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All things Nebraska
Memorial Day has come and gone, so it’s time to hit the road.
As a lover of Nebraska stuff (you know, corn, the Huskers, Busch Light) I’ve never understood why more people don’t vacation in our state.
There’s plenty of stuff to see and experience. And with gas prices through the roof, you can save a buck or two. But I guess the Cornhusker State isn’t for everybody.
(Oops, that last phrase got a state tourism director fired. Better be careful).
Anyway, here’s my list of cool, and sometimes overlooked, places to visit: Pine Ridge. People lament that we don’t have mountains, but the Pine Ridge – an offshoot of the Black Hills in northwest Nebraska – qualifies as “mountainous” if you ask me.
There’s plenty of places to camp or rent a cabin, with historic Fort Robinson topping the list. There’s places to hike, mountain bike, trout fish and horseback ride, if that’s your cup of vacation tea.
Nearby Chadron has a cool, old hotel, the Olde Main Street Inn, and a nice coffee shop/ cafe, the Bean Broker. And Mt. Rushmore and all that stuff in the Black Hills is just a short drive away.
Niobrara River/Valentine. To be a real Nebraskan, you must float or paddle down the scenic Niobrara River east of Valentine.
That forested canyon is unlike anywhere in the Midwest, and features the state’s highest waterfalls (and coldest shower if you stand beneath Smith Falls) and wildest rapids (Rocky Ford).
Valentine has a nice brew pub, a super good western store and a local bookstore to explore. And if chasing a golf ball is your thing, there’s some mighty expensive courses just outside of town, as well as an affordable public course in town.
3. Niobrara (the town)/Verdigre/Monowi. This corner of northeast Nebraska features a town of one resident (Monowi), Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park, a historic western boardwalk (in Winnetoon) and the self-proclaimed “Kolach Capitol of the World” (Verdigre).
The Missouri River in that area is unchannelized, and retains vistas that Lewis & Clark might have experienced. The Santee Indian Tribe operates a world-class golf course nearby, Tatanka.
Nebraska’s Monument Valley. If you’ve never seen Chimney Rock, Courthouse Rock or Scotts Bluff, you’ve missed out.
Can you imagine what some greenhorns slowly traversing the Plains in covered wagons might have thought when they saw first mountain- like formations?
Wagon wheel ruts are still visible at Ash Hollow State Historical Park, and atop Scotts Bluff National Monument, you can see for miles.
The endless sand beaches of Lake McConaughy are on the way, and in the Scottsbluff-Gering area you can get into a fierce debate over the best Mexican eatery. Gering has one of the best museums in the state, the Legacy of the Plains Museum, too.
5. Nebraska City/Brownville area. If museums are your thing, Nebraska City has you covered. There’s historic sites dedicated to windmills, firefighters, freight wagons and Lewis & Clark, the explorers who traversed up the nearby Missouri River.
There’s also the Mayhew Cabin, which served as a stop on the Underground Railroad for people fleeing slavery in Missouri and other states to the south. A dedicated group of volunteers is bringing the cabin back to life after years of neglect and a devastating flood.
An Underground Railroad site has also been established in Falls City, where Abolitionists were outfitted before heading south.
Brownville, a historic village along the Missouri, is almost totally dedicated to tourists, with galleries, gift shops and places to eat. There’s also a concert hall that hosts music and theater productions.
Just south is Indian Cave State Park, which gets my vote as the best place to experience fall colors in Nebraska. If you have little kids, the annual Halloween festival there is a can’t miss.
I’ve missed a lot of cool places (like the Museum of American Speed in Lincoln, Omaha’s Old Market, the “Villagers” of Taylor and the Sandhills) but you get the idea. Get out there.
Paul Hammel has covered state government and the state for decades. He is a retired reporter for the Nebraska Examiner and the former Capitol Bureau Chief for the Omaha World-Herald.
