Nebraska

Top 10 Places

(Pictures and places in bold are places I have been to.)

Boot Hill Cemetery
Boot Hill Cemetery, Ogallala, Nebraska

10. Ogallala

      • Cowboy Capital Historic Marker – Northern Terminus of the Great Western or Texas Trail through Dodge City to Ogallala
      • Mansion on the Hill
      • Ogallala Boot Hill Cemetery
      • Ogallala Front Street
      • Tri-Trails Park – Oregon Trail, Great Western or Texas Trail, and Pony Express Trail
Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park
Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park

9. North Platte

      • Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park
      • Golden Spike Tower & Union Pacific Railyard
      • Fox Theater-North Platte Community Playhouse
      • Prairie Arts Center
      • Front Street Park

8. Pine Ridge Country

      • Oglala National Grassland
        1. Toadstool Geologic Park – Toadstool Trail (0.8 miles)
        2. Hudson-Meng Bison Bonebed
        3. Warbonnet Battlefield Monument
      • Fort Robinson State Park
        1. Red Cloud Buttes
        2. Post Playhouse
        3. Fort Robinson Museum and Trailside Museum
        4. Site of Crazy Horse’s Death
        5. 1897 Northern Cheyenne Breakout Memorial
        6. Red Cloud Indian Agency and German WWII Prisoner of War Camp
      • Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
      • Pine Ridge National Recreation Area
      • Chadron State Park

7. Homestead National Historical Park

      • Historic 1867 Palmer-Epard Cabin
      • National Homesteading Museum-Heritage Center
      • Homestead Trail (2.1 miles)
      • Freeman School
      • Historic Osage Orange Hedgerow
Sandhill crane along a corn field
Sandhill crane along a corn field

6. Sandhill Crane Migration

      • Kearney “Sandhill Crane Capital of the World” – Crane Fest and Crane Watch at Plautz Viewing Platform and Fort Kearny Bridge over the Platte River from late February to early April
      • Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary
      • Crane Trust Nature & Visitor Center
      • Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer
      • Grand Island – Hall County Courthouse and Grand Theater
Old Market, Omaha
Old Market, Omaha, Nebraska

5. Omaha

      • Old Market
      • First National’s Spirit of Nebraska’s Wilderness and Pioneer Courage Park
      • Mormon Trail Center at Historic Winter Quarters
      • Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Headquarters and Visitor Center
      • Durham Museum – Omaha Union Station
Lincoln Depot
CB&Q Locomotive 710 at Bill Harris Iron Horse Park at Burlington Northern Railroad Depot/Lincoln Station in the Haymarket District of Lincoln, Nebraska

4. Lincoln

      • Haymarket District
        1. Bill Harris Iron Horse Park & CB&Q Locomotive 710
        2. Burlington Northern Railroad Depot/Lincoln Station
        3. The Railyard
        4. Haymarket Farmers’ Market
      • Nebraska State Capitol
      • International Quilt Museum
      • Sunken Gardens
      • Pioneers Park Nature Center
Nebraska Sandhills
Nebraska Sandhills

3. Nebraska Sandhills

      • Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway
      • Nebraska National Forest – Bessey Ranger District
      • Nebraska Prairie Chicken Festival at Switzer Ranch
      • Calamus Reservoir State Recreation Area
      • Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
Scotts Bluff National Monument
Scotts Bluff National Monument

2. Scotts Bluff National Monument

      • Oregon Trail (1.0 mile)
      • North Overlook Trail (0.6 mile)
      • South Overlook Trail (0.3 mile)
      • Saddle Rock Trail (3.0 miles)
      • Scotts Bluff National Monument Visitor Center
Chimney Rock National Historic Site
Chimney Rock National Historic Site

1. Chimney Rock National Historic Site

      • Chimney Rock –  Trail (1.0 mile)
      • Chimney Rock Museum by History Nebraska (Nebraska State Historical Society)
      • Chimney Rock Cemetery
      • Courthouse & Jail Rocks
      • Pioneer Trails Museum in Bridgeport

State Info

A Nebraska corn field with a windmill and wind turbines
A Nebraska corn field with a windmill and wind turbines

A) State Nicknames+

      • The Cornhusker State
      • The Tree Planters State
      • The Beef State
      • Motto: Equality Before the Law
      • Symbol: A covered wagon pulled by a pair of oxen
Nebraska Highway 61
Nebraska Highway 61, Nebraska Sandhills

B) State Symbols

      • Flower: Goldenrod (Solidago gigantea)
      • Bird: Western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)
      • Grass: Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
      • Tree: Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)
      • Mammal: White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
      • Fish: Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)

C) Major Metros

      1. Omaha
      2. Lincoln (state capital)
      3. Grand Island

D) Just for Fun

      • Village of Monowi (smallest incorporated community in the United States with only one resident)
      • Carhenge
Omaha steak
Omaha steak, Jackson Street Tavern, Old Market, Omaha, Nebraska

E) Iconic Foods

      • Runza
      • Omaha steak
      • Original Reuben Sandwich from the Blackstone Hotel in Omaha
      • Butter Brickle Ice Cream also from the Blackstone Hotel in Omaha
      • Tin Roof Sundae from The Potter Sundry in Potter
      • Raisin Pie
      • Kool-Aid
Gothenburg Nebraska Pony Express Station
Gothenburg Nebraska Pony Express Station, Pony Express National Historic Trail

F) National Historic Trails

      • Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail
      • Oregon National Historic Trail
      • Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail
      • California National Historic Trail
      • Pony Express National Historic Trail

G) Additional National Park Service Units

      • Niobrara National Scenic River
      • Missouri National Recreational River

H) Additional Top State Parks

      • Indian Cave State Park
      • Arbor Lodge State Historical Park and Arboretum
      • Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park

I) Famous People

      • Malcolm X
      • Red Cloud
      • Standing Bear