Nebraska Official State Travel Guide - The Official 2025 Not-At-All What You Thought State Travel Guide
AGRITOURISM
2024-11-05 11:35:04
CULTIVATING MEMORIES HERE
Forty-four thousand farms and ranches stretch across Nebraska. That’s a lot of cornstalks. And wheat fields. Not to mention acres of wide-open spaces. What does it mean for you as a visitor? U-pick farms, festivals, wineries, breweries, animal encounters and even more immersive agritourism experiences.
Nebraska City’s Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Mansion is the home of Arbor Day. Learn more about Arbor Day and its founder, J. Sterling Morton, by touring the 72-acre park. Then, explore the 260- acre Arbor Day Farm. Crisscross your way through the treetops at Tree Adventure. The kids will love exploring the treehouses of Treetop Village. Shop souvenirs and tasty treats at Apple House Market. Then, enhance your experience by booking a stay at Lied Lodge, located onsite amid the trees.
Book a two-hour tour to encounter bison grazing the prairie and learn about the Great Plains at Golden Prairie Bison ranch outside of Valentine. The ranch also welcomes campers to stay the night and fully immerse themselves in the beauty of the Sandhills.
In Grand Island, get an interactive picture of Nebraska agriculture at Raising Nebraska. This 55,000-square-foot attraction features a collection of hands-on exhibits and displays, like the Grain Bin Theater, Living Soils and Drive a Combine, to showcase every aspect of the state’s agriculture industry.
Celebrate this year’s apple harvest at the annual AppleJack Festival in Nebraska City. Along with a parade, flea market and the Apple Jamboree, you can visit area orchards — Kimmel Orchard and Vineyard, Union Orchard and Arbor Day Farm — for hayrack rides, U-pick experiences, vendors, food trucks, crafts and homemade apple treats.
Looking for more U-pick experiences? Beginning in late summer, Fanny’s Fruit Farm in Gurley offers fresh strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and apples. Then, come fall, the farm features a three-acre pumpkin patch. Stay awhile for seasonal activities and a fresh-cooked meal from The Carriage House.
With a pumpkin patch, corn maze, barn slides, jumping pillows and more, Oakland’s Harvest Moon Pumpkin Patch is the perfect spot to celebrate the fall season.
Martin’s Hillside Orchard in Ceresco is another fall fun zone. Pick your own apples, pumpkins, flowers and more. The kids will love all the farm games and activities, like the corn maze, tire swing and gourd cave. Stop by the Test Kitchen to learn new apple-inspired recipes before you leave.
In Papillion, visit Bellevue Berry & Pumpkin Ranch for hayrides, tree houses, playgrounds and U-pick crops. If you’re in the mood for a fright, come for the state’s longest (duration) haunted attraction, the Ranch of Terror and Haunted Hayride, during the Halloween season.
Enjoy more fall festivities at Poppy’s Pumpkin Patch in Norfolk. The super slide, hamster wheels, petting zoo, zip line and sweet treats at the café are hits among the kiddos.
Pick your own bouquet, tour the farm and shop handcrafted goods made with lavender when you visit Nebraska’s largest lavender farm, Our Lavender Co. in Big Springs.
Tour the “World’s Original Cut Flower Maze” at A-Mazing Flowers and Studio in Prague. A guide will lead you through a maze of raised flower beds where you can select your favorite flowers to take home.
Head to Valley’s Nelson Produce Farm for tractor and barrel train rides, farm animal feedings and fresh produce, from strawberries to cucumbers to pumpkins. In the summer, pick flowers from the state’s first U-pick sunflower field. Stop by the market to try the signature strawberry slushie.
Sips and savors more your style? Get your Nebraska Wine Passport for a curated Nebraska wine-tasting adventure. Sign up for the mobile passport, then visit participating wineries, vineyards and tasting rooms to earn awards and discounts as you try unique local wines.
For an all-in-one tasting experience, make plans to attend Sip Nebraska. This bi-annual festival — held in Ashland in the spring and Lincoln in the fall — features dozens of tastings from local wineries, breweries and distilleries, food trucks and live music to celebrate Nebraska’s homegrown beverages.
WELCOME TO THE RANCH
OUR HERITAGE GUEST RANCH
Crawford
Fishing, stargazing, fossil hunting, stagecoach rides and more ranch activities await you in the foothills of the Pine Ridge.
ROWSE’S 1+1 RANCH
Burwell
Don your best cowboy hat and gear up for the true rancher’s experience with horseback riding, cattle drives and roping on this Sandhills ranch.
SLATTERY VINTAGE ESTATES
Nehawka
Plan a romantic getaway with your partner to Slattery Vintage Estates. Stay in a fully furnished glamping bungalow overlooking the vineyard.
MAC’S CREEK WINERY & BREWERY
Lexington
Go for wine, craft brews and hard cider in the tasting room before retreating back to your cozy Creekside Cottage.
NIOBRARA VALLEY VINEYARDS
Nenzel
With electric hookups, a shower house, Wi-Fi and two free wine tastings, Niobrara Valley Vineyards’ NVV Dark Sky RV Park is the perfect escape.
NIOBRARA RIVERVIEW RETREATS
Valentine
Book a remote getaway to this family-owned ranch in the Sandhills. Guests can enjoy kayaking, canoeing, tubing, fire pit bonfires, hiking, wildlife viewing and more outdoor adventures.
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AGRITOURISM
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