Is there anything nice in Nebraska?

[firedupdem]

I moved here last summer and I'm losing my mind. Help!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. There's an excellent zoo in Omaha.

[firedupdem]

2. Thank you...I'm going to check it out once it gets warmer...I'm so

bored!

[begin_within]

3. I liked Omaha

when I was there for a convention in Sept. 2003. It seemed like a pleasant place to live. Plenty of parks and open space. The Fontenelle Forest was really nice. Not much else to do there that I could see, besides going out to eat and going on picnics. I could think of much worse places to live. But I don't know anyone there so I had no way to know "what's going on." Well I guess if it's good enough for Warren Buffett...

[firedupdem]

6. I'm about 90 mins. from Omaha...I've only been there when my

son's school is playing a school there. I'm from Michigan and I'm probably bumming more than anything. Plus, I've never lived in a small town ever! I have to say I've met some nice people. I wish I could move closer to Omaha, I'm sure that would help. I'm used to jumping in the car and getting to the mall in 10mns. or Target or wherever. Everything is a drive and I guess any small town would be the same way.

I just wanna go home!!!

On the bright side at least one of us has a job.

[begin_within]

10. Oh... well, you should live where you will be happy.

[RagAss]

4. The people....I visited Omaha several times and found folks to be very

friendly and genuine.

[PaddyBlueEyes]

5. where did you move

from?

[firedupdem]

7. the burbs of Detroit....born and raised in Chicago. I'm a city girl...

this is culture shock!

[PaddyBlueEyes]

8. I can imagine

Im a Native Noo Yawker..who got stationed in Oklahoma. Holy Crap!

[OmahaBlueDog]

9. Ummm... yes

1. Doorley Zoo was mentioned, but here's a hint -- don't wait - go now. The desert dome is balmy all year round. It's one of the great places to go when it's cold.

2. Omaha's Old Market and Lincoln's Haymarket are filled with fun boutiques and great bars.

3. The Joslyn is a world class art museum. http://www.joslyn.org/ Also worth a look are The Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden (at UNL) and the Museum of Nebraska Art (at UNK).

4. The Durham Museum features outstanding exhibits on the history of the region and partners with the Smithsonian and National Archives. http://www.durhammuseum.org/

5. "Dixie Quicks Magnolia Room", "Amato's Cafe and Catering", "Big Mama's Kitchen" and "BrewBurgers" have all been featured on Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive - ins, and Dives" on Food Network.

6. The world's premier museum dedicated to the-quilt-as-art is in Lincoln. The International Quilt Study Center is operated in conjunction with UNL. www.quiltstudy.org

7. Creighton Basketball is generally an outstanding product.

8. Lake McConaughy in Western Nebraska is a great place to fish, jet ski, or relax with the family. http://www.lakemcconaughy.com/

9. Tons of local/community theater in Nebraska.

10. Nebraska has the same movie theaters and chain restaurants found in pretty much every other city in America. If you must get to a larger venue or a pro sports town, KC is an easy drive from Omaha or Lincoln, and Denver is an easy dricve from anywhere North Platte or west.

[firedupdem]

14. Thank you for this!! I appreciate it...

I'm in Beatrice....I've been through Lincoln a bit but not Omaha. I'm going to start checking these venues out. I didn't realize until just recently how close I was to KC (duh!) Thanks again....I will keep you posted as I explore.


:toast:

I have to get out of this funk...I'm missing home instead of trying to look around here.

[OmahaBlueDog]

15. Beatrice would be a cultural shocker

I moved to Omaha from South Florida 2.5 years ago. Omaha and Lincoln are quite livable by big city standards, but if I'd gone to someplace like Beatrice or Crete, I think my family would not have been best pleased. Seriously, though, there's a lot to like here.

We did a weekend in KC about a year ago. I did Priceline, and did the 4* hotel at a 2* price. I ended up in the Hyatt near the Crown Center. We did the Hallmark Visitor center, Union Station, The Liberty Memorial and WWI museum, and ate BBQ at Jack Stack Barbeque. It was a blast.

[firedupdem]

17. Whenever we drive through Lincoln or the few times I've been in

Omaha I know I can live in those places. I'm happy my husband got a job with a company here but I'm losing my mind. My son is actually okay..he has friends and he's involved in sports so that's a good thing....but me.....I'm going absolutely nuts.

