Cool Places To Visit in Nebraska

Nebraska Paleontology

“…it is estimated that the remains of ten mammoths lie buried in an average square mile of Nebraska landscape.” —Statefossils.com

“About 19-20 million years ago a drought occurred in the plains of western Nebraska. Deprived of food, hundreds of animals died around a few shallow waterholes. Over time the skeletons were buried under silt, fine sand, and volcanic ash, carried by the wind and reworked by streams. A large fossilized waterhole with hundreds of skeletons is preserved today in the Niobrara River valley at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument.” — National Park Service, US Department of the Interior

Nebraska Anthropology

I regret to say that I’ve never spent the night inside the Dancing Leaf Earth Lodge, a carefully researched re-creation of a Plains Indian dwelling. I have taken guided tours of the lodge and surrounding grounds, and canoed on the gentle river that flows by. Spending the night in the lodge, however, is a goal of mine, as well as dining on the buffalo stew owners Les and Jan Hosick provide their overnight guests. I hope to do it soon.

Nebraska Geology

The Plains Indians called it “Me a pa te,” meaning" hill that is hard to go around. It later became a landmark to fur traders and the emigrants who followed the Oregon Trail westward. Today it is a great place for hiking, birdwatching, sightseeing and envisioning the layers of this region’s past. It’s a beautiful, soulful place to visit. I hope you check it out.

Nebraska Art

This bizare replica of Stonehenge was built in 1987 as a memorial to the artist’s father. Visit it on a Summer Solstice for the “Stone Soup Supper.” No admission will be charged, but please bring your own chair and something to add to the soup.