Benson is where Omaha goes out. This former streetcar suburb — platted in 1887, annexed in 1917 — reinvented itself around the Maple Street corridor into the city’s densest concentration of bars, breweries, and music venues. On a Friday night, the whole strip hums.
The anchors: Krug Park (62 drafts, named for the old amusement park), The Sydney (dive bar with nightly live music), and a string of breweries and cocktail spots in between. First Fridays bring the art crowd. Yoshitomo, the city’s best Japanese restaurant and a James Beard semifinalist, sits right on Maple.
Benson rewards wandering. Park once, pick a direction, and let the night sort itself out. It’s unpretentious, a little scruffy, and the most fun square mile in Omaha after dark.