10 Best Things to Do in Nebraska

Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is a fun-filled animal park with fascinating exhibits, including a nocturnal exhibit and an indoor swamp. The zoo has one of the largest cat complexes in North America, a massive indoor rainforest, an indoor desert, and a large geodesic dome, all of which hold a variety of global animal species. Kingdoms of the Night, one of the world’s largest nocturnal exhibits and indoor swamps, has a wet cave, African diorama, eucalyptus forest, a dry bat cave, and a swamp with animals like beavers, bushbabies, bats, and fossa.

Old Market in Omaha is a lovely neighborhood that’s the center of culture and social activities in downtown Omaha and boasts historic appeal from the turn of the century. Old Market features horse-drawn carriages, covered sidewalks, and brick-paved streets. Along the streets, you’ll find restaurants, bars, upscale shopping, and art galleries to explore. Many historic buildings are found in Old Market, such as the 19th-century Morse-Code Shoe Company industrial building, which is now a hotel, and the McClure-Smith Building, a former 19th-century steam bakery.

The Strategic Air and Space Museum is a fascinating museum complex housed within a massive hangar and displaying a variety of aircraft, nuclear missiles, and spacecraft. Honoring the United States Air Force contributions during the Cold War, the Strategic Air and Space Museum presents notable aircraft in stunning displays. Some of the highlights include a Flying Boxcar, RB-52B Stratofortress, a B-17G Flying Fortress, and an F-101B Voodoo. The museum has numerous rockets and missiles, such as the Douglas PGM-17A Thor, and spacecraft like the Project Vela Satellite and the Apollo Boilerplate Command Module.

Chimney Rock National Historic Site is home to a prominent rock formation and landmark with a visitor’s center with educational exhibits on western migration. Once an important landmark on the Oregon, California, and Mormon trails, Chimney Rock is still an important feature for modern travelers. When you visit the historic site, you can learn about pioneers and migrations in the West in the Ethel and Christopher J. Abbot Visitor Center's exhibits and programming. You'll also find a gift shop to pick up souvenirs to remember your trip.

The Haymarket District is a historic downtown area that has many notable buildings and attractions for travelers. Originating in 1867, the market was once used to sell travel supplies and hay. The market is now a hub of retail shops set up in heritage buildings, such as the J.C. Ridnour Building, the Lincoln Fixture Building, and Lincoln Station. Haymarket Park baseball stadium is also located in the district and serves as the home field of the Lincoln Saltdogs and Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Scotts Bluff National Monument is a vast national park monument site with overland trails, prairies, badlands, and bluffs for exciting hiking excursions. The monument site has a vast network of trails that lead to the summit, such as the North Overlook Trail that travels the North Platte River Valley, and the Oregon Trail Pathway, a short trail that passes the Murphy and Conestoga wagon landmarks. The site has other bluffs and outcroppings for views, such as Eagle Rock, Sentinel Rock, and Crown Rock.

Golden Spike Tower is a spectacular vista point that offers unrivaled views of the world’s largest rail yard, the Union Pacific’s Bailey Yard. Each day, around 10,000 railcars are sent on their way in the rail yard, and you can see the departures from the tower. When you visit, you can browse the multimedia exhibits about the railroad’s history, orphan trains, and the North Platte Canteen, a famous historic rail stop from the 1940s. Before you leave, be sure to stop in the gift shop and pick up some railroad mementos.

Indian Cave State Park is a historic preservation site and recreation area that provides opportunities for cave exploration, hiking, and other outdoor activities. The highlight of the park is Indian Cave, a cave system with well-preserved prehistoric petroglyphs and a reconstructed village of St. Deroin. The ghost village was created for the Nemaha Half-Breed Reservation, a tract of land for natives, fur trappers, and residents of mixed ancestry. Along with caving, the park has miles of hiking and biking trails, campsites, picnic areas, fishing ponds, and boat access for the Missouri River.

Carhenge is a famous roadside attraction that’s a full replica of Stonehenge in England, except it's created out of vintage American vehicles. The replica monument uses 39 automobiles painted gray and arranged in a circle that measures 96 feet in diameter. Several cars are buried at the site with a sign that reads “Here lie three bones of foreign cars. They served our purpose while Detroit slept. Now Detroit is awake and America’s great!” The site also has the Car Art Reserve, which displays other artwork created from automobiles.

The Sandhills is a mixed-grass prairie with dunes with an abundance of wildlife and opportunities for outdoor recreation. The Sandhills are home to several wildlife refuges, including Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, the Nature Conservancy’s Niobrara Valley Preserve, and the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge. A diverse range of plants and animals live in the Sandhills, including meadowlarks, red foxes, white-tailed deer, mule deer, turkeys, bats, and coyotes. The ponds and lakes in the area provide a habitat for several species of native fish and water for livestock nearby.