My Nebraska Bucket List
Good ol’ Nebraska. It’s my home state, I’m pretty protective of it. Fly over it if you must, but you’re missing out. There’s a lot to do Nebraska. I’ve gathered all the things I still need to explore in the state to create this ultimate Nebraska Bucket List.
UPDATED: This post was first published in 2014 and has been updated in December 2026. To help keep this post current, please let me know if anything needs additional updates! This post may contain affiliate links.
1. See Nebraska’s Ultimate Landmark
Chimney Rock National Historic Site is Nebraska’ ultimate icon, our claim-to-fame in pioneer history. It’s not exactly easily accessible, though, so it’s understandable if you’ve lived in Nebraska for years and never seen it. That was the case for me.
Until a few years ago, that is. I finally saw Chimney Rock during a summer road trip headed west. We had to take a long detour from the interstate to see it, but I think in the end, it was worth it just to check it off my Nebraska Bucket List. Plus, it was neat to see wagon ruts still in the ground.
We arrived late in the evening, when the visitor center was already closed. I recommend trying to arrive earlier in the day so you can at least get some historic perspective visiting from the visitor center.
2. Have a Western experience
I’d like to do the whole Fort Robinson experience thing: Ride the Fort Robinson Express stagecoach, maybe go on a horseback trail ride, see the buffalo and longhorn cattle herds and take part in a campfire singalong.
It’s one of the state’s most popular state parks, even though it is in the far northwestern corner of the state. If you plan well enough in advance, there are accommodations inside the park to stay in. They’re nothing fancy but they are pretty unique (former officer quarters, for example).
UPDATE: We visited! Here’s my review of the state park including one thing I didn’t know about: Off-road jeep tours!
3. Stay at a ranch, maybe do some ranch things
I’m not sure what “ranch things” would be, probably ride a horse and herd cattle, but I think it sounds like a memorable time. I should watch “City Slickers” again to refresh my memory. I might be making “ranch things” sound more fun than they really are.
Here are a few Nebraska guest ranches that I could see myself channeling my inner cowgirl: Ponderosa Ranch and Rowse’s 1 Plus 1 Ranch. And by channel, I mean, I do about 10 minutes of hard work and then relax the rest of my stay.
4. See a Native American pow wow
Long ago, I was an exchange student in Spain and my host family thought it was all pow wows in Nebraska. Not so much. But, I feel like I owe it to my host sister and her obsession with Native Americans and go to one of these finally.
Fort Robinson is known for a big one, the Intertribal Gathering and Pow Wow, in June. I attended one held each September, the Fort Omaha Intertribal Powwow, at the Metro Community College Fort Omaha campus…the same grounds here Ponca Chief Standing Bear was once imprisoned. The Fort Omaha Intertribal Powwow is free.
5. Walk along strange land
Ever since I saw a picture of Toadstool Geologic Park (the Oglala National Grassland), I’ve been fascinated by the strange rock formations. People say they look like toadstool mushrooms or the lunar surface.
UPDATE: We did it! You can see a picture of our visit in this Western Nebraska/South Dakota road trip recap post.
When we finally visited Toadstool, I could see what the fuss was all about. It has the feel of the Badlands National Park, but on a much smaller scale. A few things to know about visiting Toadstool: It’s very remote and there are very few amenities there. Make sure you have plenty of gas in the car before making the drive and bring water and food with you (just in case).
6. See Nebraska’s archaeological hidden gem
Toadstool isn’t too far from the Hudson-Meng Research and Education Center where officials are actively excavating of a 10,000-year-old bison bone bed. I would’ve loved to tack in on to our Toadstool visit, but by that point in the trip, we were tired of being in the car.
The hours are pretty limited, too. It’s open on Fridays only from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
7. Watch paleontologists at work at Ashfalls Fossil Bed State Historical Park
This one’s pretty self-explanatory. Ashfalls Fossil Bed State Historical Park is a working dig site in Nebraska. In addition to touring the place and perhaps watching archeologists at work, you can hike trails around the area.
8. Take an airboat tour
Airboats typically are associated with Florida and the Everglades, but guess what: There are airboat tours in Nebraska. I’ve had friends share pictures of their airboat tour of the Platte River in eastern Nebraska and it just looks fun. There are a couple of tours available: Bryson Airboat Tours, River Life Airboat Tours, and Woody’s Airboats all offer tours of the Platte River.
Tip: Riding an airboat is one of the items included in the book “100 Things To Do In Nebraska Before You Die”
9. See the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island
When I was a child, the Nebraska State Fair was in Lincoln and it was fairly convenient for us Omahans to go to it each year. Moving the fair to Grand Island made more sense from an agricultural perspective.
Returning to the state fair (with my kids now) has sat on my Nebraska bucket list for years, and I finally checked it off. It’s not at all how I remember it, but I suppose that’s to be expected. It’s well worth going to at least once, and be sure to tour the livestock buildings to see all the 4-H happenings. And stop for some fried fair food…it’s the law.
10. See the Scottsbluffs National Monument
Like Chimney Rock, the Scottsbluffs National Monument is an iconic landmark but also one that’s requires effort if you want to see it. It’s not exactly within view of Interstate 80, the most common route people take when driving across Nebraska.
When planning a visit, don’t just plan a drive-by. There’s a visitor’s center to tour to get some insight on the area’s significance, plus there are more than 4 miles of trails to hike there. Since it’s managed by the National Parks Service, they also have a Junior Ranger program.
11. Celebrate Cinco de Mayo, Omaha style
Because of the city’s large immigrant population, South Omaha has a large Cinco de Mayo celebration every year. For the longest time, I admit to never having attended it. Even though I finally went a few years back, I’m keeping it on this list so others can know about it.
My favorite part of the Cinco de Mayo festivities is the parade. The music and dancing is fun, but it’s really special to see the trick riders on horseback. Other Cinco de Mayo festivities include a carnival, concert, and children’s activities.
12. Enjoy a dinner paired with the right wine at Boiler Room in Omaha’s Old Market
While Boiler Room isn’t the new darling on the Omaha dining scene anymore, it’s one of those restaurants that you need to visit at least once. It’s definitely a splurge, and I did not get around to visiting it until the night we celebrated my book being published (yes, it’s that kind of splurge). But the food and Old Market atmosphere of the place is top notch, and well wroth a visit.
Tip: If you enjoy wine, you should budget in wine pairings with your meal there.
13. See one of the College World Series championship game
I’ve been to many CWS games at Rosenblatt Stadium, and it took many years before I finally saw a game at the “new” home (it’s not so new now), Charles Schwab Field in North Downtown Omaha. While any game in the tournament has a certain amount of electricity form fans, the true exciting games to attend is a championship game. It’s best out of three, so if you miss Game 1, there’s always Game 2 to catch.
My favorite memory is attending one of the championship games with Louisiana State University was playing. I love the fans, and they made the game extra fun to attend.
Tip: Arrive early to explore the free fan village activities on the street in front of the stadium.
Your turn: What’s on your Nebraska bucket list? And what’s missing from this list?
