Encircle Nebraska: Your drive across the Cornhusker state begins in Omaha on the eastern border. Then travel about 275 miles along I-80 with stops at Nebraska’s capital of Lincoln, then Kearney, Gothenburg and finally North Platte.
Encircle Nebraska: Your drive across the Cornhusker state begins in Omaha on the eastern border. Then travel about 275 miles along I-80 with stops at Nebraska’s capital of Lincoln, then Kearney, Gothenburg and finally North Platte.
Near the Joslyn Memorial Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska, is a playground featuring large abstract sculptures. Children are drawn towards the vibrant colors and then stay for the fun they provide.
2200 Dodge St, Omaha, NE 68102
The art deco exterior of the Joslyn Memorial Art Museum in Omaha is a tribute to the early settlers of the plains. The façade features sculptures and carvings of White and Native Americans plus stylized thunderbirds carved into the capitals of the Doric columns. The interior is covered with 38 different marbles. This provides an attractive setting for the 19th and 20th century art plus western and Indian works.
2200 Dodge St, Omaha, NE 68102
Across six blocks in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, are more than 120 sculptures in the Spirit of Nebraska’s Wilderness and Pioneer Courage parks. This bronze, 12 foot high covered wagon stuck in a dry creek bed is one of four pioneer families heading west on May 21, 1841. The elaborate artworks by Blair Buswell and Ed Fraughton are exquisitely detailed and 1 ½ times life size. The project was sponsored by First National Bank.
N 14th St & Capitol Ave, Omaha, NE 68179
Three photos of Omaha, Nebraska are: 1) The ornate façade of the J.L. Brandeis and Sons Store built in 1906; 2) A playground featuring large abstract sculptures near the Joslyn Memorial Art Museum; and 3) One of the 58, larger-than-life, 200 pound bronze Canadian geese that “fly” through a downtown intersection as part of “The Spirit of Nebraska’s Wilderness” created by Kent Ullber in 2002 and sponsored by First National Bank.
The first two Nebraska state capitols followed traditional styles but crumbled from poor construction. The third building, finished in Lincoln in 1932, resulted in a 15 story skyscraper. The nontraditional design inspired the capitol towers in North Dakota, Louisiana and Florida. At its 362 foot peak is a bronze statue called, “The Sower” featuring a barefoot man sprinkling the seeds of life. Below it is the eight-sided Memorial Chamber filled with realistic murals of the state’s history. Nebraska became the 37th state on March 1, 1867.
1445 K St, Lincoln, NE 68508
The Warner Legislative Chamber’s doors in the Nebraska State Capitol are a beautifully carved, symbolic tribute to Native Americans. These East Chamber doors feature a stalk of corn in the center with a Thunderbird (representing rain and life) on top. On the right is an Indian standing on an otter representing medicine. On the left is a woman above a turtle symbolizing fertility. The doors weigh 750 pounds each and took six months to carve.
1445 K St, Lincoln, NE 68508
This ten foot tall, fiberglass bison statue by Gary Ginther sits next to the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument near Kearney, Nebraska. Ted Turner, the CNN founder and owner of the nation’s largest buffalo herd on his Vermejo Park Ranch, commissioned the statue in 2002. The nearby archway resembles a covered wagon and sunset stretching 60 feet over I-80, the nation’s first interstate. The museum tells the story of westward pioneers from 1843 to 1869. The facility opened in 2000.
3060 E 1st St, Kearney, NE 68847
Next time your email is slow, think of the Pony Express. For only 18 months in 1860 and 1861, 120 riders carried mail up to 75 miles a day in a mochila (pouch), together with water, a gun and a Bible. There were 184 stations along the 1,900 mile trail stretching from Missouri to California. Two of the original stations are in Gothenburg, Nebraska. This commemorative plaque is on the Ehmen Park Station.
Pony Express Station & Museum, 1500 Lake Ave, Gothenburg, NE 69138
Bill Cody had Buffalo added to his name after reportedly killing 4,200 bison in 18 months to feed railroad workers. The Medal of Honor winner is best known for his ten-year tour in Wild West shows. He performed with other celebrities such as Annie Oakley and Calamity Jane. In 1886, he purchased 4,000 acres in North Platte, Nebraska, and called it Scout’s Rest Ranch. You can tour his three-story, Victorian house to see many of his original furnishings and memorabilia. The property is part of a state historical park.
Scouts Rest Ranch Rd & Charlie Evans Dr, North Platte, NE 69101