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mistakenly identified as a sleepy Midwestern town, Lincoln, Nebraska
is actually a bustling city with arts and culture to rival many
other destinations. Lincoln is proud of its pioneer heritage, and
its many museums and children's activities focus on that heritage.
It is a beautiful and active state capital.
Lincoln's
museums bring the history of the Midwest to life and feature
exhibits of interest to children as well as adults. A special
children's museum and zoo are just two of the attractions earmarked
especially for families with children. Adults will enjoy the
governor's mansion and the Great Plains Art Collection. Lincoln's
cultural borders have expanded with museums dedicated to German and
Asian culture and immigration. The whole family will have fun at the
National Museum of Roller Skating, which traces the development of
this wonderful invention from 1819 to the present.
Twelve
thousand years of life on the plains are reviewed at the Museum of
Nebraska History, where displays focus on anthropology as well
as history. The Elephant Hall, a gallery of towering mammoth,
mastodon and four-tusk skeletons, is the highlight of the University
of Nebraska State Museum. A few blocks away, at 12th
and R Streets, the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery traces the
development of American art, and has a twenty-piece sculpture
garden.
The
Historic Haymarket also hearkens back to Lincoln's pioneer days. Its
unique galleries, shops, and restaurants are a great part of Lincoln
life. The State Capitol building is incredibly ornate and offers
lessons in the history and culture of the plains. The
76,000-seat Memorial Stadium at the northern end of campus on Vine
Street, is where the "Big Red" Cornhuskers chalk up an
amazing number of wins against their opponents.
Visitors
to Lincoln will be pleasantly surprised by the variety and extent of
the cultural offerings. Lincoln still has that endearing small town
feel, but is at the same time an up and coming city in the heartland
of America.
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