More adventures with the Nebraska Passport....
The day after my July birthday we set off on a day trip in which we saw some of the most interesting things on our Passport travels. We began the day by stopping at Jilly’s Socks ‘n Such in Lincoln located at 48th and Old Cheney. It was a small but cute store full of socks, of course, but also other gift items. I bought a pair of light-weight compression socks that I wear when I am working on my long arm and standing all day on a cement floor.
Next we headed to Seward and the Chapters Books & Gifts Shop. Unfortunately there was nothing very special about this shop and we soon headed north to David City. There we discovered the Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art - a small museum with two galleries of art focused around agriculture. One gallery featured a Nebraska artist and the other a national artist. We thoroughly enjoyed this stop as the art was well done and nicely displayed.
After having a quick lunch in David City we aimed for the Platte County Museum in Columbus only to realize that they closed at 1:30 and we would not have enough time to see the exhibits. Instead we took a left turn and traveled to Genoa where we encountered the Indian School Interpretative Center - a Federal Boarding School for Native Americans that operated from 1884-1934. At its largest this school educated 600 students ages 4-22. We had no idea that such a school existed in Nebraska so we found the pictorial displays, campus model, and other displays very interesting.
We closed out the day by checking off two wineries on the Nebraska Wine Passport. The first was the Prairie Creek Winery in Central City which is located in a refurbished old building in their downtown. Then we had dinner at Schilling Bridge in the Fallbrook area of north Lincoln. The food was delicious and we were able to sit outside on their patio.
At the end of August we again ventured out for a day trip that took us as far west as Kearney. On the way we stopped in Wilber to get our stamp at the Wilber Czech Museum. Even though the museum has been closed due to the pandemic we had no guilt in collecting the stamp since we have been there so many times. (Actually the passport automatically gives a stamp for any venue that has closed during the program.) In Kearney we hit the jackpot and were able to collect four stamps - Fort Kearny State Historical Park where we strolled around the grounds that kept westward travelers safe during the mid-1800s, Barista’s Daily Grind on 2nd Ave where were enjoyed a dessert and hot chocolate, the Nebraska Firefighters Museum and Education Center where we saw several interesting vehicles and lots of equipment used in fighting fires, and the Classic Car Collection where we enjoyed seeing 210 cars of all makes and models.
We collected a stamp on our wine passport during our next stop in Gibbon at the George Spencer Tasting Room. They have a beautiful outdoor area and we enjoyed a mid afternoon glass of wine while we chatted with the owner. Dinner that evening was take-out from the Chances R Restaurant in York and we ended the day watching the sunset at Branched Oak Lake near Raymond.
Our final Nebraska Passport trek occurred in mid-September and included my parents. After a delicious lunch at Beyond Golf - Bar & Kitchen in LaVista, we enjoyed some shopping at The Next Chapter in downtown Omaha and Made In Omaha in Countryside Village. Next we traveled to Greenwood to visit the Bakers Candies Store - so many chocolates (and other goodies too!) it was hard to pick which ones to take home. At our last stop of the day - Cellar 426 in Ashland - we collected a stamp on both of our passports. We have visited this winery several times and always enjoy our experience as the atmosphere is so inviting.
We took advantage of the nice weather on October 11th and checked off three wineries on our Nebraska Wine Passport - James Arthur Vineyard in Raymond, Junto Winery near Seward, and the Glacial Till Tasting Room in Ashland. Although it was a bit windy that day we enjoyed the outdoor space at each venue while trying some new wines.
Now we sit back and wait for our grand prizes to arrive in the mail! Well actually we are enjoying the memories we made and looking forward to more adventures around our beautiful state in 2021!!