Away from the highway, Nebraska is a treasure trove of cute small towns, winding rivers, epic wildlife migrations, Indigenous history, uncrowded state parks, and high sandstone bluffs and pine clad ridges some 100 miles (160 kilometers) long. So it’ll come as no surprise that the state is a mecca for outdoor adventure—top things to do including hiking, golfing, and tanking (floating down the river in a water container). And that’s not to mention spots like Omaha, a fast-growing cultural hub with fantastic restaurants and live music venues.
Like much of the Midwest, winter in Nebraska gets seriously cold and summer seriously hot. Spring and fall shine brightest, with March attracting millions of visitors for one specific reason: the sandhill crane migration. If you’re into wildlife, there’s no better time to visit the state. Otherwise, look to April-May or September–November for mild temperatures, green spaces at their most gorgeous, and Omaha’s SeptemberFest event.
Nebraska isn’t small. To get around the state, you’ll want your own vehicle. Luckily, off I-80, traffic is pretty quiet and the backroads are quite scenic. That being said, Amtrak does serve southern Nebraska, from Omaha west through McCook. In Omaha, you’ll find taxis and rideshares, plus most hotels run shuttles to and from the airport and within a specific mile radius.
You heard it here first: Western Nebraska is about to be discovered by adventure seekers. Just north of Colorado, Fort Robinson State Park and Scottsbluff National Monument offer incredible hiking, great scenic vistas, pine forests and rocky ridges, plus Wild West history, birdwatching, and bison-spotting. And the state isn’t as flat as people think—its highest peak is the Panorama Point in Kimball Country, which rises up some 5,430 feet (1,655 meters).
