Nebraska

11 Amazing Nebraska Day Trips That Are Worth The Drive

Published

1 year ago

November 10, 2024

11 Amazing Nebraska Day Trips That Are Worth The Drive

Traveling to Nebraska is a no-brainer when considering how much there is to do and see in the state. Omaha is the biggest city in Nebraska, with a population of roughly 500,000. It is also home to the Eppley Airfield, which is the largest airport in the state and conveniently located three miles northeast of downtown Omaha. For this reason, Omaha makes the most sense as a jumping-off point for exploring the rest of the region. Luckily, there are many exciting day trips to partake in, each less than two to three hours by car from Omaha.

Whether you want to go on a fun adventure with your kids, learn more about Nebraska’s history, or spend a day in nature, there is a trip for you. The following are some of the top Nebraska day trips.

The Durham Museum (Within the city)

Interior of The Durham Museum. Image credit Alter Mann via Shutterstock.

There are many reasons to spend your day at the Durham Museum, which is committed to preserving the history of the Western United States. First, it’s conveniently located in downtown Omaha, which means you won’t have to travel far to reach it. Second, it is housed inside Omaha’s former Union Station and features Art Deco architecture that is nothing short of stunning. Third, the museum is home to many fascinating artifacts, including an authentic soda fountain, a restored 1922 Mack flatbed truck, and a recreation of a “Worker’s Cottage” that dates back to the early twentieth century. The museum also houses ancient and colonial coins, political memorabilia, metals, books and documents, and territorial gold.

The Archway (2 hours and 30 minutes)

The Great Platte River Road Archway. Image credit Jason Patrick Ross via Shutterstock.

Located in Kearney, roughly two hours and 30 minutes from Nebraska’s largest city lies The Archway. This is an incredible day trip as not only is the structure, which towers over Interstate 80, a sight to behold, but it also features many fascinating historical exhibits. For those who don’t know, The Archway, which is officially called the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument, is a museum that tells the story of the travelers who crossed this land centuries earlier. The museum chronicles local Native American tribes, fur trappers, pioneers, and more who traveled across Nebraska.

It is important to note that The Archway is an interactive museum, which makes it suitable for visitors of all ages. For example, young ones can walk with the pioneers on the Oregon Trail, watch a rider make a stop and change their horse at a Pony Express Station, and listen to Mark Twain’s account of what it’s like to travel in a stagecoach.

Joslyn Art Museum (Within the city)

View of the landmark Joslyn Art Museum located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. — View of the landmark Joslyn Art Museum located in Omaha. Image credit EQRoy via Shutterstock.

The Joslyn Art Museum is another Omaha attraction that you won’t have to leave the city to enjoy. This fine arts museum has been open for nearly a century and was opened by Sarah H. Joslyn as a way of honoring her deceased husband’s memory. Her husband was a successful businessman, George A. Joslyn. It boasts one of the most comprehensive permanent collections of art in the entire state of Nebraska, with many of the most famous works dating back to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries from American and European artists.

Admission to the Joslyn Art Museum is free of charge and is open from Tuesday to Sunday.

Cowboy Trail (3 hours)

Multi-use recreational Cowboy Trail in northern Nebraska. — Multi-use recreational Cowboy Trail in Northern Nebraska.

The Cowboy Trail is another incredible day trip from Omaha. While the Cowboy Trail spans a total of 195 miles, you can access part of it by driving just three hours from Omaha. Ideal for people of all ages, the Cowboy Trail is a historic path that follows the original Chicago and Northwestern railway line. Visitors can walk or bike along it. You might even see a few people on horseback! One of the most fun parts of the Cowboy Trail is that it will allow you to explore parts of Nebraska you wouldn’t otherwise see. The trail passes through several small towns and offers impressive 360-degree views of the prairies.

Indian Cave State Park (1 hour and 30 minutes)

Did you know that you can drive an hour and a half from Omaha and be in Indian Cave State Park? It’s true! This scenic state park is home to an expansive sandstone cave, the Missouri River, as well as another 3,000 acres of land. In total, you will find over 22 miles of hiking and biking trails running through the park, which makes it an easy spot to explore.

Beyond hiking and biking, fishing, camping, and picnicking are other popular activities in Indian Cave State Park. The two largest campgrounds are Hackberry Hollow and Ash Grove, which offer a combined 134 RV sites with electrical and water hookups. If you’re a history buff, be sure to take the time to visit the prehistoric Native American petroglyphs that are in the park. Lastly, if you’re visiting at certain times of the year, you might be able to attend one of the many festivals and events held here, such as Haunted Hollow in October.

Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium (Within the city)

Desert Dome at the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. Image credit Collinulness via Wikimedia Commons.

