Nebraska Honeymoon – Everything You Need to Know

About Nebraska

Nebraska is a Midwestern state that is totally landlocked. It attracted immigrants looking for fertile land, which Nebraska has in abundance. It has some of the U.S.’s best ranch and farmland. Lincoln, named after the 16th president, is the state capital.

Nebraska has a diverse landscape, from the Great Plains, unusual rock formations, and sandhill dunes. View an actual living museum as you travel the Great Platte River Road Archway in Kearny. It spans from I-80 at Exit 275. History comes to life here. Visitors can follow the Oregon Trail which tells the story of the people who built this nation. At a real pony express station, a rider will re-enact hitching the horses to a Pony Express wagon at rapid-fire speed to meet mail delivery deadlines. You will encounter, Mark Twain telling tales of what a cross-country stagecoach ride was like. You’ll see an old telegram machine announcing the start of the Civil War. Visitors can spend as much time as they like on this historic archway, which documents 200 years of Midwestern history. Over a million visitors have toured and marveled at the Great Platte River Road.

For more history, visitors can wander through the Pioneer Courage Park in Omaha. The park’s many sculptures are one of the world’s largest sculpture displays. They tell the story of America’s journey West. The exhibit starts, appropriately enough, with a wagon train traveling West while alarming an entire herd of bison into a massive stampede. 

In addition to history and culture, Nebraska is filled with romance. The Sunken Gardens is a stunning park in Lincoln where 30,000 plants burst into bloom in the spring to keep your love blooming for a lifetime. In the fall, the Sunken Gardens are a carpet of colorful leaves. This garden has two pools and a waterfall in-between the stunning sculptures. Spend the day here strolling hand in hand.

Nebraska is not usually associated with a wildlife safari. However, the Lee G. Simmons Wildlife Safari Park, located in Ashland, NE, provides a drive through the park to view the natural inhabitants, which include bison, elk, deer, wolves, and others.

Best Time to Visit Nebraska

As already noted, Nebraska has such an abundance of history, there isn’t a bad time to visit.  

Cathedral Flower Festival 

The flower festival happens in January when people are cold and yearning for a bit of warmth. The festival takes place in the stunning St. Cecilia Cathedral. More than 15,000 people come out of the cold to see how these flowers can be turned into a work of art.

Taste of Omaha

The Taste of Omaha is a foodie’s paradise that happens annually in mid-June. Thousands of visitors show up for the entertainment taking place on several stages. And for the food. Forty restaurants serve taste-size samples of their meals. This is the perfect way to work your way through Omaha’s restaurants until you find your favorites. Make your Nebraska honeymoon a culinary honeymoon. The music will range from polka, country to (we blush) Elvis impersonators. 

Cinco de Mayo in Omaha

Cinco de Mayo in Omaha is a three-day celebration with live entertainment, a parade, food vendors, games, and carnival rides. Cinco de Mayo has been celebrated in Omaha for 100 years.

Nebraska Balloon & Wine Festival

The popular Balloon & Wine Festival just outside of Omaha involves – you’ve guests it – good wine and hot air balloons, along with great food. The annual festival takes place at the end of August. It spans an entire weekend; Saturday’s activities include helicopter rides.

Nebraska Star Party

The annual Nebraska Star Party takes place at the Merritt Reservoir’s Snake Campground during the first week of August. This is stargazing at its finest. The fresh, unpolluted air makes viewing the sky a fantastic romantic opportunity. 

Nebraska State Fair

The Fair in Grand Island includes musical entertainment along with lots of agricultural ev

Top Things to do in Nebraska

Harold Warp’s Pioneer Village

Nebraska continues to overflow with history. The Harold Warp’s Pioneer Village is in Minden. Warp was determined to leave a historical legacy. He bought up the buildings in his hometown – church, schoolhouse, train station, and others – and reset them in the middle of Minden’s town square. There are 16 exhibition halls crammed with historical artifacts, including Abraham Lincoln’s sugar bowl and Grover Cleveland’s White House desk, creating an instant time warp. The exhibit is not fancy; it displays ordinary things used a hundred or two hundred years ago. Mr. Warp’s purpose was to show the progress mankind had made. For example, the kitchen exhibit displays kitchens dating back 1830 to 1980. 

