The vast plains of Nebraska extend from the prairies in the east, rising up to meet the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in the west. Small towns and farms are scattered about the expansive landscape. Omaha, the state's largest city and only riverfront community, sits on the west bank of the Missouri River. Now a prosperous commercial center, Omaha has a prairie outpost history. At the Durham Western Heritage Museum, a multi-media presentation and many artifacts depict the history of Omaha. Less than 60 miles southwest of Omaha is the state's capital, Lincoln. The State Capitol building towers over the rest of Lincoln's city center, standing slightly taller than 400 feet. The Historic Haymarket district, established in 1867, is filled with restaurants, shops and galleries. East Nebraska encompasses attractions such as the Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneers in Grand Island and Crane Meadows in Wood River. In the Nebraska Sand Hills, travelers and locals alike enjoy NEBRASKA land Days each June in North Platte. 

ATTRACTIONS

Panhandle   Prairie Lakes   Sandhills   Frontier Trails   Lewis and Clark   Metro Corridor   Pioneer Country   National Parks

Panhandle

Riverside Zoo and Campground - Riverside's 22-acre zoo features a diverse collection of both native and exotic wildlife exhibits. Riverside Zoo has a collection of over 300 animals, representing more than 97 species, and provides an up-close encounter with wildlife in a lush park setting in Scottsbluff Nebraska.

North Platte Valley Museum - Step back in time as you visit the North Platte Valley Museum in Gering, Nebraska. The Museum complex consists of the main building with 10,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space. Exhibits include tools, clothing and home furnishings of the early settlers, a print shop, general store, school room, parlor, kitchen, blacksmith, horse drawn equipment and much more.

Museum of the Fur Trade - The museum's exhibits trace the everyday lives of the British, French, and Spanish traders, voyageurs, mountain men, professional buffalo hunters, and typical Plains and Woodland Indians. Exhibits include the entire range of trade goods, including munitions, cutlery, axes, firearms, textiles, costumes, paints, and beads.

Carhenge - Just north of Alliance Nebraska, along Highway 87, stands a replication of Stonehenge, England's ancient mystical alignment of stones that chart the sun and moon phases. Stonehenge stands alone on a plain in England. Carhenge, created from vintage American made automobiles, towers over the plains of Nebraska.

Cabela's - Outdoor equipment of every sort from fishing and hunting to backpacking at this huge 62,000-sq.-ft. store. See over 500 trophy mounts.

Dawes County Historical Society Museum - The Museum Grounds include the log house and barn, 1890s schoolhouse, pioneer church and C & NW caboose. The 9,000 square foot Museum houses an impressive collection of area antiques including displays of a general store, a hospital room, blacksmith tools, farm machinery, vintage quilts, a railroad room, and more.  341 Country Club Road, Chadron.  (308) 432-4999.

   Prairie Lakes

Ole's Big Game Steakhouse - This unique family eatery showcases more than 200 big game trophies and countless mementos of Ole's worldwide safaris.

Front Street/Cowboy Museum - Read about the Great Train Robbery (Sam Bass) to the Dirty Thirty's (when Nebraska was a dust bowl). See pictures during the building of Kingsley Dam along with other historical items and artifacts (both Cowboy and Indian). See how the west was won...

   Sandhills

Nebraska Major League Baseball Museum - This museum is devoted to illustrating the careers of 114 Major League Baseball players with Nebraska roots. All 114 players have made it to the Major Leagues of American Baseball. Five have been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Custer County Historical Museum - The Custer County Historical Museum features objects and photographs depicting pioneer life from the 1800s to the present.

   Frontier Trails

Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer - Stuhr Museum is a 200-acre multi-faceted complex designed in the manner of Scandinavian outdoor museums. Exhibits in the Stuhr Building introduce visitors to the history and development of the. Exhibits and collections tell the story of Native Americans, the Old West and pioneer life.

Nebraska Prairie Museum - The Nebraska Prairie Museum contains an exceptionally fine collection of over one acre of indoor exhibits. Once inside, you get a feeling of spaciousness as you view collections of period clothing, antique toys, farm equipment, tools and household items, a unique W.W.II German POW exhibit room, and much more!

Museum of Nebraska Art - There is much to see and enjoy at the Museum of Nebraska Art. Experience 175 years of great art from the 19th century to the contemporary scene. In addition to the wide variety of art in its eleven galleries, visitors can relax and stroll through the outdoor sculpture garden, browse through the gift shop for one-of-a-kind gifts, or visit our children's gallery.

Great Platte River Road Archway Monument - The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument is the gateway to the west for the 12,000 vehicles that pass under it daily. The Archway has 79,000 square feet of historical exhibits that tell the story of the Platte River Road. This road linked the nation from east to west through the evolution of transportation and communication.

