Nebraska

Well known for it’s corn and with the motto, “Honestly it’s not for everyone,” we entered Nebraska a bit hesitant. I appreciated the honesty in their tourist statement, but wondered what a place that admitted not everyone likes it as a slogan to get people to visit would truly be like. Unfortunately, the main highlight of Nebraska: Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historic Park was closed for the season. So we picked the best next thing and decided to visit Omaha. First stop the Pioneer Courage Park.

This park was started in 2005, and consists of many various iron sculptures. There are four major wagons weighing over 2,000lbs each, various oxen pulling the wagons, many characters including children, and a few pets. The park is very interactive and covers a few blocks. You can walk throughout the square and admire these detailed sculptures. We visited in the Winter of course, so it seemed like the characters were trudging West bound through the snow and winter winds.

The park encompasses Westward expansion and embodies the risk these explorers took throughout their journey. Bruce R. Lauritzen says, “What I like about the story of the great wagon train migration across America is the daring, the tenacity, and the innovativeness of the pioneer spirit that opened the West,” when describing the characters found throughout this free park.

From there we headed towards The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. This is bridge is one of the longest fully pedestrian suspension bridge in the nation. With 3,000 ft dedicated strictly to pedestrians, it offers a really cool view of the Omaha Sky line. Open all day and late into the night this bridge offers a unique walk to visitors and locals alike. The bridge was made in 2008 and named after the Senator who raised the money to build this walking bridge for the public. Unfortunately, it was icy so parts were closed during our visit, but still a cool area to check out.

Walking around this park and admiring the suspension of the bridge worked up an appetite. We decided to have a little cookout in the National Park Service Center parking lot, which just so happens to be located rights next to the Foot Bridge.

With our bellies full we decided it was time to head downtown and see what Omaha had to offer. We went to a really old shopping district called Old Market. This district is full of streets of places to eat, shop, art galleries, breweries, and old fashioned building types. There was a lot of brick and tons of places to explore.

Also known as the arts and entertainment district Old Market is a really fun street to visit. There are horses and carriages on every block, and the vibe is just very old fashioned. They have lots of street performers, including a really talented Saxophone player, that did not seem at all tainted by the cold. There are quite a few modern art pieces scattered about that add to the art district vibe and promote a few art exhibits.

My favorite part of Old Market was the indoor shopping section. There is a quaint indoor mall center that is two stories high and has brick and plants everywhere. It has a very old Aztec vibe and it’s really beautiful.

There are many stores and restaurants throughout this center but honestly it is worth just wandering around. With the lights, plants, and all the bricks it feels like you are in a different country. We went up to the top floor for the best view of the plaza. There is a lot of natural lighting that adds to the atmosphere but it’s indoors so you escape the harsh wind from outside. It was a beautiful break from the winter weather.

As Omaha is building up their city they are also creating an atmosphere that encourages tourism. In order to bring people in and build up their newer breweries they have a cool system set up called Penny Brews.

To support their tourism program of course we had to participate. Basically they have it set up to where you like their tourism page and they send your 10 penny brew coupons. Then you just head to participating locations buy a beer and get your second beer for a penny. With two of us it seemed like a pretty sweet deal.

We went to a few local breweries, but our favorite was by far Scriptown. This brewery is all olden wood and has a very industrial/modern vibe. The bar tender was really cool, the beers were really flavorful, the shop was beautiful, and the people were friendly. It was a nice little chill spot to sip on a few hoppy drinks. The beer is already really cheap so honestly you don’t even really need the penny brews, but its still the savings!

Finally, the sun started to set and that pretty much wrapped up our time in Omaha. We passed a few pretty little buildings on our way back to the car, and ended things with Nebraska on a good note. Even though we were nervous Omaha actually had a lot more to offer than we anticipated. Now it was time to hit the road and head to Nebraska’s corn sister: Iowa.

Until next time God Bless!

McKayla