I have had a goal of visiting each of the 50 states to see what each state has to offer that is unique and what the local culture is like. I haven%26#39;t been to Nebraska yet, and recently have spotted some cheap fares to Omaha. However, besides that postings I have seen on the board about Omaha%26#39;s zoo and Old Market, what else would anyone recommend to see that best captures the feel of the state? Any advice would be appreciated, thanks. We would be looking to go in the fall (Oct - Nov) and are generally interested in unique local attractions and nature (we enjoy hiking) , we would be travelling as a young couple so anything romantic would be wonderful too!
Highlights of NE
Rent a car. Go to the stadium in Lincon on a football Saturday for Nebraska. On second thought, don%26#39;t; the traffic will be terrific. But the stadium becomes the (second) largest city in Nebraska on game days!
Go to an area around Grand Island to see the migration of the Sandhill Cranes.
Visit the Archway Monument near Kearney.
Visit the Harold Warp Pioneer Village at Minden.
Before going, rent and watch ';About Schmidt.'; Much of it was filmed in Omaha, including the exterior for the restaurant for the rehearsal dinner set in Denver!
Visit Girls and Boys Town. Originally named Boys Town, it was a rural setting to help troubled boys. Now the city%26#39;s grown out to it, and it%26#39;s changed a lot over the years.
Dine at Gorat%26#39;s in Omaha and see if you spot Warren Buffett. For the best whiskey filet, go to The Drover in Omaha. Maybe not such a good recommendation for a vegan, but the foodie would love it!
Visit the Joslyn Art Museum for some wonderful exhibits.
Visit the Durham Western Heritage Museum.
Go to Rosenblatt Stadium where the College World Series is played and view the sculpture, ';The Road to Omaha.'; Rosenblatt is right next door to the Henry Doorly Zoo.
This should give you a good start for planning!
Highlights of NE
If you want to drive out to Minden Ne. you can visit the Harold Warp’s Pioneer Village. This is an excellent place to view “everything” that is history in Nebraska. You can google Harold Warp’s Pioneer Village to get several links on this. If you go out there be prepared to stay overnight, it will take you more then a day to visit, check with them at the village and they can fill you in on many of the important items to know about.
Also a shorter drive is to visit Arbor Lodge in Nebraska City just south of Omaha.
Zoey has some great ideas. Boys Town good visit, long history in Omaha.
If you want to see Nebraska get off the freeway. One of our several trips there to see son headed south from Lincoln for Beatrice. then south to Odell. Friend in Oregon was from there and I thought I should see it. Sure it is like a lot of other small Nebraska towns. and many likely closer to Omaha.
Probably a loop to Nebraska City and then to Lincoln and some rural road back to Omaha could do that easier. Nebraska City nice looking town. and a bit unique to me.
Our son was transferred from Omaha and I miss our annual fall and spring trips there.
I know you mentioned zoo, but to me one of best i have seen, don%26#39;t miss it. Plus you can walk across street and see where our OSU Beavers won College World Series,
How close are you to 50? three years ago we made Alabama for 50.
Definetly go to the zoo, it is the best around. Go in the morning and then have lunch at the Bohemian Cafe, it is an Omaha must in my opinion. I always order the same thing everytime I go. Sauer braten (svickova) with sweet cabbage, dumplings and liver dumpling soup. I am making myself hungry just thinking about it! Trust me it is really good.
www.bohemiancafe.net
If you want romantic then go to Brother Sebastions for dinner and order the Chateaubriand (for two) with Flaming Baked Alaska.
www.brothersebastians.com
If you want to do some great hiking then I would go to the Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area. The drive across the flat lands is long but worth it. Lots fo charming towns along the way.
westnebraska.com/Area_Attractions/Scotts_Blu…
To really get a sense of Nebraska, try driving highway 2 through the sandhills. The drive is long, very small towns about every 10 miles. Another good alternative is to angle northwest off the interstate at Ogallala towards Scottsbluff. Beautiful drive and follows the Oregon Trail. There is so much history in Nebraska. This drive should include stops at Courthouse Rock, Jail Rock, Chimney Rock and Scott%26#39;s Bluff Monument.
One stop could be Stuhr Museum in Grand Island (Railroad Town is open from May 1 through the first weekend in October.)
Another suggestion would include Buffalo Bill%26#39;s Scout%26#39;s Rest Ranch near North Platte.
Niobrara River Valley in the northern part of the state, especially around Smith Falls and Valentine is something unique in the state.
I agree with Gibby 2.
Omaha is a nice place to visit, but it won%26#39;t get you ';the real'; Nebraska like the rest of the state can. Highway 2 is a great drive, as is heading North from Ogallala to the Northwest part of the state. The Chadron/Crawford area is really beautiful, and you can visit Fort Robinson State Park while there. To get out to this part of the state, you will need to be prepared to drive though. I%26#39;m guessing it would be about 10 hours using the interstate and quite a bit more using the highways, but the interstate is such a boring drive through Nebraska. It is the reason people think our state is completely flat, because along I-80 it is. The central part of the state has some river valley%26#39;s and wooded areas that make for some great scenery and good hiking.
