Away from the Crowds in Nebraska

Nebraska is a landlocked state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is officially known as the Cornhusker State.

The Bigfoot Crossroads of America Museum is all about the forest-dwelling cryptid Bigfoot. You can find out all about him at this museum in Hastings. The museum was established by local resident Harriet McFeely, who traveled the world collecting stories and information from Bigfoot believers. Her collection includes 2000-year-old skulls, hand and foot casts, and a photo of “Patty,” a Bigfoot captured on film in 1967.

Carhenge is the creation of Jim Reinders along with the help of his family and friends. They took old cars and arranged them after the original Stonehenge in England. All 38 of the major stones found at Stonehenge in the form of vehicles are represented. The automobiles, which include a handful of cars, a pickup truck, an ambulance, and a 1962 Cadillac as the keystone, have been painted gray. Carhenge is located in Alliance and now also includes the Car Art Reserve, which has more car sculptures.

The Chef Boyardee Statue in Omaha is a life-size bronze statue of the real chef Ettore Boiardi. It stands outside of the office building for ConAgra Brands. The man himself anglicized his name as Chef Hector Boyardee and started selling spaghetti sauce and dinners. This statue, by Omaha sculptor John Lajba, was erected in 2011.

Chimney Rock is a landmark that looms over the North Platte River valley in western Nebraska by the Oregon Trail, along which many settlers passed on their way to the American West. The rock consists of layers of volcanic ash, clay, and sandstone. Visitors can get information at the Ethel and Christopher J, Abbot Visitor Center. A museum tells about the history of Chimney Rock and the western Nebraska region.

Fort Robinson State Park in Harrison was operated as a military camp from 1873 until after WWII. Many of the original buildings survive. The US government established a military camp to aid with the uprisings by 13,000 Lakota Indians forced off their lands of the Northern Great Plains. Fort Robinson became a remount depot for the breeding and training of horses and mules for military service. The fort was abandoned by the U.S. Army in 1947 and was used by the USDA as a livestock research station until the early 1970s. Today Fort Robinson State Park has officer quarters for rent and a museum with materials found in an old warehouse.

The Nebraska National Forest is the largest man-made forest in the US. The forest consists of ponderosa pines and grassy plains. The forest's current nursery supplies up to three million seedlings per year.

The Pioneers Park Pillars are four iconic columns from the Treasury Department building. The columns stand outside of Lincoln in the Pioneers Park. They arrived at the park in 1916. At the Treasury Department in Washington, D.C., renovations were being done in 1908, and thirty sandstone columns were detached from the building. Unfortunately, there was no money set aside, and the columns ended up in a vacant lot, slowly sinking into the ground. In 1916, Commissioner of the District Excise Board, Cotter T. Bride, paid to have four of the columns shipped to Lincoln in honor of Nebraska politician William Jennings Bryan.

The Sunken Gardens are listed among the “300 Best Gardens to Visit in the US and Canada” by the National Geographic “Guide to Public Gardens.” It is located in Lincoln and has lovely tulips in the spring and vibrant summer blooms. You can enjoy art installations in the winter.

The Villagers in Taylor is the creative project of local artist Marah Sandoz, who cut out and painted some plywood to look like friendly townsfolk and set them up strategically around town.

These are life-sized cut-outs in black and white made to look like people who would have lived here between 1890 and 1920. Since 2003, the artist has created six per year, and some of these characters resemble the people who own the property they are placed on.