Nebraska seems to stretch as far as the eye can see, its expanse of grass-covered flat plains giving the impression of a sea of green around you when you first see them. Nebraska is a place where you get the impression that you are alone in the world. You can find places out on the prairies where the next town is far beyond the horizon, and where the only clue that anyone else is around is the fact that you are on the road. If you are looking for a place where you can genuinely escape from the bustle of the city and find true peace and quiet away from anyone else, the Nebraska Panhandle is the place you should head for.

Away from the main cities like Omaha, Nebraska often gives the impression of being an unfriendly place, where nature is untamed, but if you look closer, you will soon find that instead of wilderness, Nebraska has become the breadbasket of the USA. A century ago, the plains of the state were labeled as being the Great American Desert, a place that was as unfit for man as it was for crops, but all this has been changed.

Where coarse grasses once grew, there are now fields of wheat that stretch for miles, where the ground was dustbowl and there are irrigation channels, and where there was once nothing, there is now life. In a very real way, the modern world defined Nebraska, and although when you explore the state it seems as though civilization is a long way away from you, it does in fact surround you at every turn.

Nebraska Map

Nebraska tourism has taken off over the last few years thanks to an increase in interest that people around the world have developed for this remarkable place. Largely spurred on by the opportunity to experience the unforgettable majesty of the plains, and see the wide open spaces for themselves, people have come from all over the world. While Nebraska may not offer attractions like Disneyworld or the Grand Canyon for visitors, it offers something much more important - the chance to discover something real about yourself.

On the banks of the Platte River - the main source of water in the state, and its lifeblood, you can try your hand fishing for trout and even salmon during certain times of the year. The river feeds through the state, flowing east from the Rocky Mountains towards the Mississippi, and eventually the sea. The river is one of the few features of the landscape that is permanent, one of the few things that appears unchanging, between its rocky banks, it reflects the blue sky, and carries with it the spirit of the land.

Of course, Nebraska is not just poetic landscapes and endless fields, there are towns and cities. Lincoln Nebraska is a modern and thriving place that offers all the creature comforts that you would expect. Excellent shopping, a first class theatre, and fascinating museums that chart the history of the state and tell the story of how the west was conquered a hundred years ago by the pioneers.