Things to Do in Nebraska, United States: City Guides

Nebraska is a Great Plains state shaped by rivers, trails, railroads and agriculture. From the Missouri River and the Platte River to the open prairie of the west, its broad landscapes tell the story of Indigenous communities, migration and settlement. Neywo offers free audio guides for three cities in Nebraska, with 120 narrated places across eight walking tours, available in 11 languages.

What to see and do in Nebraska

Follow the state’s rivers and historic routes

Nebraska’s name comes from an Otoe or Omaha word meaning “flat water”, referring to the Platte River. The river runs through the state and remains central to its geography and history. The Missouri River forms part of Nebraska’s eastern border, while routes connected to the Lewis and Clark Expedition crossed the region.

For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples lived on these plains, including the Omaha, Missouria, Ponca, Pawnee, Otoe and branches of the Lakota. Their history is an essential part of understanding Nebraska before European exploration and later settlement.

Explore the story of Fort Atkinson

Fort Atkinson was established in 1819 just east of present-day Fort Calhoun. It was the first United States Army post west of the Missouri River. The fort reflects an early stage in the United States’ expansion across the interior, before large-scale settlement transformed the region.

Nebraska was also sought by Spain and France, adding to the state’s layered history of competing claims, exploration and movement.

Experience the open landscapes of the Great Plains

Western Nebraska is largely part of the Great Plains. Its defining landscape is treeless prairie, with a scale that can feel far removed from the state’s towns and cities. Nebraska covers more than 77,000 square miles but has only about two million residents, helping explain the spacious character of many areas.

The landscape changes as you travel east. The Dissected Till Plains have gently rolling hills and include Nebraska’s largest cities, Omaha and Lincoln. Together, these regions create a long transition from the rolling terrain of the east to the expansive prairie of the west.

The climate changes across the same distance. Eastern Nebraska has a humid continental climate, while the west is mainly semi-arid. Temperatures can vary widely between winter and summer. Spring and summer may bring severe thunderstorms and tornadoes, with tornadoes sometimes occurring in autumn as well. In winter and early spring, Chinook winds can warm the state significantly.

Discover Nebraska’s rail and agricultural heritage

Westward migration accelerated Nebraska’s development. The Homestead Acts brought thousands of settlers seeking federally granted land, while the transcontinental railroad crossed the state. Agriculture grew alongside the new communities and remains a major part of Nebraska’s identity and economy.

The state produces beef, pork, wheat, corn, soybeans and sorghum. Nebraska is also a major producer of ethanol biofuels, with agriculture offering potential for energy from biomass. Railroads remain equally important. Union Pacific is headquartered in Omaha, and the original transcontinental route runs through Nebraska.

In North Platte, Bailey Yard is the world’s largest railroad classification yard. It is one of the clearest examples of how rail connections continue to shape the state’s economy and landscape.

Visit Nebraska’s main cities

Most Nebraska cities are small: 89 percent have fewer than 3,000 people. Omaha and Lincoln are the state’s largest urban centers, offering much of its most visible cultural life.

In the state capital, Lincoln, the Lied Center for Performing Arts is part of a lively cultural scene. Neywo’s Lincoln audio guide includes 19 narrated places, among them the William Jennings Bryan House, Great Plains Art Museum, International Quilt Study Center & Museum and Museum of American Speed.

On the Missouri River, Omaha combines history, arts and sport. Its cultural venues include the Orpheum Theatre and Holland Performing Arts Center, while the Omaha Symphony adds to the city’s performing-arts life. The city also has a local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, founded by African Americans to work for improved conditions in Omaha and across the state.

Omaha’s Neywo guide covers 98 narrated places, including USS Hazard, Durham Museum, Joslyn Art Museum and El Museo Latino. The city has also hosted the College World Series since 1950.

Kearney offers a smaller-scale introduction to Nebraska’s heritage. Its three narrated places include the Museum of Nebraska Art, Former Cathedral of St. James and Saint Luke’s Protestant Episcopal Church.

Look for Nebraska’s distinctive cultural traditions

Nebraska’s culture reflects the communities that settled and built lives across the state. It has notably large Czech American and non-Mormon Danish American populations as a share of its total population.

Local traditions also appear in food and popular culture. Edwin Perkins created Kool-Aid in Hastings in 1927. The city celebrates that history each August with Kool-Aid Days, and Kool-Aid is Nebraska’s official soft drink. From performing arts in Lincoln and Omaha to baseball and a drink known far beyond the state, Nebraska’s cultural identity often grows from strong local traditions.

Understand Nebraska’s political character

Nebraska has an unusual political structure: it is the only American state with a single-house legislature. Its members are called senators and are elected without official party labels.

This system is part of the state’s practical, community-focused identity, alongside its small towns, major rail connections and close relationship with agriculture and the land.

Explore Nebraska with the Neywo audio guide

Neywo has free audio guides for three Nebraska cities: Kearney, Lincoln and Omaha. Together, they include 120 narrated places across eight walking tours. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages.

If you are planning a wider trip through the United States, Neywo can help you explore Nebraska’s cities while you walk, from major cultural institutions in Omaha and Lincoln to historic places in Kearney.