others
- Volunteer to Create Purpose-Driven Friendships
- Find a Support System in Parent Groups
Join a Club for Repeat Interactions
When you join an interest-based club, you are guaranteed to see the same people week after week, transforming strangers into familiar faces and potentially into friends. Clubs eliminate the pressure of a one-time social event and provide a shared purpose, which is the perfect foundation for building a genuine connection.
Book Clubs in Omaha
Book clubs are a great way to meet new people in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond, especially if you struggle with conversation. When you discuss a book, you share your personal interpretations, values, and emotional reactions to the themes. This type of vulnerability bypasses surface-level politeness and allows people to see a deeper, more authentic side of you, which can help you make friends in real life faster.
- The Bookworm: There are over 100 registered book clubs with 1,200 active members.
- Omaha Public Library: These adult book clubs offer an approachable way to meet fellow book lovers in your area, with monthly meetings at various locations around the city.
- Pop Fiction‘s book clubs: Along with their Horror Book Club, the bookstore also features an LGBTQ+ book club dedicated to exploring fiction and non-fiction by queer authors with LGBTQ+ themes and characters.
- Silent Book Club Omaha Chapter: Join weekly groups at various Omaha coffee shops and venues like The Reading Room, The Edge of the Universe, Big Grove Brewery, and more!
Cycling, Hiking, & Running Clubs in Omaha
Looking for exercise classes outside of joining a gym in Omaha to help you make friends? Active clubs attract a wide mix of Omahans, especially young adults and people in their 20s and 30s, making them one of the easiest ways to meet new people in real life. As an added bonus, many of these clubs are free! Just by going, you instantly share a collective goal and go through the same physical challenges, which can lead to mutual respect and bonding.
- Aksarben Run Club: Participate in social runs for all ages and skill levels every Wednesday at 5:30 pm and Saturday at 10:30 am, with activities at InnerRail or Sonny’s afterwards. This club is most popular for meeting new people after a breakup or as a young adult in your 20s or 30s.
- Hikers of Omaha: Guided hikes happen about once a week, typically on Saturdays or Sundays, on many of Omaha’s best hiking trails, all with the goal of appreciating nature instead of walking far.
- Omaha Girls Who Walk: This low-pressure space for women to chat and walk around Omaha makes it a great option for anyone learning how to make new friends without apps. The group meets weekly on Sundays at rotating locations like The RiverFront or Zorinsky Lake.
- Omaha Running Club: If you’re prepping for a local race or want comprehensive training programs for everyone from walkers to elites, this tribe is for you. They meet multiple times a week for social runs, Wednesday evening groups, and supported long runs on weekends.
- OMG! Gravel & Adventure Club: This group is for cyclists who prefer dirt over pavement, often riding scenic routes along the farm roads surrounding the Omaha metro. They meet weekly, typically hosting rides on Wednesday evenings or weekend mornings.
- Prairie Bloom Cycling Club: This inclusive biking community hosts skill clinics and rides across road, gravel, and mountain trails. They meet seasonally and have historically hosted weekly no-drop rides on Mondays or Wednesdays.
- Run 402: This run club in Omaha meets weekly for track workouts on Tuesdays and Thursdays and for long endurance runs on Saturday mornings.
- Trail Sisters Omaha Chapter: As a local chapter of a national organization, this group is dedicated to increasing women’s participation and opportunity in trail running and hiking. They meet monthly.
Hobbyist Clubs in Omaha
Hobby clubs are an excellent way to make new friends as an adult, whether you’re new to Omaha or just out of college, because they guarantee you’ll meet people who share your passion and dedication to certain interests. These groups are often laid-back, can be done at any age, and can be a lower barrier to entry for introverts because they don’t require as much socializing as other events on this list.
- Craft Day Club: This casual social group lets crafters bring portable projects and work alongside others in a supportive environment. They typically meet monthly, often on Saturdays, at various community centers or libraries.
- Omaha Knit Night: Join a relaxed gathering for knitters and crocheters. Chat, troubleshoot patterns, and enjoy beverages together. They generally meet weekly, often on Tuesday or Thursday evenings, at rotating local pubs or coffee shops.
- Nebraska Writers Collective: Participate in professional workshops, mentorships, and poetry slams for both youth and adults. They host events year-round, including monthly slams and seasonal workshop series.
- Spielbound events: Omaha’s board game hub has a vast library of over 3,000 games and frequently hosts demos, leagues, and community nights. They offer daily events, including specific community nights and weekly “Play and Win” events.
- The Game Shoppe Open Play Nights: If you want a tabletop gaming group in Omaha, this is your best place to make friends locally. This group plays a variety of games, including Magic the Gathering and Pokemon.
- Omaha D&D: This Facebook group connects Dungeon Masters with players for Dungeons & Dragons campaigns and one-shots. Games are organized on Discord, with weekly in-person meetups at various local game stores.
- Photography Club of Omaha: For those who want to improve photography skills and meet new people along the way, this club features professional guest speakers, photo competitions, and technical workshops. They meet on the first Tuesday of the month.
