Nebraska
The riverfront along the Missouri River celebrates the waterway's past and present. Highlights include the architecturally stunning Bob Kerrey Pedestrian…
Must-see attractions in Nebraska
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium
Nebraska
The world's largest indoor desert? Check. The world's largest nocturnal exhibit? Check. America's largest indoor rainforest? Check. An aquarium showing…
Scotts Bluff National Monument
Nebraska
Scotts Bluff has been a beacon to travelers for centuries. Rising 800ft above the flat plains of western Nebraska, it was an important waypoint on the…
Nebraska
Just across the river from Omaha in the cute little downtown area of Council Bluffs, IA, this highly interactive museum tells the story of the world's…
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
Nebraska
Some 20 million years ago, this part of Nebraska was like the Serengeti in Africa today: a gathering place for a rich variety of creatures. Today the…
Great Platte River Road Archway Monument
Nebraska
Arching unexpectedly over I-80 east of Kearney, the multimedia light-and-sound exhibits here tell colorful tales about the people who've passed this way,…
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Crane Trust Nature & Visitor Center
Nebraska
Upstream of Grand Island, the Platte River hosts 500,000 sandhill cranes (80% of the world population) and millions more waterfowl during the spring…
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Nebraska
The soaring art deco Union Station train depot is a sight to behold with its cathedral windows, geometric chandeliers, ornate ceilings and reliefs of…
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Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer
Nebraska
A remarkable combination of indoor exhibits and a vast outdoor living museum. Note how conditions dramatically improved in the homes in 1860 to 1890…
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Nebraska
Entering into this three-story arts center (a former mattress warehouse) is like diving down the rabbit hole into an alternative universe ruled by…
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Nebraska
This sinuously graceful 3000ft-long bridge links walkways on both sides of the Missouri River. The views are spectacular; at night it's lights are…
Nebraska
Pay homage to the auto at this Stonehenge replica assembled from 39 discarded cars. The faithful reproduction, along with other car-part art, rises out of…
Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park
Nebraska
Once the home of Bill Cody (the father of rodeo and the famed Wild West show), this park includes a fun museum in Cody's house that reflects his colorful…
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Chimney Rock National Historic Site
Nebraska
Eons-old bluff formations rise up from the horizon, their striking presence a dramatic sentinel connecting modern-day travelers with their pioneer…
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Nebraska
Once a separate city, South Omaha was the center of the Omaha stockyards starting in the late 1800s. Today it's a hub of Omaha's thriving Hispanic…
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Nebraska
This old military fort's turbulent past belies its stately appearance today: Crazy Horse was killed here in 1877, 'buffalo soldier' African American…
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Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum
Nebraska
After WWII Omaha's Offutt Air Force Base was home to the US Air Force Strategic Air Command (SAC), the nuclear force detailed in Stanley Kubrick's Dr…
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Nebraska
This is the site of the very first homestead granted under the landmark Homestead Act of 1862. It opened much of the western US to settlers who were given…
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Nebraska
Dynamic 19th-century expedition duo Lewis and Clark get their due on the east side of the Missouri River at this hidden gem of a park high up on a bluff…
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Fort Kearny State Historical Park
Nebraska
In the mid-1800s, two of the most important pioneer trails west, the California and Oregon Trails, converged at this frontier fort. Parts of the fort are…
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Nebraska
Step inside what some researchers think is an original 1860 Pony Express Station from the old cross-state mail route, one of just a few still in existence…
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Nebraska
Over a dozen elaborate gardens and greenhouses comprise this elegant botanical garden. The wildflower and formal English garden areas are favorites. The…
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Western Historic Trails Center
Nebraska
The long entry drive through open land sets the mood for this museum about the migration west. The modern interactive exhibits give an engaging and…
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Nebraska
Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lieutenant William Clark landed here in 1804 on their legendary US expedition looking for a passage to the Pacific Ocean…
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Nebraska
Enjoy sweeping views of Union Pacific's Bailey Yard, the world's largest railroad classification yard, from this eight-story observation tower with indoor…
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Nebraska
Three floors of excitement keep kids of all ages breathing fast with anticipation at this downtown museum. Fire engines, a moon lander, a prairie dog town…
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Nebraska
This admired and architecturally imposing museum has a great collection of classic and contemporary European and American art. There's also a good…
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Nebraska
On the north side of town, this small public park is home to two huge Union Pacific locomotives: a fabled Big Boy steam engine and a Centennial diesel,…
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Nebraska
Linking Old Market with the waterfront, this 23-acre park features elaborate plantings, a large lake, water features and a landmark 320ft-high fountain.
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Nebraska
Follows the Cornhusker State's story, starting with the large First Nebraskans room. Compare the pioneer sod house to the Pawnee earth lodge.
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Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge
Nebraska
Has marshes and other open areas on the river that are little changed in centuries. A winding driving route shows you what the land crossed by the…
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Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Visitor Center
Nebraska
Omaha's riverfront is home to this visitor center, which has some exhibits and a bookstore. As the regional NPS headquarters, it's a good place to plan…
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University of Nebraska State Museum
Nebraska
See what the university's own legions of Indiana Jones's have been up to at the campus museum, where archeological and academic discoveries are displayed…
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Nebraska
From the outside, Nebraska's remarkable 1932 400ft-high state capitol represents the apex of phallic architecture (like many tall buildings in the Plains,…
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Mormon Trail Center at Historic Winter Quarters
Nebraska
From 1846 to 1890, thousands of Mormons migrated to Utah from the eastern US. For the first two decades they went by wagon trains. Omaha was a major stop…
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University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Nebraska
The university has its main campus in the middle of town. The complex is as practical as a farmer and lacks highlights, but is an interesting stroll. When…
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Fort Atkinson State Historical Park
Nebraska
Preserves the first US military fort built west of the Missouri River. It was erected in 1820 on a recommendation of Lewis and Clark, who, besides being…
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Nebraska
Get a feel for the tough lives led by early settlers at this idiosyncratic museum. The best part is the reconstructed sod-roofed trading post where pelts…
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International Quilt Study Center & Museum
Nebraska
This special-interest museum's motto says it all: 'celebrate the cultural and artistic significance of quilts'. Inside you'll be amazed at all the…
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Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge
Nebraska
The Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge is home to hundreds of bison and elk, plus scenic waterfalls. There's a 3.5-mile wildlife drive from the…