You have really good suggestions for fun stuff. Bball is almost over so we can get out of here for a weekend.

[MajorChode]

20. NE is centrally located to a lot of interesting destinations

I haven't spent much time in NE other than making fuel stops while flying over, but I do find myself passing through a lot. In almost any direction you go there are great things to do. As previously mentioned KC is not far, but there's also a lot of other fun places that are yours within a 3 day weekend. Chicago is not far. Mt. Rushmore/Crazy Horse are not to far away and are well worth seeing. Custer's last stand is worth seeing if you're in the neighborhood. There's tons of things to do in the Denver area. Yellowstone would be a good trip if you can get away for a week. Iowa has some beautiful countryside and is great for a B&B relaxing weekend getaway.

[OmahaBlueDog]

21. Within a day of Omaha

Chicago (a little over 7 hours)
Denver (just under 8 hours)
Minneapolis (a solid 6 + hours)
St. Louis (see Minneapolis)
KC (an easy 3 hours)
Des Moines (2 hours)

Rapid City (9 hours if you take the interstate; about 11 hours if you take the far more scenic NE-2)

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

22. I know where Beatrice is

and I've spent some time in Hastings, Clay Center, Sutton, Ong and a few other towns in the area -- my family has farm land around there. It's actually interesting country if you like birdwatching, other nature-related stuff. But there's not much night life...

[MrSlayer]

11. I've heard the corn is nice there.

And then there is the corn.

[OmahaBlueDog]

12. I prefer the cattle to which we feed the corn

Medium rare with a bottle of Malbec

[MrSlayer]

16. Ah yes.

I'm a big fan of Omaha Steaks.

[Kali]

13. volunteer for something

[Oldtimeralso]

18. The State Tree

A Telephone Pole.

[KamaAina]

36. I believe Arbor Day originated in Nebraska

:P

[GoddessOfGuinness]

19. I've never been; but here are a couple of things that look interesting in the SE

http://www.visitnebraska.gov/index.php?option=com_myplanner&task=detail&cat=attractions&id=2000013&Itemid=1

http://www.visitnebraska.gov/index.php?option=com_myplanner&task=detail&cat=attractions&id=2000346&Itemid=1

http://www.visitnebraska.gov/index.php?option=com_myplanner&task=detail&cat=attractions&id=2000197&Itemid=1

[ogneopasno]

23. Not with that attitude!

[carlyhippy]

24. Valentine is kinda pretty

North Platte has some stuff to do, I don't know, I only drive thru Nebraska, have only stopped in those 2 places.

[Lil Missy]

25. Yes. ME!

:bounce:

[Heidi]

28. Indeed!

:hug:

[Abies]

26. I grew up there

Some of the nice things in Omaha and Lincoln have been mentioned up thread. Lincoln also has some great state museums and the capital building is neat to see, especially if you go higher up. Omaha's Western Heritage Museum (Durham Museum now) is a beautiful Art Deco building worth seeing. The Crawford, Chadron, and Valentine areas are wonderful for outdoor recreation. Fort Robinson State Park is a favorite, and the small museum there is a gem.

Closer to you, Nebraska City is a nice place for a day visit. Arbor Lodge State Park has some wonderful trees there in addition to the former home of J. Sterling Morton (home of Arbor Day), and the apple orchards are wonderful in fall. It was a family tradition to get some apples and fresh cider in the fall as the trees were changing color and I think the Ntl. Arbor Day Foundation has some attractions there. The SAC Museum and Mahoney and Platte River State Parks (all between Lincoln and Omaha) are good, too.

Good luck.

[raccoon]

27. Charles Starkweather was. Oh, well, not nice, but interesting to read about. nt

[Lil Missy]

31. Oh now, that was about 50 years ago. Good grief!

John Joubert was in the 80's and scared the holy piss out of me. Ever hear of him?

[raccoon]

32. Just read about him on wikipedia. Is there a book about him, I wonder? nt

[Lil Missy]

34. I don't know if there is a book about him. But he had this city seized with fear at the time.

He killed young boys, and tortured them and cut their balls off after he was done sexually molesting them.

I had a son in his age radar at the time. I was horrified.

He got braver and started this shit in daylight, and got caught trying to take a kid out of a day care. He was convicted for killing kids here and given the death penalty. And also found to be responsible for killing a kid in Maine.

