We have discovered that one of our favorite things to do is explore our great state with the Nebraska Passport as our guide. In 2022 we were only able to log a few stops due to my health issues but we sure made the most of that time. We hit a few spots before my surgery in June and then celebrated the end of my sitting protocol by taking an overnight trip at the end of September - the final two days of the Passport. We had several options for those two days – explore the stops in and around Omaha, stay around the southeast corner of the state, or head west. We chose the last option and were not disappointed with our decision.
We started the first day by stopping at a fun shop in Beatrice called Clean Slate Soap on Court Street.. It smelled so good the minute we walked in the door where we were greeted by the owner who told us that all of the soaps are made right there on site. We bought some shampoo bars for Christmas stockings as well as a mini soap lift for our guest bathroom. She also had a lot of fun home decor and seasonal items in the store.
Our next stop was in Plymouth where we were planning to visit P-Town’s Daily Grind and Boutique. Unfortunately they were closed when we arrived. We punched our stamp anyway - which I felt a little guilty about doing as it seemed like cheating - but will aim to visit another time when they are open.
Next we headed to Edgar to visit the Sugar Shack Candle Company. This was another great smelling stop with lots of seasonal and home decor items as well as their well-known candles. It would have been interesting to see how they make the candles but unfortunately that was not part of the stop. I did purchase several candles for Christmas gifts and to use in my sewing room where I always have a candle burning when I’m working. And we received a tea light candle as a Passport gift.
The next leg of our trip took us through Hastings to the small town of Juniata where we stopped for dessert at Michelle’s Scrumptious Bakery. It smelled good there too. I’m sensing a theme on this trip!! There I purchased a loaf of Garlic Parmesan Bread and we received two cookies as a Passport gift. They were the perfect afternoon snack.
Our final stop for the day was at Mac’s Creek Winery in Lexington where we were able to get a stamp on our Nebraska Wine Passport. It was a beautiful fall day and we enjoyed a glass of wine while sitting outside on their deck. My cousin Jim also joined us and we had a great time reminiscing about trips to visit our grandparents when they lived in Lexington. Before heading to the winery, however, we stopped at the Dawson County Museum to deliver my aunt’s majorette uniform that she wore when she was a student at Lexington High School. Included with the uniform was her baton and two photos of her wearing the uniform - one when she was in school and another many years later. The curator was thrilled to have those items for their collection. We also drove by the two homes where my grandparents lived and visited their graves at the cemetery. We ended the evening with dinner at Johnson Lake where I have fun memories of staying at my grandparent’s cabin while I was growing up. Grandma would just love it if she knew we were “out the lake”.
We spent the night in Lexington and began the second leg of our journey the next morning. I’ll recap those stops at a later date so be sure to check out my upcoming blog posts.
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