There is much to absorb in this historical village – more than visitors can observe in one day. It is recommended that they stay at the local motel. 

Mr. Warp never threw anything away. In today’s terms, he might be called a hoarder. In historical terms, his collection is priceless.

Niobrara River

The stunning Niobrara River in Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge winds its way through cliffs and canyons, past greenery and plenty of waterfalls.  Add nine miles of Nebraska’s iconic wildlife and flora, and the sights are Instagram perfect. People come here to go tubing, rafting, canoeing, and kayaking. 

Prepare to meet up with bison and elk who roam through the refuge freely. You can wander the mile-long trail before returning to the top of the canyon.

Nebraska State Capitol

The capitol building is in Lincoln. It is worth a visit to see its combination of Gothic Revival, Art Deco, and Neo-Byzantine architecture. Climb the tower and see 30 miles into the distance.

Lauritzen Gardens

With its harsh winters, gardens in Nebraska are always a haven. Lauritzen Garden in Omaha offers tranquility year-round. Inhale the scent of the rose garden; stroll through the Victorian garden. For indoor amazement, visit the Marjorie K. Daugherty Conservatory. Here, you will find precious and exotic tropical plants.

Joslyn Art Museum

This is Omaha’s major fine arts museum, built at the turn of the 20th century by its most wealthy family. They donated $7 million dollars to organizations in Omaha. The museum, and its extensive collection, is a memorial to philanthropist George Joslyn. In the late 1930s, the museum was named one of the 100 loveliest buildings in the U.S. It is constructed of 38 different types of French marble. It has a Greek, Roman, Asian, and Egyptian collection, as well as works by America’s original indigenous people and a large American West exhibit. In addition, this fabulous museum also displays Monet, Renoir, and Degas. 

Joslyn Castle

Joslyn Castle is a separate entity from the Joslyn Art Museum. This is where the Joslyn family lived. The Scottish Baronial Revival mansion has 35 rooms, with beautiful wood, a gilded drawing-room, a huge staircase, and stained windows. There is a carriage house next to the Castle. Tours of this remarkable castle are available.

Alpine Inn

If you are looking for a candlelit, romantic dinner in Omaha, you won’t find it at the Alpine Inn. What you will find is the best fried chicken ever. It’s that good. You will be surrounded by raccoons waiting for the leftovers, so just go ahead and make a few new friends.

Dish

Consider the Dish Restaurant the anti-Alpine Inn. This upscale restaurant specifically caters to couples on a date night. While you are here, have a cocktail or a glass of wine.

Jazz on the Green

If you love jazz, don’t miss Jazz on the Green. This summer outdoor concert series is a don’t-miss for anyone who appreciates jazz. Snuggle up to your beloved and listen to some great music. Jazz on the Green is performed on six Thursday evenings from July through August. They also offer dance lessons to improve your moves.

Weather in Nebraska

Like most of the Midwest, Nebraska has hot summers and chilly winter. The summer months can get humid and rainy, with an average temperature at comfortable 80 degrees. May and June are less humid, and the entire state is in bloom. It’s a wonderful time to be here.

Nebraska is right within Tornado Alley, having around 45 tornadoes each year, mostly in the spring and summer months. These can be accompanied by heavy thunderstorms.

During the winter, blizzards are very common. The daytime temperature is barely above freezing and more often, below. Dressing in warm layers is critical.

In September and October, the temperature cools down to 70 degrees, and the sky is usually a brilliant blue. That, along with the splendid foliage colors, makes autumn a fantastic time for your Nebraska honeymoon.