Nebraska Travel Guide

Nebraska is a state in the Great Plains region of the United States of America.

Nebraska Travel Guide - Regions

Nebraska regions as defined by the Nebraska Division of Travel and Tourism:

* Frontier Trails – south-central
* Lewis and Clark – northeast
* Metro – Lincoln and Omaha metropolitan areas
* Panhandle – west
* Pioneer Country – southeast
* Prairie Lakes – southwest
* Sand Hills – north-central

Nebraska Travel Guide - Cities

* Omaha
* Lincoln
* Bellevue
* Grand Island
* Kearney
* Fremont
* Hastings
* North Platte
* Scottsbluff/Gering
* Norfolk
* Columbus

Nebraska Travel Guide - Other Destinations

* Pine Ridge – a historic region of pine forests, rugged buttes and badlands formations in the northwest corner of the state.
* Sand Hills are the largest formation of sand dunes in the western hemisphere, and the largest area of grass-stabilized dunes in the world. The Sand Hills encompass 19,300 square miles, or about 12.75 million acres. The dunes can be as high as 400 feet and stretch for 20 miles, with slopes as steep as 25%. The area is sparsley populated, with widely spaced ranches and small towns.

Nebraska Travel Guide - Understand

Nebraska has a reputation of being a flat, monotonous region of farm and ranchland, but this stereotype has come from the many people who drive across Nebraska on the Interstate 80 corridor (the Platte River valley). Those who venture off this heavily travelled road discover that Nebraska does have a subtle, wide-open beauty that is all its own.

Nebraska Travel Guide - Talk

The vast majority of Nebraskans speak American English with a neutral "Standard Midwestern" accent. In some rural areas of the state, people speak with a slight accent best described as "country twang"; this accent is also easy to understand. Nebraska is largely devoid of unusual terms for everyday items, with a few exceptions:

* Soda is nearly universially referred to as pop.
* Beer served from a keg at a bar is a draw; a half beer/half tomato juice drink in rural areas is a red draw.
* The town of Norfolk is pronounced Norfork and the town of Beatrice is pronounced Bee-at'-riss
* The town of Papillion is pronounced Pap-pill'-yun.

Nebraska does have a small, but fast-growing, Hispanic population, largely concentrated in its medium-sized cities and Omaha. In these areas, governments, businesses, and community organizations often provide services in Spanish.

Nebraska Travel Guide - Getting There

By car: Nebraska's major national highway corridor is Interstate 80, which runs east-west across the state. Other major highways that enter Nebraska include Interstate 76 (from Colorado), US 81 (major north-south route), US 20 (northern east-west route), US 26 (from Wyoming), and US 385/Nebraska 71 (western north-south route).

By plane: The two major airports in Nebraska are located in Omaha and Lincoln. Omaha is served by all major airlines; Lincoln is served by Northwest and United. There are no direct international flights to any Nebraska airport. Other airports with commercial service are in Alliance, Chadron, Grand Island, Kearney, McCook, North Platte and Scottsbluff. The Sioux City, Iowa airport serves the northeast corner of the state.

By train: Amtrak makes stops several times per week on in Omaha, Lincoln, Hastings and McCook. Amtrak's stops are generally in the middle of the night.

By bus: Greyhound only serves Omaha. Two other companies, Arrow Stage Lines and Burlington Trailways, make a number of stops in other Nebraska cities.

Nebraska Travel Guide - Getting Around

Nebraska is a large, sparsely populated state; the vast majority of Nebraska can only be seen by car.

Nebraska Travel Guide - Things To See

* Scotts Bluff National Monument – large rock formations in the midst of flat land
* Chimney Rock National Historic Site – a landmark for travelers in the 1800s, this 500 foot-tall stone pillar marked the end of the prairies and the beginning of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
* Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park, near Royal – an active paleontological dig displaying the remains of rhinos, camels, and three-toed horses that lived in the area 12 million years ago.
* Toadstool State Park, a large expanse of a rock formation known as "toadstools" often seen in the Roadrunner cartoons. They are basically very large boulders sitting on top of small spires of rock.
* Migration of millions of cranes, waterfowl and other birds along the Platte River in spring and fall months.
* Archway Monument just outside of Kearney, NE

Nebraska Travel Guide - Things To See

* Attend a Nebraska football game at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln
* Check out a College World Series game in Omaha.
* Canoe, kayak or tube the Niobrara River in the Sand Hills
* Enjoy a cheap beer in one of the many bars south of the University of Nebraska campus in Lincoln
* Eat a piece of real Nebraska beef at one of Omaha's many steakhouses.
* Follow the Oregon Trail and walk in the footsteps of the pioneers.
* Take a tour of historic Bellevue.
* See Nebraska's Largest flagpole in Sidney, home of Cabela's.
* Before the dust bowl and drought of the '30's, Nebraska had many thriving wineries. That era is returning, and there are now nearly 20 wineries across the state. Visit the Nebraska Wine and Grape Growers website to plan your visit.
* If you want to experience some of Nebraska's rural treasures, whether outdoor adventures, rural hospitality, country food and fare, or country lodging, the Country Adventures website has brought together rural operators who couldn't afford a web presence on their own. It's a one-stop-shop, so you can make your reservations and pay online. It's brand new, so there are a limited number of offerings so far.