Sorry, but I think the death penalty is too kind for assholes like that. He did a "come to Jesus" thing on the news before his death sentence was carried out.

Sorry bud. Let me cut YOUR balls and dick off, and shove them down YOUR throat. Find Jesus in your afterlife.

[Lil Missy]

41. Sorry, but shit like that makes me FOR a death penalty. There are no redeeming qualities with that.

He even confessed on the news that he would do it again if given the chance.

Do YOU want someone like that out on probation in 10 years? I sure don't.

[Swede]

29. Strange as it sounds,I had the best Mexican food ever in a Nebraska diner.

Sorry,I cannot remember the diner.

[huskerlaw]

30. Beatrice, eh? Sorry!

Try to spend as much time as you can in Lincoln. It's not that far away from you, and it's actually a decent place to be. Depending on your children's ages, the Children's Museum in Lincoln is fabulous. If you're interested in sports, there's always the Huskers. Even if you're not interested in sports, I highly recommend going to one football game. It's a do-no-miss experience, trust me on this. If you can't afford the tickets, go to the red & white game in the spring. The red & white game is a glorified scrimmage, but you'll get a little taste of the Huskers for $10/ticket. It's April 18th, tickets available here: http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=1&SPID=22&DB_OEM_ID=100&ATCLID=3654616

I've been gone from Lincoln for 3 years, but I still miss Lazlo's in the Haymarket (and there's one in South Lincoln as well). Fabulous food and in-house microbrews. There's an indy movie theater on the UNL campus. If you haven't eaten at Runza, you're missing out, big time. Lamar's has the best donuts EVER.

If I think of more, I'll be back. Good luck!

[OmahaBlueDog]

35. ...and there's also a Lazlo's in West O

I've been to all 3. Best.Brewpub.Ever

I still don't know how dumb the folks in Fremont; I'm told they had a Lazlo's and let it go out of business.

[mnhtnbb]

33. Omaha Zoo is lots of fun for kids and adults. The College World Series of Baseball

is played right across from the zoo in summer, if you like baseball.

The Lied Center for Performing Arts in Lincoln used to get some great shows. (We lived in Lincoln
from 1994-2000).

Husker football is a very big deal in the fall--but be prepared to pay for scalped tickets if you want to go to a game. (Season tickets are often source of fight during divorce proceedings).

There were some terrific antique malls between Lincoln and Omaha along Interstate 80 when we lived there--if you like that kind of thing. Prices were fairly reasonable.

There were bowling alleys, indoor roller skating and ice skating rinks for winter activity.

Good luck. We moved from Lincoln to Chapel Hill, NC in 2000 and I LOVE IT HERE! I will
never go back to Nebraska. When we moved, I swore they should change the state motto
to "Ignorant and Proud of It!"

[no name no slogan]

37. Yes, a totally kickass band called "For Against"

They've been around for 20+ years, and are absolutely amazing. Go see them play if you get the chance.

Bio from AllMusic.com:
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:2hdsa9rgb23f

Brief live clip of "Autocrat" (recorded in 2008):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvhtLIhm4Cc

[YellowRubberDuckie]

38. Nope. Just corn.

Sorry. :shrug:
Duckie

[KamaAina]

39. Isn't there a small town there that is known for bookstores?

I must be thinking of Brownville (arts 'n' stuff too!):

http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2006/01/28/nebraska/doc43d14c2592986449928324.prt

BROWNVILLE — The river brought life to Brownville; a railroad stole it away. But the brick buildings that haunted Willa Cather in 1894 with their forgotten, rotten boom town glory remained, eventually luring other artistic folks as well....

With no real intent, Smith fired off an e-mail about Brownville to "Book King" Richard Booth of Hay-on-Wye, Wales, a remote village that now has 38 bookstores.

"I never expected him to write me back," Smith said, "but he did."

In 2003, the self-crowned Book King raised his scepter and decreed Brownville a Book Town.

[TK421]

40. I don't know, but if you ever come across THESE kids.....RUN!!!!!!

[Homer Wells]

42. If the world as we know it were to end

it would take at least 20 years for you to find out about it.

[harmonicon]

43. I think so!

I spent 6 weeks in Nebraska City and had a fantastic time. I've also had good times in Omaha....