Enjoy a day of fun and education in the city of Omaha at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. Voted the #1 zoo in the United States, the Omaha Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and is a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. It spans 160 acres and features animals, plants, and fascinating habitats.

Some of the special exhibits you will find here include Owen Sea Lion Shores, Hubbard Orangatang Forest, the Desert Dome, and Gorilla Valley. In addition to seeing these fascinating animals in person, the zoo hosts a number of events and workshops and offers backstage experiences with certain animals.

Lincoln (1 hour)

When in Nebraska, why not visit the state capital? Lincoln is the second largest city in Nebraska, home to approximately 300,000 people. It is only one hour away from Omaha, making it an easy city to visit on a day trip.

A few of Lincoln’s top attractions include the Lincoln Children’s Zoo, the Sheldon Museum of Art, Sunken Gardens, the Museum of American Speed, the Nebraska State Capitol, and the Lincoln Children’s Museum. The University of Nebraska is also located in Lincoln, and it has its own museum called Morrill Hall, as well as Memorial Stadium, where the university’s college football team plays.

Platte River State Park (30 minutes)

Platte River State Park in Nebraska during the fall.

Platte River State Park is another park that is worthy of a day trip. Located 30 minutes by car from Omaha, you can easily spend a day exploring the 453 acres that make up this green space. The park is situated on the southern bluffs of the Platte River in the town of Louisville, Nebraska. Platte River State Park is known for its namesake river and its steep, rolling hills and dense forests. This makes for a great spot to enjoy paddleboarding, fishing, hiking, camping, cycling, swimming, and horseback riding.

There is also a restaurant on-site, The Scott Lodge Restaurant, which offers delicious food and unparalleled views of the river.

Fun-plex Waterpark and Rides (Within the city)

Since 1979, Fun-plex Waterpark and Rides has been serving up the best summer fun that Omaha offers. Located within the city, this is the largest water park in the entire state. You will find everything from Rockin’ Rapids, one of the tallest and longest slides in the country, standing five stories tall and spanning 1,200 feet, to the Motion Ocean Wave Pool and the Lazy River. There is also a lagoon for young children in addition to a number of family-friendly food and drink stands on-site.

Plus, the Fun-plex Waterpark also has a wide selection of rides for guests of all ages, including Bumper Boats, the Tilt-A-Whirl, Go-Karts, the Carousel, and more.

Lewis and Clark Lake State Recreation Area (2 hours and 30 minutes)

Lewis and Clark State Recreation Area on the Missouri River in South Dakota

Situated near the Nebraska-South Dakota border, roughly two and a half hours from Omaha lies the Lewis and Clark Lake State Recreation Area. This lake is Nebraska’s second-largest reservoir and gets its name from the Lewis and Clark expedition, which stopped nearby during the famous expedition.

The Missouri River runs through this park, and visitors can enjoy fishing in it or even going horseback riding along it. Other activities include boating, disc golf, bird watching, and hunting. There are also cabins that can be rented along the lake if you wish to stay the night. In addition, if you feel like venturing across state lines, cross into Yankton, South Dakota, to explore even more of Lewis and Clark Lake.

Wildlife Safari Park (30 minutes)

Elk in the Wildlife Safari Park near Omaha.

Wildlife Safari Park is just 30 minutes outside of Omaha, which makes it an ideal spot for a quick and easy day trip. Visitors are invited to drive through parts of the park, where they will be able to see deer, elk, bison, and more, all from their car windows. Meanwhile, as you make your way further into the park, you can exit your car and follow a short path to see wolves and bears, as well as the petting corral and eagle aviary.

Once you’re done exploring the Wildlife Safari Park, you can head to a couple of other nearby attractions, like Mahoney State Park, which has hiking and biking trails, an aquatic center, and ice skating, or the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum.

Now that you know what exciting attractions lie just two to three hours from Omaha or less, it’s time to start planning your Nebraska day trip. Opt for a family-friendly adventure by visiting the Wildlife Safari Park or Fun-plex Waterpark and Rides, get outdoors and explore Indian Cave State Park, Platte River State Park, or the Lewis and Clark Lake State Recreation Area, or enjoy a cultured experience at The Archway, the Joslyn Art Museum, or the Durham Museum. No matter which outing you choose, you are bound to have an excellent day trip!

Source link

Nebraska

Former Husker Medically Retires from Football, Forgoes NFL Draft

Published

9 hours ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

Former Husker Medically Retires from Football, Forgoes NFL Draft

Ernest Hausmann is electing to hang it up after a four-year run in college football.

The former Nebraska football and Michigan linebacker announced on social media Saturday that he is medically retiring rather than pursuing a pro football career. Hausmann concludes his college football career with over 250 career tackles in 50 career games. The Columbus, Neb., product finished his final season as Wolverines with 44 tackles, including 5.5 tackles for loss and a sack.

