Hub & Spoke Lincoln
by Visit Lincoln Team
Day 1
Plant your roots in beautiful Lincoln for three fun-filled days as you explore the charming city and surrounding communities. With Lincoln as your home base, begin your first day with a coffee in hand as you enjoy a walking tour of downtown Lincoln, discovering how our unique local shops such as Eurasia The Russian Store, can transport you across the globe.
Nestled in the rolling hills of the Platte River Valley not far from Lincoln, enjoy lunch at Round the Bend Steakhouse in Ashland – a local favorite and home to the famous “Testicle Festival.” Next up, a private or group tour of the exhibits that fill the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum, spanning over 70 years of history. Indulge your sweet tooth with a world-renowned chocolate meltaway on your way back to Lincoln before a memorable dinner at one of our many diverse and delicious local restaurants. If lively music and echoed applause captures your attention on your evening stroll, pull up a chair for a live dueling piano show you won’t soon forget!
Recommendations from locals: Crescent Moon Coffee, Eurasia The Russian Store, Round the Bend Steakhouse, Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum, Bakers Candies, The Oven and Brewsky’s Food & Spirits.
Day 2
Rise and shine! Begin your second day in Lincoln with a tour of the nation’s first truly vernacular state capitol and get lost in the breathtaking interior artwork representing the natural, social and political
development of the state. Continue your morning with a stop at the Robber’s Cave. You will enjoy discovering the cave’s fascinating past on a cave tour with Joel Green, author of ROBBER’S CAVE: Truths, Legends, Recollections. Green, a local teacher and tour guide, tracks the cave’s ownership through the past century and beyond, which has included colorful characters to say the least, from the legends of the Central Plains Indians and Jesse James to the Underground Railroad. Enjoy discovering the geological and man-made origins of the cave.
Just south of Lincoln, beautiful vineyards await, complete with friendly locals eager to fill your glass with a sampling of red or white from Capitol View Winery & Vineyards. Enjoy a quiet evening under the star-sprinkled sky before returning to Lincoln just in time for a night cap or a night on the town!
Recommendations from locals: Nebraska State Capitol, Robber’s Cave, Capitol View Winery & Vineyards, The Other Room, Occidental and Starlite Lounge
Day 3
Adventure awaits on day three! Depart Lincoln with your sights set on Nebraska City, the home of Arbor Day, complete with 260 acres of peaceful nature to greet you. Take
a step back in time with a tour of Kregel Windmill Factory Museum, a time-capsule of early 20th century shop-type manufacturing and regroup for lunch in the beautiful Arbor Lodge.
With the farm as your playground for the afternoon, the opportunities for exploration and relaxation are endless. Stroll the wooded trails and reconnect with nature
or participate in a guided tour of the heart of the forest with an Arbor Day Farm Discovery Ride! Don’t leave town without a stop at Porter’s for a mouthwatering barbecue meal prepared on-site.
Recommendations from locals: Kregel Windmill Factory Museum, Arbor Day Lodge, Arbor Day Treetop Village, Arbor Day Discovery Ride and Porter’s.