This is what I would recommend: Head out of Omaha and start going West. Use highways instead of the interstate, but don%26#39;t be afraid to get off the highways as well. Most gravel roads are very well maintained in this state, and as long as they don%26#39;t say Dead End they should come out somewhere! Of course use common sense, and if the sign says Minimum Maintenance, it means it... sometimes just two tire paths in a pasture. But, if you have a rental... go for it! I would also stop in some of the little towns around noon and look for the building with the most trucks around it. This will undoubtably be the best place (maybe the only place) to eat in the town, and it will get you a glimpse of ';real Nebraska';.
Lastly, I would pack a blanket and a lunch and start cruising the back roads for a beautiful place to hike. If there is a farm/ranch nearby, you could stop in and ask permission to hike or see if they could point you in the right direction to find the land owners to ask them. If that isn%26#39;t your cup of tea or there is no farm/ranch nearby, just park your vehicle (it will be fine) and start hiking. Just be respectful... if you open any gates, close them, pick up after your done, etc. If someone happens to see you and asks what you%26#39;re doing, just tell them and I%26#39;m almost 100% positive they will say ';have a good time';.
Now, what could a young couple do that is romantic out in a secluded pasture... I guess I%26#39;ll leave that up to you two!
Do you have to fly into Omaha? I grew up in Western Nebraska, so I%26#39;m biased, but I think going to the Sand Hills or the Chadron/Fort Robinson area would be more unique than Omaha. And how long do you have? There are other airports you could fly to that would be closer to that part of the state (Rapid City, SD; Cheyenne, WY; even Denver).
The Niobrara River was listed on National Geographic%26#39;s top 100 adventures and would make a fun day trip. Most people canoe around Valentine, but you can canoe on it further west as well.
If you are into history, check out Fort Robinson or some of the other sites in the area (Fur Trade Museum in Chadron).
There are a lot of small lakes/ponds in the Sand Hills that would provide nice places to hike/walk.
I have had several friends who grew up on the coasts visit me in Western Nebraska and they just can%26#39;t get over it .... the isolation, the small towns, ';how big everything'; is, etc. I think it would certainly be a unique area to experience.
Living close to the KS/NE border and being a person who loves to take road trips to enjoy local ';culture';, let me suggest some things I think you might like to give you a ';taste'; of NE as I like to see it...
Much of America%26#39;s food comes from Nebraska as it is one of the nation%26#39;s largest Agricultural producers and packagers. Farmland foods corporation is based in Nebraska. Nebraska is a leader in the production of beef, pork, corn, and soy beans. Driving any roads through Nebraska will be evident of this strong agricultural base...Nebraska was also one of the earlier states to offer reduced prices for ethanol-based gas....
These agricultural products have to be shipped so you will find one of the worlds largest train yards in North Platte, NE. The Bailey train yards boast the largest yards. There is a small viewing stand. Unfortunately, this is not the nicest viewing platform, but the town of North Platte has ALOT of other things to offer as it is the home of Buffalo Bill. Nebraskaland days is based in North Platte. Although ';touristy'; North Platte toutes a ';Wild West'; feel--but being a rancher and from Kansas I often find that almost anything labled wild west is ';touristy'; and ';hokey';--but this is after all Buffalo Bill%26#39;s Wild West and it was ';entertainment'; and the ';greatest show'; as billed by Buffalo Bill himself.
You will find that rodeo is a big sport in Nebraska. I have found that many small towns in southern Nebraska host rodeos.
The south central town of Fairbury is an iconic town with a wonderful town park. The park boasts a ';modern'; swimming pool, a dragon, a wooden village playground, a huge fountain, a tank, a WPA built girl scout cabin (of course built in the 1930%26#39;s) and is a nice oasis on a hot day with it%26#39;s large shaded area by very old, mature trees. The park is also home to a campground and Quinn Baseball Field--home of the 1922 minor league pennant winners.
The Platte River sweeps across southern Nebraska and has been a huge impact on this area since prehistoric times. It is the migration stopping place for many birds, but is notably known for it%26#39;s large transient Sandhill crane migration. This is something that should not be missed if you are any where near Nebraska in late February to early April. Kearney to Grand Island has many areas along the river where you can view these birds, although just driving around the country roads you will find the fields full of the birds while they are feeding during the day. Check out the Nebraska tourism website for more details and some great pictures! (http://www. visitnebraska.org) Even if it is not during the sandhill crane migration, these river boardwalks and viewing areas are a nice place to visit.
I also enjoy the central and northwest area of the state called the sandhill region. Beautiful scenery with clear running rivers. I would suggest a canoe trip on the Loupe river. There actually three branches, the North Loupe, Middle Loupe, and South Loupe rivers that flow east and then join to form the Loupe river. There are canoe ';trails'; on these rivers. You can get information about these canoe ';trails'; on line at ngpc.state.ne.us/boating/guides/canoetrails
The best time to canoe, though is in the spring and fall because summer there is alot of water drawn from these rivers for irrigation.
Nebraska is a great place to ';stop and smell the roses';. If is full of unique sights and activities. Southeast Nebraska is a great place to experience a river port culture such as Nebraska City. The anniversary of Lewis Clark has created improvements in the Lewis Clark trail system and this is a GREAT place to experience that kind of history. Check out the nebraska tourism site http://www.visitnebraska.org and look under senic byways for the Lewis and Clark trip as well as many other great trips to take.
You will find that the nebraska tourism website is very usable and helpful for many flavors of nebraska visits. They will also send you a free tourism packet that I would recommend. Again...you can visit this website at http://www.visitnebraska.org
Have fun!!!
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