Cheap flights to Nebraska from £283

With its rich, flat, fertile plains, Nebraska is perfect farming country. Vast tracts of what was once prairie grassland are now ranches and farmland, although a few protected areas survive; in the west, some 3,000 acres surround the imposing, 244-metre sandstone escarpment of Scotts Bluff. Now the domain of walkers, cyclists and picnickers, it used to be an important landmark on the pioneer trails that criss-crossed the state. Nebraska’s two major cities are both in the east.

The largest, Omaha, has an excellent zoo and renowned community theatre. Downtown, the brick-paved streets of the historic Old Market district are lined with restaurants, shops, museums and art galleries. Some 100km southwest is the capital, Lincoln, with its grand State Capitol building, scattering of museums and plethora of city parks – there are more than 100. Midway between the two cities is the massive Strategic Air & Space Museum, where tourists gape at the gleaming aircraft and queue to take their turn on the Desert Storm simulator.

Nebraska climate

A typical Great Plains state, Nebraska has four seasons, complete with thunderstorms, droughts, blizzards, hailstorms, tornadoes, and occasional floods.Summers are hot and humid and July’s average temperatures are in the mid-20s (Celsius). Winters are cold and harsh with an average January temperature of -5 degrees. Snowfall varies from about 53cm (21 inches) in the southeast to about 115cm (45 inches) in the northwest corner. Spring and autumn are milder.Nebraska is in the tornado alley, and May and June are the peak months in the tornado season.

Getting around Nebraska

Buses and trains cross Nebraska from east to west on a regular basis. To really see the state though you need a car. I-80 is the fastest and least scenic route across the state, Hwy-2 offers lots of scenery, and US 26 in the panhandle goes along the Oregon Trail.

Downtown Omaha has bus service Sunday through Friday, and Lincoln runs local buses as well.

Apart from Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska is mostly uninhabited prairie, with lots of options for outdoor and river activities. Also check out the Cowboy Trail, which provides a network of good cycling, hiking, and horseback-riding trails.

What is good to know if travelling to Nebraska?

• Fans of the show Little House on the Prairie will love the Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer. It has an extensive collection of historical artifacts from the days of prairie life and offers blacksmithing and tinsmithing classes.
• Bird-lovers can’t miss the Rowe Sanctuary where visitors can view the migration of 500,000 sandhill cranes from observation blinds on the banks of the Platte River.
• Anyone who owns a quilt knows that it’s more than just a blanket. To some it’s an heirloom, to others it’s a piece of history. Visit the International Quilt Study Centre where you’ll find a fascinating collection of 2,000 quilts from 14 different countries.
• If you admire Art Deco architecture then head to Omaha. The city is home to some fine examples of the popular design movement: the Durham Western Heritage Museum and the Joslyn Art Museum. The former is the restored Union Station and provides an extensive look into Omaha’s history. The latter has an impressive collection of 19^th and 20^th century art from Europe and America.
• Always wanted to explore a rainforest but couldn’t make it to Brazil? Then head to the Lied Jungle at the Henry Doorly Zoo home to the world’s largest indoor rainforest. You can follow the footpaths to waterfalls, ponds and vegetation where exotic animals roam free; it’s almost as good as being in the Amazon.
• Go back in time and experience what life on a ranch was like at the Arthur Bowring Sandhills State Historical Park. It’s the last living history ranch in Nebraska and has been kept exactly the way it used to be in the 1800s. There’s also a museum on the grounds with displays of the owners’ personal belongings and artifacts that were used on the ranch.