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Nebraska is home to numerous cultural and recreational opportunities, many reminiscent of the 19th century westward travels by explorers and pioneers.

Nebraska’s largest city, Omaha, is home to many cultural pursuits such as the Omaha Symphony, Opera Omaha, the Henry Doorly Zoo boasting the world’s largest indoor rain forest and desert, the Joslyn Art Museum with art objects created by American Indians and western frontier art and collections ranging from ancient to modern times, and the hands-on Durham Western Heritage Museum.

Other state museums include the Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History with the world’s largest diorama of whooping cranes and Sandhill cranes, the Museum of Nebraska Art in Kearney, the University of Nebraska State Museum at UNL with one of the largest fossil collections in the United States, the Strategic Air and Space Museum near Ashland, the Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer in Grand Island featuring a restored 1800s railroad town, the Museum of the Fur Trade in Chadron, the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery at UNL, and the Harold Warp Pioneer Village in Minden with more than 30,000 displays depicting U.S. life since 1830.

Many pioneer and cattle trails crossed Nebraska, with people navigating via such landmarks as Scotts Bluff and Chimney Rock (the landmark most frequently mentioned in journal entries by Oregon Trail travelers), both in western Nebraska. The state contains five national historic trails: California, Lewis & Clark, Mormon Pioneer, Oregon, and Pony Express. The Nebraska State Historical Society maintains several historic sites throughout the state. National historic monuments and sites in the state include Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Homestead National Monument of America, Scotts Bluff National Monument, and Chimney Rock National Historic Site.

An amazing sight, the largest gathering of sandhill cranes in the world occurs each spring on the Platte River Valley in central Nebraska as the cranes stop during their annual northern migration. One of the state’s largest annual events, Nebraskaland Days held each June at North Platte, features parades, an old-time Wild West show and a rodeo during the weeklong celebration.

Recreational activities abound in the cornhusker state. Nebraska has many state and historical parks including Arbor Lodge, Ash Hollow, Ashfall Fossil Beds, Fort Atkinson, Arthur Bowring Sandhills Ranch, Buffalo Bill Ranch, Champion Mill, Fort Hartsuff, Fort Kearny, and Rock Creek Station. The Niobrara National Scenic River and the Missouri National Recreational River offer plentiful land and water recreation opportunities as well as waterway views similar to those seen on the Lewis and Clark expedition. Lake McConaughy, Nebraska’s largest lake, is another popular recreational area. The Oglala National Grassland in northwest Nebraska contains Toadstool Geologic Park, a moonscape of eroded badlands consisting of 30 million year old fossil track ways and the Hudson-Meng Bison Bonebed, an archaeological site containing the remains of more than 600 prehistoric bison. Fishing, hunting, horse racing, and rodeos are other popular pastimes enjoyed by Nebraskans.

For 40 years, the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers have ranked among the most dominant entities in college football, winning five national championships since 1970. Besides football, Nebraska has also produced national championship teams in men’s gymnastics, volleyball and women’s indoor track and bowling.

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