“To experience western Nebraska is to experience the Old West,” says Micheal Collins, group travel manager with the Nebraska Tourism Commission. “This is a land filled with history and culture, from the Native American tribes who first settled this wild region to fur traders and trappers looking for fortune to early pioneers and ranchers searching for a better way of life out West.”
For travelers seeking out the area’s Old West history, the commission offers a four-day itinerary titled Western Nebraska’s Buffalo Bill, Oregon Trail, Pioneer Experience. The tour covers sites like the Golden Spike Tower & Visitor Center, which boasts the world’s largest railroad classification yard; Scotts Bluff National Monument; and the Buffalo Bill State Historical Park, once home to Col. William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody.
Visitors will take wagon rides to the Lincoln County Historical Museum, learn the story of the North Platte Canteen and dodge robbers while exploring a re-created Old West town. They’ll see Native American artifacts and art at the Petrified Wood Gallery and visit the most recognized landmark on the Oregon Trail, Chimney Rock National Historic Site. They’ll also discover wagon ruts that are still visible at the base of the summit near the North Platte River, hand feed bison at Monkey Ranch and experience some notable dining at places like Beehaven Farm Roadside Market.
For more information and the full itinerary, email Collins or go to visitnebraska.com.
Top photo: Dusty Trails Giggling Bandits
Photo by Nebraska Tourism Commission