Crane Meadows Nature Center - Crane Meadows Nature Center encompasses 250 acres of prime river habitat. The center offers a close-up viewing of wetland wildlife. Visitors can see turtles, ducks, turkey, deer, coyote and many other species.

Plainsman Museum - The Plainsman Museum features an extensive collection depicting Plains history with exhibits, murals and mosaics. Agricultural museum features a homestead house, farm scene, barn and blacksmith shop.

Pioneer Village - Here within 20 acres, are over 50,000 pieces of Americana in 26 buildings. Many of the buildings were plucked from their country settings and restored here. Modern display halls hold selected treasures.

   Lewis and Clark

Kreycik's Riverview Elk Farm - Kreycik's Riverview Elk Farm is a working elk, bison and cattle farm. The farm offers covered wagon tours of the farm that nestles in the hills overlooking the Niobrara River Valley and organized fair chase elk hunts in the fall.

Washington County Historical Museum - This organization's purpose is the preservation of the history of Washington County, Nebraska and vicinity for future generations and to acquire, preserve, and exhibit, relics, mementos, historic records and other artifacts of historical interest of said area and of Nebraska.

Pierce Historical Society Museum - Located in Gilman Park, the Pierce Historical Society Museum features an old railroad depot, rural school house, a blacksmith shop and a farm machinery building.

Fremont Dinner Train - The goal of the Fremont Dinner Train is to send you back into the 1940's era. You will be exposed to 1940 music and scenery, while on an elegant 30 mile round trip from Fremont, to the small historic town of Hooper, Nebraska.

Louis E. May Historical Museum - Louis E. May Museum is a twenty-five room mansion built in 1874 by Fremont's first mayor, Theron Nye. The museum includes a general store display, one room school house, a library research room, a formal rose garden and Victorian garden with bricklined paths.

   Metro Corridor

FunPlex - FunPlex offers Nebraska's largest waterpark and rides. Attractions and rides include: motion ocean, water slides, lazy river, kiddie pool, go karts, slick track, bumper cars & bumper boats and lots more.

Freedom Park Navy Museum - On permanent display, you will find the U.S.S. Marlin SST2, the U.S.S. Hazard AM240 (a National Historic Landmark), an LSM45, an A-4 Skyhawk, an A-7, and much more.

Fontenelle Forest Nature Center - Fontenelle Forest Nature Center features 1,400 acres of woods, wetlands and waterways, featuring deep ravines, loess ridges, more than 40 varieties of trees and over 200 species of birds.

El Museo Latino - El Museo Latino was established in 1993 as the first Latino art and history museum in the Midwest.

Old Market - Old Market is a 'turn-of-the-century' marketplace of brick streets and buildings features a variety of quaint restaurants and shops.

Omaha Botanical Gardens - The garden consists of 115 acres which are being beautifully designed to provide visitors with a variety of foliage, flowers and fruits of plants from around the world.

Omaha Children's Museum - Founded in 1976 as a traveling workshop, the Omaha Children's Museum has grown into a special place where children can challenge themselves, discover how the world works, and learn through play. It is Omaha's only participatory museum, a place where children and adults can learn and play together.

Omaha Community Playhouse - Founded in 1924, the Omaha Community Playhouse has grown into the largest community theatre in the nation. Two theatres with state of the art sound and lighting equipment feature eleven productions annually.

Durham Western Heritage Museum - The Durham Western Heritage Museum is a beautiful art deco railroad station which offers unique, hands-on learning for people of all ages. Examine photographs, view exhibits on the history of Omaha, a restored soda fountain, decorative arts, a theater, train cars with period furnishings and model trains.

Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium Outdoor Education Center - This Game and Parks Commission complex is the only facility of its type in the Great Plains. Its 12,000 square feet include the aquarium, terrarium, natural history classroom, World Herald Auditorium, orientation and display area, and office space.

Aksarben Coliseum/Event Center - Aksarben Coliseum/Event Center features events such as USHL league championship hockey team, a championship rodeo, the largest 4-H livestock show in the country, many tradeshows and a gala of entertainers.

Mormon Trail Center at Historic Winter Quarters - Witness a moment in the great ""Mormon Migration."" Explore a pioneer cabin, pull a handcart, and see what life was like for thousands of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who spent the winter of 1846 to 1847 in the encampment they called Winter Quarters.

Joslyn Art Museum - Joslyn Art Museum has served as a premier center for the visual arts since it opened in 1931. Nebraska's largest and most distinguished art museum, Joslyn features an encyclopedic collection of artworks from antiquity to the present, with a special emphasis on 19th- and 20th-century art from Europe and America, and offers a wide range of exhibitions, music and educational programs.

Omaha Theater Company for Young People - The mission of the Omaha Theater Company is to provide professional theater, dance and education programs that enrich the lives of young people and their families.

