Nebraska Official State Travel Guide • The Official 2019 Not-At-All What You Thought State Travel Guide • Agritourism

Are you one of those folks who likes a rip-snortin’ good time? We kinda figured you might be. So mosey on up to one of our guest ranches, farms or local markets, and get ready to yell yee-haw!

Ride horseback, mend fences or just enjoy the views—plus a few surprises—on a northwest Nebraska guest ranch.

Driving through northwest Nebraska, I’m amazed by the landscape. Alien from the state’s rolling fields and pastures, white limestone bluffs topped by dark trees run ragged across the bottom of a never-ending sky. Deep gullies rip through grass-topped plains.

Imagine my surprise to learn that someone lives in such a place, at once so desolate and so pretty. Meet Jean Norman. In 1887, her great-grandparents, immigrants from Sweden, homesteaded this land. Today, Jean and her husband own and work the place where grasslands, badlands and the Pine Ridge, a series of pine-covered hills, come together. They call it Our Heritage Guest Ranch, and you’re welcome to stay a night or two . . . or more.

I retire to a two-room accommodation near the ranch’s horse arena. The cozy unit features Western- and Plains-style art as well as furniture made by Jean. Outside, horses rest in corrals and graze on grasslands. Jean invites her guests to bring their horses with them, or take to the saddle on one of the ranch’s horses.

She also teaches natural horsemanship and leads rides across Our Heritage’s 3,600 acres, including multi-day trips for groups. Solo travelers and small groups can request the all-inclusive ranch experience, including horsemanship, meals and lodging.

Of course, guests can pitch in with regular chores such as inspecting and repairing fences, haying and working with lambs and calves. But like the surrounding landscape, some ranch activities might surprise you. Our Heritage hosts art and holistic health retreats in addition to single- and multi-day fossil hunts along “the wall.” That’s what locals call the rambling line of 60-foothigh bluffs that define the ranch’s pine ridge. I step out of my room and gaze at “the wall,” imagining how it must feel to explore it. Jean employs an expert guide to identify what guests find and can keep. Among the fossilized discoveries: sheep-like oreodonts, hyaenodon (similar to hyena) and saber-toothed cats that lived 30 million years ago. Yet, there are few places where I feel content just standing still. Jean’s corner of northwest Nebraska, with its unique beauty, is one of them. —Mike Whye

There’s no internet service, but fishing, hunting and sunset views will keep you occupied at Big Blue, located on one of the state’s only remaining tall grass prairies.

Live out a true cowboy adventure with a hands-on stay at Double R. Guests can care for cattle, mend fences and harvest hay on the land.

You can’t stay overnight here, but you can observe elk and buffalo up-close from the side of a covered wagon. Visit in fall for especially beautiful views of the valley.

Soak up the ranch setting without the work: Ponderosa treats you to birdwatching, hunting and a cozy cabin stay. Don’t miss the expansive views of the starry night sky.

Spend a day with lifelong cowboys at this working ranch, where you can learn to drive the herd and practice your rope skills.

Delicate berries fill these fields, ripe for picking. Nab the best and enjoy hayrack rides, tree houses and a kidfriendly Western frontier town.

Because fall isn’t only about pumpkins, harvest a bushel (or two!) of apples. Save them for your favorite autumn recipes or anytime snacking.

In the summer months, roam trails across 40 acres of land to seek out the sweetest peaches and juiciest cherries.

A summer favorite with a long growing season, sweet corn is fun to pick and eat. Experience the Nebraska tradition at Nielsen’s.

There’s no better place to revel in crisp air, autumn colors and all-ages fun than on a Nebraska farm.

Who said Halloween has to be scary? This October festival is designed with children in mind. Expect games, prizes, treats and plenty of costumes (encouraged, but not required)—all set on Wessels Living History Farm. Here, 19th- and early 20th-century farm buildings, antique tractors and a bountiful harvest give a glimpse into Nebraska’s agricultural history.

Family-owned Cox’s Pumpkin Patch goes back to the basics, offering a plentiful pumpkin patch, classic corn maze, breezy hayrack rides and a picture-perfect selection of gourds to inspire autumn decorating. Visit with the family by day, and keep an eye out for adults-only nights.

Nothing says fall like a pumpkin patch. At Vala’s, pumpkins fill the field and decorate more than 50 attractions. After picking your pumpkin, walk through the Lost Pumpkin Mine, corn maze and, if you’re feeling brave, the Haunted Trail and Graveyard. For traditional fall fun, dress a scarecrow, take a hayrack ride and zip down a giant slide.

You’ll find seemingly infinite ways to play here: Load up the pumpkin chucker and watch your pumpkin fly. Clamber over hay bales. Test your sense of direction in mazes made of towering cornstalks. Challenge yourself to take on the 150-foot slide. Then, take it easy on a hayrack ride.

There’s an adventure for everyone during this nearly two-month-long celebration. Embrace the fall season with hayrides, pumpkin patches and a corn maze; for gorgeous views of autumn colors, travel the Tree House Trail to the top of a 50-foot-tall tree house. And don’t leave without sampling the apples—this farm grows a rare collection of antique varieties that visitors can sample on select weekends.

At Nebraska farmers markets, meet local producers and artisans, shop for edible souvenirs and line up for . . . cinnamon rolls? YES.

Sure, you can browse local beef, produce and eggs at this June-to-September market. But locals know it as the place to grab breakfast, then seek out samples of salsa and other specialties created for periodic cooking competitions.

Memorial Day through Labor Day, farmers and artisans sell fresh produce and handmade goods, from jelly to delicious bakery items, on downtown Alma’s Main Street.

This indoor farmers market looks like an old-fashioned country store. Inside, discover organic produce, local meat and dairy products and artisanal breads and decadent pies created by area bakers.

Stock up on goat milk soap, rustic jams and other locally made goods at this June-to-October market. Locals swear by the market’s ready-to-eat foods, too, from savory barbecue to sweet cinnamon rolls.

The roots of this market date back almost 100 years. From May to mid-October, shop for fresh produce and flowers, and keep an eye out for special evening and holiday markets.

Around the time when July turns into August, Nebraskans anticipate the first sweet corn of the season. Farmers pick the ears by hand at sunrise, then carry the bright bushels to markets and roadside stands to sell the same day. The general profile is tender and sweet, though subtleties in flavor develop over the course of each growing season. Pick your own—and definitely eat your own— whether you like yours with nothing but butter or churned into artisanal ice cream. We serve it all here.

Nebraska Official State Travel Guide - The Official 2019 Not-At-All What You Thought State Travel Guide

Agritourism

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Nebraska 2026 Official State Travel Guide

The Official 2025 Not-At-All What You Thought State Travel Guide

The Official 2021 Not-At-All What You Thought State Travel Guide

The Official 2020 Not-At-All What You Thought State Travel Guide

The Official 2019 Not-At-All What You Thought State Travel Guide