Nebraska Association of Bed and Breakfasts

The Metro Region
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More than half of Nebraska's total population resides within the Metro Region. Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska's two largest cities, are surrounded by open space and farmland, creating a unique mix of rural and urban living. This is the cultural hub of Nebraska, with top-notch museums, art galleries and theater. There is much to experience here, from the state capitol in Lincoln, to the Joslyn Art Museum for the visual arts in Omaha, to the Cowboy Music Show in Ashland.

Magnificent views of the Missouri River can be found at the Mt. Vernon Gardens in Omaha, a small version of George Washington's Mount Vernon estate situated atop a Missouri River bluff. Down below, scenic cruises on the Missouri River provide a different perspective of the river culture that has thrived here for generations. Omaha's Old Market, a turn-of-the-century brick marketplace with brick streets, is home to many fine restaurants and quaint shops.

The Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha is incredible. Among many other things, it boasts the largest nocturnal exhibit in the world, home to more than 75 animal species. Visitors are treated to four unique nocturnal environments: a canyon area, with fishing cats and naked mole rats; an African diorama, where one can stand inside a Baobab tree; a wet cave complete with stalagmites, stalactites, and blind cave fish; and finally a Eucalyptus Forest, home to Parma wallabies and other Australian animals.

The museums in and around Lincoln touch on a wide variety of subjects, from Alexander Graham Bell's first telephones at the Frank H. Woods Telephone Pioneer Museum to the evolution of roller skating at the National Museum of Roller Skating (the only museum of its kind in the world). The University of Nebraska State Museum of Natural History and Mueller Planetarium in Lincoln is home to an outstanding collection of fossil elephants, a large selection of Nebraska fossils, dinosaurs and American Indian exhibits.

Thousands of acres of unique saline wetlands are found in Lancaster and Sanders counties, in the area around Lincoln. The Lincoln Saline Wetlands Nature Center offers walking trails, scenic overlooks and informational programs. Closer to Raymond is the Little Salt Creek Wildlife Management Area, where open prairie and grasslands compliment the saline marshlands. After a day out and about, Lincoln's Historic Haymarket District is the perfect place to wind down at the end of the day. This beautifully restored warehouse district has fantastic restaurants, sidewalk cafes, galleries and unique shops.