My wife and I have spent a fair amount of time traveling throughout Nebraska (including through Valentine, so you know I have my bona fides). Yes, it’s a bit flat for those used to localities with variances in elevation but since you’re from Kansas it’ll look a lot like home.
I can definitely second the recommendation of the Golden Spike Tower in North Platte – it’s a huge (not incredibly tall, but lots of square footage) observation room that’ll let you look at an amazing number of train tracks in use.
The Archway is worth a stop if you’re around Kearney – it’s a U.S. Westward Expansion-oriented museum with some pretty good displays.
The moon and sun didn’t plan the lunar eclipse to coincide with the annual migration of sandhill cranes through Nebraska, but if you’re ever back around Kearney in March or early April, the Audubon Society has a nature center near Kearney that’s perfectly situated for seeing about 13 kajillion sandhill cranes.
If you find yourself on the western side of the state, the national monuments for Chimney Rock and Scotts Bluff are interesting – there’s a lot of Oregon Trail-related history that’s preserved in that corner of Nebraska and the southeastern corner of Wyoming (I can’t remember if there are actual ruts preserved in NE, but there are definitely some in WY).
Also on the western side of the state, Agate Fossil Beds National Monument near Harrison (“near” being a relative descriptor here in the West, as you know) has some really cool displays and some interesting hiking trails. That part of Nebraska is somewhere that you kind of have to want to go to – lots of lonesome roads.
Since you said you’re up for something quirky, you could do worse than stop in at Ole’s Big Game Steakhouse in Paxton, which is just off I-80 in SW NE.
Also, close to Beatrice, there is the National Homestead Museum, and close to Auburn is Brownsville, oldest town in Nebraska and good place to find used books. Nebraska City is close to Auburn and has Lied Lodge and is the town Arbor Day started.
Thanks to everyone for the replies. I will check them out, there’s plenty of time. chacoguy, Pioneer Village sounds just like the kind of thing I was looking for.
But…but there’s the National Museum of Rollerskating down on South Street! A must-see! (Ah, who am I kidding? I lived in Lincoln for five years and was never remotely tempted to go in.)
If you’re in downtown Lincoln you can spend a pleasant afternoon at the various UNL museums and galleries - I always liked the Sheldon and Morrill Hall, and they’re both small enough not to be a major time commitment. Also check out the Haymarket down by the train station - there are usually a few good restaurants down there. And if architecture is your thing, have a wander through the State Capitol building - it’s moderately interesting and they do tours. (And if you see a crazy old black guy in a t-shirt wandering the halls, be sure to say hello to Ernie.)
Lincoln is a nice place to live but tourism-wise there’s not much to see.
Pretty close. It’s a ubiquitous bird. If you see them, it’s usually because they fly off the post as you approach. When they fly, they look like they have two nickels balanced on the corners of their tail. Also lots of western kingbirds and lark buntings.
I’m not sure if it’s true, but I read that the pioneer settlers fouind the plains to be devoid of birdlife and silent of bird song, except in migration or following buffalo herds. And house sparrows and starlings had not yet been introduced to the Americas. The common resident birds there now flourished in contact with human agriculture and land stewardship.
Anyone who travels to a new region of the country would be well advised to take along a birding field guide and a regional guide to wildflowers. And stay the hell off the interstate highways. There is a treasure out there that is so easily overlooked. The interstates make it possible to travel from coast to coast and see absolutely nothing.