The Nebraska Tourism Commission’s Micheal Collins says two of the organization’s up-and-coming itineraries for this year are centered on some well-known native wildlife: birds and buffalo.
Buffalo, Bones, and Books
“Western Nebraska is full of exciting group tour opportunities, especially along the aptly named Fossil Freeway (Highway 71) from Kimball to Chadron,” Collins says. The itinerary features ranch visits, where travelers can learn about the High Plains Region’s short grass prairie, and hand feed hay biscuits to buffalo. The journey is filled with important sites along the Oregon Trail, like Chimney Rock and Scotts Bluff National Monument. In remote Sioux County, the Agate Fossil Beds National Monument reveals mammal bones from the Miocene Epoch, and the adjacent Agate Springs Ranch houses fossils as well as a vast collection of Native American artifacts.
Buffett, Birds, and Beef
This six-day itinerary begins with a Warren Buffett driving tour. Groups will visit many of Buffett’s favorite spots in Omaha, including the renowned Gorat’s Steakhouse. Stops at The Rose Theatre and the Omaha Community Playhouse for a behind-the-scenes tour are also on the agenda. When guests arrive in Grand Island, they’ll visit Studio K Gallery for a painting session of the sandhill cranes and see the “Wings Over the Platte” exhibit at the Stuhr Museum of the Prairie. The experience will come full circle when they travel to Rowe Sanctuary near Kearney for a guided sunrise viewing of the cranes on the banks of the Platte River.
For more information, email Collins or go to visitnebraska.com/group_travel.
Top photo: Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
Photos by Nebraska Tourism