Prior to becoming a national champion with Michigan during his sophomore campaign in 2023, Hausmann was a true freshman standout for Nebraska, playing for his in-state team. The Columbus High School graduate was one of the top prospects in Nebraska during his prep career, becoming an All-Nebraska selection and earning a three-star recruitment rating as the No. 5 player in the state for the Discoverers. Hausmann signed with Nebraska over Arizona State, Iowa, Kansas State, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and others.

The linebacker would play in every game of the 2022 season as a true freshman, earning seven starts while finishing with 54 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, a sack, and a fumble recovery in Scott Frost’s final season as head coach. After Frost was fired early in the season, interim coach Mickey Joseph led lead the team as Hausmann’s play improved as the season continued. The linebacker had a 12-tackle performance at Wisconsin in Nebraska’s 15-14 loss in his second-to-last performance as a Cornhusker before ending the year with six solo tackles and a fumble recovery in a Nebraska win at Iowa.

Hausmann entered the transfer portal after his freshman campaign, electing to join the Michigan Wolverines for the 2023 season. He appeared in all 15 games in the Wolverines’ 2023 national championship run, finishing third on the team with 46 total tackles, including two tackles for loss. He also earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors in Michigan’s Big Ten Championship Game win over Iowa, totaling eight tackles against the Hawkeyes.

Hausmann started all 13 games as a junior for Michigan in 2024, leading the team with 89 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks, two pass breakups, and one interception. His performance led to an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection by the media and coaches, as well as earning a ReliaQuest Bowl win over Alabama while being named a captain for the game.

Oct 18, 2025; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines linebacker Cole Sullivan (23) and linebacker Ernest Hausmann (15) celebrates in the first half against the Washington Huskies at Michigan Stadium. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

During his senior campaign, Hausmann was named a Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year semifinalist while earning an All-Big Ten Third-Team selection. He earned four Defensive Player of the Week honors for the Wolverines, and started in Michigan’s 30-27 win at Nebraska on Sept. 20, totaling nine tackles and a sack.

Hausmann was born in Uganda and was legally adopted when he was two years old, but did not join his Hausmann family until he was five years old in 2008. Prior to his senior campaign at Michigan, Hausmann returned to Africa and later partnered with One Million Wells, a nonprofit that seeks to provide water to impoverished communities.

The Wolverine linebacker began communication with his biological family through social media in the past few years, as Hausmann was able to speak to his mother for the first time in 2024. His return journey to Uganda was featured on ESPN’s College GameDay as a feature story earlier in the college football season.

Hausmann stated in his social media post that it was time to “focus on my true purpose on this earth full time.” He added that he would finish his degree at the University of Michigan.

Apex Receives Exploration Permit for Rift REE Project, Nebraska; Drill Program Preparation Underway

Published

21 hours ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

Apex Receives Exploration Permit for Rift REE Project, Nebraska; Drill Program Preparation Underway

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / January 5, 2026 /Apex Critical Metals Corp. (CSE:APXC)(OTCQX:APXCF)(FWB:KL9) (“Apex” or the “Company”), a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on the identification and development of critical and strategic …

Source link

Nebraska

Challenging Week Ahead in Nebraska Men’s Basketball

Published

1 day ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

Challenging Week Ahead in Nebraska Men’s Basketball

If this were a football road trip for Nebraska, yikes. The Huskers this week visit Ohio State and Indiana.

But maybe, given Nebraska’s 14-0 basketball start, it’s the Buckeyes and Hoosiers who should be concerned.

The basketball version of the Buckeyes and Hoosiers is difficult enough, as both Nebraska opponents are formidable, both are capable of making the NCAA Tournament and both are capable of pinning that first loss on the Huskers.

Nebraska has played one true road game, a victory at Illinois. The Huskers play Ohio State on Monday and Indiana on Saturday, Jan. 10. The No. 13 Huskers are flying, coming off a 58-56 victory over No. 9 Michigan State on Friday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Defeating the Spartans was the kind of tense victory over a legitimate basketball powerhouse that could define the Huskers’ season.

Back to reality for Huskers

“Everybody that played, I think, made a big contribution,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said at a postgame news conference about the victory over Michigan State.

The victory led to a wild, court-filled celebration at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

But, now, back to the harsh reality of life in the difficult Big Ten. There’s not much turnaround time for Nebraska before the Ohio State game.

“We’ve got to bounce back [Saturday, Jan. 3] with a good mental day [of] prep and get one more day,” Hoiberg said.

Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg has led his team to a 14-0 record with road games this week at Ohio State and Indiana. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

“We’ll practice a little bit, and travel day, but it was a hell of a tough turnaround to play back-to-back 8 o’clock games with two days’ prep, and now you go on the road for two.