   Pioneer Country

International Quilt Study Center (IQSC) - The IQSC was created to encourage the interdisciplinary study of all aspects of quiltmaking traditions and to foster preservation of this tradition through the collection, conservation and exhibition of quilts and related materials.

Museum of Nebraska History - Many people and cultures have made Nebraska their home. Come see fascinating artifacts and hear amazing stories from its rich past. The museum's exhibits interpret over 12,000 years of human experience on the Plains. Indian gallery, 'The First Nebraskans,' period setting and special collections.

Strategic Air & Space Museum - Regarded as the nation's foremost facility of its kind, the museum preserves aircraft and missiles for future generations. The Museum is a 300,000 square foot building that features a glass atrium, two aircraft display hangars, a traveling exhibit area, a children's interactive gallery, a 200-seat theater, a Museum store, an aircraft restoration gallery, and a snack bar.

Frank H. Woods Telephone Pioneer Museum - The Telephone Museum serves to educate the general public about the history of the telephone industry, especially the history of independent telephony and specifically that of The Lincoln Telephone and Telegraph Company and its founder, Frank H. Woods.  

Rock Island Depot Railroad Museum - Located in one of the state’s two intact Rock Island depots, the Rock Island Depot Railroad Museum at 910 Second Street gives visitors a look at life when trains were the fastest and classiest way to go anywhere, from the billowing steam engine to the 1950’s stream-lined Rock Island Rocket.

State Museum of Natural History and Mueller Planet - Nebraska's largest natural history museum includes the world's premier collection of fossil elephants, interactive paleontoly exhibits, American Indian exhibits, walk-in wildlife dioramas, hand-on discovery room, planetarium, laser shows and much more.

Lied Center for Performing Arts - Located on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus, this magnificent performing arts center serves students and residents of this entire region by bringing the world's finest arts and entertainment to its stage.

Lincoln Children's Museum - The Lincoln Children's Museum is a 40,000 square foot world of color, light, sound and texture dedicated to allowing children and adults to discover the adventure of learning together.

 National Parks

Chimney Rock National Historic Site - Chimney Rock has become one of the most famous landmarks in the American West. This unique formation--the most noted on the Oregon Trail--has come to symbolize the greatest voluntary migration in the history of mankind. The site is adminstered by the Nebraska State Historical Society which operates the Ethel and Christopher J. Abbot Visitor Center at the Chimney Rock National Historic Site. The Visitor Center features museum exhibits explaining the westward migration of the nineteenth century and the significant role Chimney Rock had in the memories of those who traveled the trails west.

Homestead National Monument of America - The cry was FREE LAND!! The Homestead Act of 1862 was one of the most significant and enduring events in the westward expansion of the United States. By granting 160 acres of free land to claimants, it allowed nearly any man or woman a chance to live the American dream. Visit the park and gain understanding on how the Act changed the lives of all Americans and the land.

Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail - This site celebrates the heroic expedition of the Corps of Discovery, led by Captain Meriwether Lewis and Captain William Clark. Thirty three people traveled with them into unknown territory, starting near what is now known as Wood River, Illinois in 1804, reaching the Pacific Ocean in 1805 and returning in 1806.

Niobrara National Scenic River - This 76-mile reach of the Niobrara River in northcentral Nebraska was added to the nation's Wild and Scenic River System in 1991 to showcase a stellar example of a Great Plains river and preserve a unique ecological crossroads where six distinct ecosystems, some at or beyond their normal geographic limit, mix. The western third of the Scenic River is home to some ninety waterfalls, highest among them being Fort Falls and Smith Falls that topple more than seventy-five feet from a Sand Hills ledge to the valley floor. The Niobrara Valley is also a remarkable cultural landscape dotted with historic resources and small ranches and farms that have been locally owned for generations. The upper reach of the designated river is labeled one of the nation's premier canoeing rivers and is enjoyed by tens of thousands annually.

Oregon National Historic Trail - As the harbinger of America's westward expansion, the Oregon Trail was the pathway to the Pacific for fur traders, gold seekers, missionaries and others. Beginning in 1841 and continuing for more than 20 years, an estimated 300,000 emigrants followed this route from Independence, Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon on a trip that took five months to complete.  The 2,170 mile long trail passes through Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho and Oregon.

Scotts Bluff National Monument - A prominent natural landmark for emigrants on the Oregon Trail, Scotts Bluff, Mitchell Pass and the adjacent prairie lands are set aside in a 3,000 acre national monument. This site preserves the memory of the historic Oregon, California and Mormon Trails. The monument museum contains exhibits about the human and natural history of the area and also holds a unique collection of watercolor paintings by the frontier photographer and artist William Henry Jackson.