- Fontenelle Forest Photography Club: Meet up monthly in nature to appreciate the flora and fauna of the forest through shared outings and image critiques.
- Nebraska Mineral & Gem Club: This Omaha geology club is for enthusiasts interested in rockhounding, lapidary arts, and jewelry making. Members organize a large annual gem show. Meetings are held on the third Wednesday of every month at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
- Audubon Society of Omaha: Attend guided field trips, monthly member meetings, and frequent birdwatching walks in Omaha.
Rec Leagues in Omaha
Joining an adult recreational sports league can be one of the best ways to meet new people and make friends fast, as the team atmosphere and shared goal automatically create camaraderie. Omaha offers a wide variety of free and paid organized sports leagues for every skill level and age, so you can move straight from small talk to teamwork.
- Aksarben Curling: Aksarben Curling Club offers structured leagues for all skill levels, bonspiels (tournaments), and introductory “Learn to Curl” classes during the season.
- Blue Sky: Join either their weekly Pickleball League or the Mini Bowling League.
- Omaha City-Wide Sports Leagues: Become a member of an adult team sports leagues like softball, basketball, or flag football.
- Omaha GLBT: This is an inclusive sports league offering volleyball, kickball, and darts for the LGBTQ+ community and its allies.
- Omaha Sports Club: Participate in weekly co-ed recreational sports leagues, including volleyball, kickball, and softball.
- F3 Omaha: F3 is a free, bootcamp style outdoor workout group for men that focuses on fitness, fellowship, and faith to build community and develop leadership.
Take a Class to Learn Something New with Others
The process of learning something new is inherently social, and taking a class can be a fantastic way to make friends and meet people in a new city because everyone starts on the same footing. Whether you’re trying improv, pottery, or cooking, that shared beginner status acts as a powerful icebreaker. When you learn together, you struggle, laugh, and achieve together, making conversation more natural.
Art Workshops in Omaha
- ImagiKnit Yarn Shop Classes: These instructional classes cover knitting, crochet, and advanced fiber arts techniques. Classes range from single-day workshops to multi-week skill series.
- The Joslyn Studio Programs: Find a variety of small-group, multi-week classes over different art mediums.
- Nebraska Writers Workshop: Join a weekly peer critique workshop for Omaha writers to improve fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.
- The Rosy Clay Co Pottery Classes: Get hands-on classes and instruction in both wheel throwing and hand-building ceramics for all skill levels. Classes run in multi-week sessions, with each course typically meeting once per week.
- Watercolor Classes at Hot Shops: Resident artists at the Hot Shops Art Center conduct multi-week classes focused on teaching basic through advanced watercolor techniques.
Theater & Improv Classes in Omaha
- Backline Comedy Improv Classes: Tiered long-form improv classes cater to all skill levels through multi-week sessions.
- Blackstone Theater Short-Form Improv Classes: Sign up for weekly classes and a final student showcase.
- Omaha Community Playhouse Theater Classes & Workshops: Classes cover acting, musical theater, stagecraft, and auditioning skills for Omaha actors. Classes and workshops are organized seasonally and run in multi-week sessions.
Volunteer to Create Purpose-Driven Friendships
Volunteering is another great way for adults, including empty nesters, retirees, or parents whose kids are grown, to meet new people who share similar values and lifestyles. We have a long list of great volunteer opportunities in the Omaha metro, and these two in particular stand out:
- No More Empty Pots: Serving as a community hub, No More Empty Pots frequently hosts local nonprofits and relies on volunteers for general operations and hosting public events.
- SHARE Omaha: This centralized online platform connects you with local nonprofits, offering thousands of diverse volunteer opportunities across the city.
Find a Support System in Parent Groups
If you’re trying to make friends as a mom or parent, Omaha has a variety of parent-centric groups where connection feels easy and low-pressure. These communities bring together caretakers who are in the same season of life and truly understand what you’re going through, whether you’re navigating nap schedules, school pickups, or a return to work.
- Online & apps: Facebook groups like Omaha Area Moms Group, the Peanut app, and Meetup are all places local moms plan playdates, stroller walks, coffee shop catchups, and parenting discussions.
- Mommy & Me classes: Places like Kindermusik, Doodle Art Studio, Omaha Children’s Museum, Diventures, Little Red Farm, Scatter Joy Acres, and Omaha Public Library offer recurring parent-child classes that create consistent social contact with other moms and parents looking for community.
- Parks & playgrounds: Go regularly to popular Omaha playgrounds like Hanscom Park, Heartland of America Park, or Lewis & Clark Landing and introduce yourself to fellow parents while your kids play.
Listen to the Omaha Mom Talks podcast episode, The Power of Connection + Friendship in Motherhood with Ronna Zegers for more ideas on how to find new friends and maintain meaningful relationships as a mother.
Looking for more ways to make friends in Omaha? Check out our other things to do in Omaha like where to meet singles and late-night spots near you.
