Many travelers go to Nebraska on their way to somewhere else, a trend dating back to when westbound pioneers steered their wagons up the Platte River Valley in the 1800s. However, Nebraska has many sites worth seeing, and a few stops won't go amiss.

Although Nebraska doesn't have much in the way of large cities beyond Omaha and Lincoln, it does have plenty of wide-open prairie spaces, rodeos, museums, historic sites, and small, friendly farming towns spread along the Platte River and Highway 30. Visitors interested in Old West history should make sure they take in the Buffalo Bill Ranch, Fort Robinson State Park and the Oregon Trail.

Travelers should be aware that drives between sites and towns can be long, and the pace they find will not be that of a large city.

Geography

History

The Pawnee, Omaha, Sioux and other Plains tribes occupied portions of Nebraska before European encroachment. Two magnificent animals helped to shape the lives and cultures of the Plains tribes: The great herds of buffalo that once roamed the plains provided food and the raw materials for clothing, shelter and tools; and horses, introduced in the 1700s, dramatically changed the way the people hunted, traveled and fought.

Although Spain and then France claimed the region, few people of European descent lived in Nebraska before the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. The Lewis and Clark expedition passed through the area the following year, and trading posts and settlements were established over the next few decades. Gradually, the Platte Valley became a known route for fur traders heading west, and pioneers began following the same path across the Great Plains. Both the Oregon Trail and the Mormon Trail (to Utah) passed through the valley.

Two factors accelerated Nebraska's growth: the desire for a railroad that would stretch from sea to shining sea and the Homestead Act that allowed thousands of pioneers to claim free land. By 1862, the Pacific Railroad Act was law, and construction began on the railroad in Omaha in 1863 (while the Civil War raged on). Nebraska's future as a state was all but secured as immigrants poured in to work and to make new homes on the prairie.

The good news for the immigrants was tragedy for Native Americans, who were forced off their ancestral homelands. Warriors of the Cheyenne, Pawnee and Sioux nations put up a spirited resistance, but ultimately were no match for the combined force of the U.S. Army and the buffalo hunters.

Nebraska became a state in 1867. Farming and cattle ranching have been the backbone of Nebraska's economy since that time, and its fortunes have risen and fallen with changes in the weather and the agribusiness economy. The drought and Depression of the 1930s were especially tough on Nebraskans. Today, manufacturing, communications and service industries are the major employers within the state.

Snapshot

Nebraska's foremost attractions are the Old West, Scotts Bluff National Monument, Buffalo Bill Ranch, outdoor recreation, Lincoln, the immense breadth of the prairie, Omaha and its burgeoning indie music scene, museums, rodeos, Fort Robinson State Park, the Oregon Trail, historic structures and friendly people.

Travelers who want an atypical vacation to see a less traveled part of the U.S. and who are interested in the history of the western U.S. will enjoy the state. Those who seek the rapid pace and diversity of large cities and those who object to long drives between attractions will find Nebraska less to their liking.

Potpourri

Kool-Aid was invented in Hastings, Nebraska, and is celebrated each summer during the annual Kool-Aid Days Festival.

Looking for a mountain in Nebraska? There's a miniature version in Sidney. It's 45 ft/15 m tall and is populated with 550 real—though no longer living—animals, including elk, timber wolves, geese, big-horn sheep and a lion. You'll find it at Cabela's, a hunting and fishing equipment company based in Nebraska.

The state's name comes from the Otoe Indian word nebrathka, which means "flat water."

Nebraska's Native American tribes, the Winnebago, Omaha, Ponca and Santee Sioux, sponsor annual powwows on their reservations that attract many visitors.

Omaha is home to the Henry Doorly Zoo, ranked among the nation's leading zoos. Henry Doorly has the world's largest indoor rain forest and a butterfly and insect pavilion where many species of butterflies fly free.

Nebraska is one of the top 10 producers of honey in the U.S. The state insect is the honey bee.

For birders and outdoor lovers, the annual spring migration of the sandhill cranes is a sight to see. Every year in March and early April, more than 500,000 cranes converge in the state's Platte River Valley, near the cities of Kearney and Grand Island. Hundreds of ducks and geese join the birds, which can be viewed from "blinds" strategically placed on the Platte. The birds migrate back south in the fall, though in much smaller numbers.

Nebraska is the only state in the nation with a nonpartisan, one-house legislature.

Omaha has grown exponentially in recent years, and its booming independent music scene—lead by singer/songwriter Conor Oberst and his band, Bright Eyes—is internationally recognized. Check out other bands on the city's best known local label Saddle Creek Records at live venues all over the city.

Famous Nebraskans: William Jennings Bryan, Gerald R. Ford, Father Edward Flanagan, Malcolm X, Standing Bear, Buffalo Bill Cody, Henry Fonda, Fred Astaire, Marlon Brando, Johnny Carson, Warren Buffett and Dick Cavett.

Arbor Day was established by J. Sterling Morton, who built a palatial home among the apple orchards of Nebraska City. Arbor Lodge State Historical Park is a memorial to him, and the town celebrates the fall apple harvest with festivities each year.

During the annual Wilber Czech Festival the first weekend in August, everyone in Wilber is Czech. Congress proclaimed Wilber the National Czech Capitol, and the residents take the honor seriously.