“Hey! Lucas, right?” I heard a voice as I walked around the Gifford Park Neighborhood Market, a compact but lively farmers’ market that was a quick walk from the room I was renting on Cass Street in Omaha.

The voice belonged to Alex O’Hanlon, whom I’d met just a couple of days earlier at a donation-based fermentation workshop she had led at City Sprouts, a local organization with a large community garden that promotes health and seeks to improve food quality in the community. Alex and I chatted, and I shared some tamales I’d bought from a market vendor. Remembering my name and saying hello was maybe a small gesture for Alex, but as an out-of-towner, I was impressed.

But I wasn’t really surprised that the locals were friendly in Omaha, the biggest city in Nebraska, located about halfway between Sioux Falls, S.D., and Kansas City, Mo. What surprised me during a recent four-day trip was how big the city seemed. I’m not talking about surface area: Omaha, in addition to its famous zoo, has a progressive sensibility that places its good restaurants, live-music scene and diverse entertainment options on par with cities many times its size. And it’s worth a visit for any curious traveler who, like me, is keen on saving money.

My Airbnb host, Orenda, was accommodating when a flight cancellation led me to arrive a day later than expected (my private room with bath was $41 a night). She and her partner, both musicians, gave me some recommendations for activities in the area, and let me use their driveway for the car I’d rented through Turo.