Oh good old Nebraska. Nebraska, where there’s nothing to do, right? This is a line that I’ve heard time and time again throughout my adult life and I can understand the sentiment… there’s no mountains to climb, no beaches to bum, or concrete jungles to safari. This phrase is so popular and has inundated the culture so deeply that I’ve even struggled to have my own family visit me here. But contrary to popular belief, it’s not just cornfields. In fact, I go months without seeing a cornfield, living in the city — which is often a tragedy because I am a big fan of nature.
Some things I bet you didn’t know about Nebraska:
It’s rumored that Omaha has the most restaurants per capita in the United States… but it’s unclear as to if that’s true. Regardless, our food and beverage scene is on another level.
One of the largest crane gatherings in the world happens each March/April, as one million sandhill cranes stop along the Platte River Valley on their way up north.
We have the best zoo in the US, voted #1 for four consecutive years
Our fall festivals are like Coachella: Vala’s, AppleJack Festival, and Junkstock don’t mess around
The Reuben was invented in my hometown, Omaha
Where else do you get to float down a river in a glorified bucket for hours at a time? As a state with an unusually high amount of miles of river, tanking puts corporate lazy rivers to shame. Spend 2 to 6 hours floating in a livestock water tank, drinking, chatting, and taking in the views.
Kool-Aid was invented in Hastings
Warren Buffet, one of the richest people in the world, lives in Omaha and holds the Berkshire Hathaway conference here every year
The College World Series (NCAA Men’s Baseball Tournament) is held in downtown Omaha yearly
Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City is the home of the tree planting holiday, Arbor Day, and is the reason for all the beautiful trees you see in this region
Western Nebraska is basically an entirely different geological region, with crazy rock formations (Toadstool National Park) and some incredible dark zones for seeing the stars and planets in all their glory (Merritt Reservoir).
With all this in mind, I’m excited to set out to explore more of Nebraska and Iowa as I take part in the Atlas Obscura Adventurer’s program.
My itinerary 🤠✈️
The most haunted museum in the world
A castle in the inner city
A chalk mine
A haunted strip of old highway
The home of Kool-Aid
The Better Homes & Gardens test garden in Des Moines
... and a whole lot more random things
Some of these spots have been on my radar for years, and it’s time to check them off the bucket list. Plus, I get to do my second favorite thing in the process: connect with the people behind these incredible places and hear all their amazing stories.
So Nebraska may not be for everyone, but it is for me. Stay tuned for where my journeys take me!
