Lincoln Things to Do

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VISIT THE WORLD'S LARGEST PUBLICLY HELD COLLECTION OF QUILTS. This is the International Quilt Study Center and Museum, in a sparkling new building in Lincoln, Nebraska.

There are rotating exhibitions. For example, from May 23 to November 15, 2009, the exhibition "American Quilts in the Modern Age, 1870-1940" will be on display.

There is a virtual gallery, with life-size projections of nearly 600 quilts, an interactive timeline and a recording booth to share stories. You can even "make" your own quilt on a computer screen and send it home to your computer!

See the conservation workroom, where stored quilts are brought out every two years, examined and treated as needed, then refolded in a different pattern to avoid permanent creases.

admission: adults $5, children $3, children under 5 free. Families: two adults with children or grandchildren under age 18 for $10. Hours: Tues-Sat 20 to 4:30, Sunday 1-4:30 Closed Mondays, major holidays, and during Univ. of Nebraska winter break.

The natural history museum in Nebraska is world-renowned and well worth the parking hassle. Attached is a wonderful Planetarium, and when you're out at night, you can actually see the stars you learned about here!

Morrill Hall has many types of natural history remains that you don't find anywhere else. They are set in natural-like murals that enhance your understanding of Nebraska, time, and all living and extinct things. Many are recreated. It is a great place to take kids.

Lincoln is home to the National Roller Skating Museum which is kind of neat. Roller Skating Nationals happen in Lincoln at Pershing Auditorium every year.
I REALLY enjoy seeing all the fossils and recreated mammoths at Morrill Hall...They really did a neat job on that building. Oh, and it has a planetarium too...the show I went to recently was a little fuzzy, but it was still cool.
I love the two biggest parks in town and their trails: Pioneers and Wilderness. Pioneers has the nature center and buffalo and Wilderness is the more...rugged of the two.
The Germans from Russia museum is nice, but I think better when the tour is guided.
The capital gives free tours and on certain days you can tour the Governor's mansion as well.
The sunken gardens are gorgeous and they are redoing the rose garden outside the children's zoo.
The Hyde Observatory is a neat free thing to do at night...you can go and watch the stars.
One thing I haven't gotten to yet, but I want to check out is Speedway motors which has a really extensive historical car collection and oddly enough, a very extensive antique lunchbox collection.
OH YES, and the quilt museum opens this spring. The building looks neat, I can't wait to see the inside.
The Sheldon is okay, but last time I went, there wasn't much in my taste there...if you like extremely modern art (the white paint on white canvas or a piece of bread glued to paper) you would really enjoy it.
A fun little tidbit...if you drive (or bike) around Lincoln, there are bike sculptures spread out all over.
I love the bike trails and by 2009 there will be the new addition of a biking bridge over 27th Street between Y and Vine.
I know of two dog runs in Lincoln, if you have pets and my dogs LOVE to take walks around Holmes lake.
For fun cuisine...there are always new restaurants opening up in the downtown and Haymarket areas. :)

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"O" STREET IS THE MAIN DRAG THROUGH TOWN FROM EAST TO WEST. YOU CAN see a great deal of the town from "O" Street. It takes you within a couple of blocks of the University of Nebraska and it takes you to the mall in the eastern part of town.

I am told by another VT'er that O Street is the "longest straight main street in the world" because it extends from Milford, Nebraska on the west through Lincoln and on to Eagle, Nebraska on the eastern end, without a single curve in the road! Now there's some real trivia for you.

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This is one of the best zoo's i've been to. It may not have all the big animals other zoos have, but makes up for that by creating a fun atmosthere for young and old, nice places to view the animals, and things that can be hard to find in other zoos. The grounds are laid out well and there is something to see around every corner. If you visit lincoln, be sure to check out their zoo, It's a nice little walk and is fun for all ages.

For more information please visit the site below.

Just as the ancient people of Mesopotamia had their ziggurats and step temples dedicated to the honor of celestial gods, so too do we in the United States have our hieratic state capitols. Lincoln's is an especially eloquent parable in stone.

The Nebraska State Capitol was constructed over a ten-year period, between 1922 and 1932.

The Haymarket is the an old warehouse section of town, but they've really fixed it up in recent years. Now it is the place to go on Saturday mornings for the farmers market, or at night to eat at one of the great restaurants, or to hang out at one of the coffee houses.

The Abendmusik Concert Series has several concerts per year at First-Plymouth Congregational Church.

It's a wonderful Art Deco style building, with great acoustics.

The concerts include choral/orchestra, organ, and a variety of other types.
Ticket prices are moderate.

The concert schedule is on the web at http://www.abendmusik.org

First, I would recommend going to a Nebraska Football game. It's an amazing experience. On game days, 70,000+ are in attendance (the stadium becomes the 3rd largest city in Nebraska)
Also, I would recommend checking out Sunken Gardens, the Folsom Children's Zoo, going to a Lincoln Saltdogs baseball game, take in a performance at the Lied Center (www.unl.edu/lied) Also, take a tour of the Nebraska state capitol building. Kids would really enjoy the Lincoln Children's museum
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Everyone mentions football games, because that's The Thing in Lincoln during the fall. If crowds bother you, you might want to skip that (although the hot dogs at the stadium are first-rate; even New Yorkers like 'em!).

The most underappreciated quality about Lincoln is the bike trails. The town itself is very flat and without high-altitude, so it makes cycling a breeze! The slow drivers don't present a huge hazard, if you decide to ride the streets. But I recommend you grab your camera, pack a lunch, and hit the trails. It's a nice day's journey just riding around.