Nebraska Travel Guide - Eat

* A past Nebraska slogan was The Beef State, and much of Nebraska's cuisine can still be best described as "meat and potatoes". Stop in any Nebraska city or town and you'll be likely to find low-cost, high-quality, home-cooked dining options. Nebraska's cuisine has been influenced by the numerous immigrant groups that have settled in the state; for example, you'll find German and Scandinavian dishes in the northeast, Czech meals in some areas, and numerous Italian restaurants in Omaha.
* Many of Nebraska's rural entrepreneurs have bottled, packaged or otherwise made available "Grandma's favorite recipe" or other products from family farms across the state. If you're not visiting the state, you can find these products on the Internet at GrowNebraska.org. You can use this site as a guide to experiencing the real flavor of Nebraska before you travel.

Nebraska Travel Guide - Drink

Kool Aid- The official drink of Nebraska. It was invented in Hastings Nebraska where there is also a museum dedicated to the drink.

Nebraska Travel Guide - Contact

Phone

The availability of Nebraska's mobile phone service varies greatly. Eastern Nebraska (generally along a line east of US 81) and the I-80 corridor are well-served by all major carriers; coverage for GSM networks outside of southeastern Nebraska is spotty. In the rest of the state, digital service is only provided by Alltel's CDMA network. Between towns in central and western Nebraska (particularly in the Sand Hills and the Panhandle), they may be no mobile phone service at all.

Public pay phones are rapidly disappearing; many of the smaller towns now only have one. In rural areas, many businesses will let people make local calls.

Internet

Nebraska has, given its population and size, fairly extensive Internet connectivity; however, public Internet access in Nebraska can be hard to find. (Internet cafes are practically nonexistant.) In many places, the best option for public Internet access is a public library; in rural areas, libraries are often only open for a few hours each week.

WiFi Internet access is now provided by many Nebraska businesses, particularly in Omaha and Lincoln. Recently, many hotels and motels statwide have added Internet connectivity as an additional amenity.

Nebraska Travel Guide - Transportation

Railroads

Nebraska has a rich railroad history. The Union Pacific Railroad, headquartered in Omaha, was incorporated on July 1, 1862, in the wake of the Pacific Railway Act of 1862. The route of the original transcontinental railroad runs through the state.

Other major railroads with operations in the state are: Amtrak; BNSF Railway; Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad; and Iowa Interstate Railroad.

Roads and highways

The Interstate Highways in Nebraska are:

* 76, 80, 129, 180, 480, 680

The U.S. Routes in Nebraska are:

* 6, 20, 26, 30, 34, 73, 75, 77, 81, 83, 136, 138, 159, 183, 275, 281, 283, 385

Nebraska Travel Guide - Important Cities and Towns

All population figures are 2004 Census Bureau estimates.

Largest cities

100,000+ population

* Omaha - 409,416
* Lincoln - 236,146

10,000+ population

* Bellevue - 47,347
* Grand Island - 44,287
* Kearney - 28,640
* Fremont - 25,272
* Norfolk - 24,072
* North Platte - 23,944
* Hastings - 23,404
* Columbus - 20,881
* Papillion - 19,497
* Scottsbluff - 14,767
* La Vista - 14,685
* Beatrice - 12,963
* South Sioux City - 12,142
* Lexington - 10,056

Urban areas

Metropolitan areas

* Omaha-Council Bluffs - 683,705 (Nebraska portion), 813,170 (total for Nebraska and Iowa)
* Lincoln - 275,820
* Sioux City, Iowa - 26,722 (Nebraska portion)

Micropolitan areas

* Grand Island - 69,685
* Kearney - 50,286
* Norfolk - 49,964
* Hastings - 37,691
* Scottsbluff - 37,393
* North Platte - 36,213
* Fremont - 36,066
* Columbus - 31,245
* Lexington - 26,566
* Beatrice - 23,436

Other areas

* Grand Island, Hastings and Kearney comprise the “Tri-Cities” area.
* The northeast corner of Nebraska is part of the Siouxland region.

Nebraska Travel Guide - Places Nearby

Lincoln and Omaha are less than four hours from Kansas City.

Western Nebraska is within a half-day drive of Denver and other destinations in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Wyoming.

Nebraska Travel Guide - Stay Safe

Omaha and Lincoln have crime rates that are roughly on par with similarly-sized cities; crime rates do vary considerably among neighborhoods in Omaha.

Severe thunderstorms, hail, and tornados are not uncommon during the spring and summer months; Nebraska is in "Tornado Alley". Stay informed of current conditions if severe weather threatens, as conditions can change very rapidly. Nebraska TV and radio stations provide excellent severe weather coverage. You might want to check the Tornado safety page if you are visiting Nebraska.

During the winter months, blizzards and ice storms do occur, and dangerous wind chills are a possibility. High winds can take even a limited amount of snowfall and form very large drifts -- beautiful to look at, but dangerous if you are stuck far from help. It is important to find a local weather forecast whenever you plan to travel through the more sparsely populated areas of the state.

Article Source: Wikipedia