“So, it’s a great win for us. I’m not going to discount that. Huge win for our program but we got to get past it and move on to Ohio State.”

The Huskers are tied for first place in the Big Ten with Michigan and Purdue at 3-0. One of these teams is not the like the others, at least based on preseason projections and historical precedent. Purdue and Michigan were expected to be Big Ten contenders. Nebraska was not, but has become one of the best national college basketball success stories so far this season.

‘It’s been a fun ride’

“We’ve done something that hasn’t been done in this program ever … running the table in the non-conference hasn’t been done in almost 100 years,” Hoiberg said. “So, there’s a lot of things these guys can be proud of, but at the same time, the most impressive thing to me about this group is how they’ve handled it. They haven’t gotten big-headed.

“You know, a lot of things have been written and listen, if it flips, it’s going to go the other way and they got to handle that well.

“Hopefully, it doesn’t, but it’s been a fun ride with this team and they’ve seen how much effort and time you’re putting into it to go out and execute game plans, get chewed out at halftime and handle it and respond.

“Again, I’ve talked a lot about this group. They’ve been a joy to be around and they’ve been fun because of their daily approach …

“When you go on the road, you got to be fresh physically and mentally as much as possible. Had guys play a lot. Rienk [Mast] hadn’t played this amount of minutes in awhile. So, it’s going to be important to get him back fresh and go out and hopefully play well on the road.”

Nebraska at Ohio State

When: Monday, 5:30 p.m. CT
Where: Schottenstein Center, Columbus
Records: Nebraska 14-0, 3-0 in Big Ten; Ohio State, 10-3, 2-1 in Big Ten. The Buckeyes are 7-1 at home.
TV: FS1

Rankings updated based on games through Saturday.

Ohio State rankings

* Associated Press Top 25: Not ranked
* NCAA Net Ratings: 46 (dropped two places)
* USA Today Coaches Poll: Not ranked
* Kenpom.com: 39
* ESPN Power Rankings: 36
* Top 25 and 1: Not ranked
* Team Rankings.com: 62

In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projections, Ohio State is an 11-seed as one of the “last four in” for the 68-team NCAA Tournament.

Nebraska rankings

* Associated Press Top 25: 13 (new poll is released Monday)
* NCAA Net Ratings: 11 (improved four places)
* USA Today Coaches Poll: 13
* Kenpom.com: 22
* ESPN Power Rankings: 26 (dropped one place)
* Top 25 and 1: 9 (improved four places)
* Team Rankings.com: 7 (improved one place)

In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projections, Nebraska is a 4-seed for the 68-team NCAA Tournament.

Nebraska-Ohio State analysis

Something to watch: How Nebraska bounces back from a highly emotional win over Michigan State. The Ohio State crowd will be revved up at the sight of the 14-0 Huskers. The Buckeyes can enhance their NCAA resume with a win over the Huskers. If Hoiberg has his team focused and the players are “business-like” as the coach says they are, Nebraska could be in good position to keep the winning streak going. Last season, the Huskers lost in Columbus, 116-114, in double overtime on March 4, a defeat that likely hurt their NCAA chances.

Nebraska at Indiana

When: Saturday, 11 a.m. CT
Where: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington
Records: Nebraska 14-0, 3-0 in Big Ten; Indiana, 10-3, 1-1 in Big Ten. The Hoosiers are 9-0 at home.
TV: BTN

Indiana rankings

* Associated Press Top 25: Not ranked
* NCAA Net Ratings: 33
* USA Today Coaches Poll: 39
* Kenpom.com: 28
* ESPN Power Rankings: 17 (improved by two places)
* Top 25 and 1: Not ranked
* Team Rankings.com: 68 (dropped three places)

In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projections, Indiana is an 11-seed as one of the “last four byes” for the 68-team NCAA Tournament.

Nebraska rankings

In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projections, Nebraska is a 4-seed for the 68-team NCAA Tournament.

Indiana guard Lamar Wilkerson is averaging 20.2 points in home games. Nebraska is at Indiana on Saturday. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Nebraska-Indiana analysis

Indiana is 9-0 at home and has two games before Nebraska comes to Bloomington — Sunday vs. Washington (the Hoosiers’ first game since Dec. 22), and Wednesday at Maryland.

If the Hoosiers can stay focused and not be distracted by the football team’s run to the College Football Playoff semifinals, IU won’t be easy for Nebraska.

Indiana features balanced scoring. Indiana guard Lamar Wilkerson — no relation to the legendary Hoosier Bobby Wilkerson of the 1976 NCAA championship team — should be the focus of the Huskers’ defense. Wilkerson, a 6-foot-6 senior, can light it up, averaging 20.2 points in home games and 19.0 points overall.