FAMILY Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park, North Platte FOR NATIVE AMERICAN, PIONEER AND COWBOY LIFE A ranch, fort and museums // Buffalo Bill // Ponca tribes and pioneers Tour the 1886 Second Empire-style mansion and barn of famed showman “Buffalo Bill” Cody at Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park in North Platte. Afterward, giddy up with Dusty Trails and ride horseback along the North Platte River. Experience the Old West and watch a shootout in Ogallala at Front Street Cowboy Museum . Hard to miss, The Archway spans I-80. A self-guided tour transports you into Nebraska’s history, complete with stories of Native Americans and the Lincoln Highway. Discover the culture of the Ponca Indian Tribe at the Ponca Tribal Museum in Niobrara. Chock-full of memorabilia, the Plainsman Museum in Aurora recounts tales of Hamilton County settlers. Visit reconstructed Fort Kearny State Historical Park , built as a haven for pioneering travelers in 1848. Pro Tip: Gretna’s Schramm Education Center recently added 60-plus native aquatic species and a sturgeon touch tank, tripling the number of aquariums visitors can view on-site. FOR ASPIRING SCIENTISTS Museums and star-gazing // 4 stellar stops // 100% hands-on The literal star at Hastings Museum is the planetarium’s projection system displaying cutting-edge shows. Request to view the stars on a particular date in history, or view the sun through a solar telescope. For hands-on learners, Edgerton Explorit Center in Aurora invites kids to pilot a jet simulator and create giant bubbles. Investigate native wildlife at the University of Nebraska State Museum of Natural History and catch star shows at the museum’s Mueller Planetarium . Gaze at star clusters and galaxies at observatories, staffed with knowledgeable volunteers, throughout the state. 28 VisitNebraska.com CREDITS: GEISER/NEBRASKALAND MAGAZINE, NEBRASKA GAME AND PARKS COMMISSION; SCHRAMM EDUCATION CENTER Schramm Education Center, Gretna
Nebraska Official State Travel Guide The Official 2020 Not-At-All What You Thought State Travel Guide: Page 28
