Roam With Me! Nebraska Passport Stops

It's hard to believe -- as it is every year -- that summer vacation is about over, and I'll be returning to teaching soon. At the start of the summer, I made a plan to visit a lot of the Nebraska Passport stops, but I haven't managed to get to very many after all. Life has a way of waylaying things for us, but that's all right. I have visited 24 of the 80 stops so far, and I have until the end of September to get a few more in.

Of the ones I've visited, I've been really impressed by Crystal Forge in Omaha that is connected to Hot Shops, a collection of over 50 small shops presenting the work of over 80 local artists. While we were there, we stopped in Terry Koopman's photography shop, and my daughter immediately noticed a beautiful large black and white photo of the drive-in movie theater from right here in Neligh. She then found two other large black and white photos of other spots from Neligh. Terry, a very friendly man, said, "What can I say? I like Neligh." We told him of some other places to photograph on his next stop through town.

Another amazing and startling find for us was Bootleg Brewers in the country near Taylor. We weren't expecting the large metal barn-like building that we came upon when we turned that final curve in the long and bumpy gravel road. And we certainly weren't expecting the large and numerous kilns we saw once we went inside the building. I should have had a beer, I know, but I can't pass up a chance to try a Bloody Mary in every new bar I visit because I'm on a quest to find the best one out there. Bootleg Brewers' was pretty darn good.

I also like to see where I can find great mango smoothies. So far, both Sip Espresso Bar in Columbus and 4th Street Coffee House in Stromsburg have delivered well. The great thing about the Passport program is that it takes you to places you would normally never see. I've passed through both Columbus and Stromsburg many times, but I never knew about either of those coffee bars until I saw them in my passport booklet.

I'd never imagined that there might be a windmill museum out there anywhere, let alone in Nebraska City, but that's exactly where you can find the Kregel Windmill Museum. Seeing that cluttered shop and those windmill pieces took me right back to the visits to my grandparents' farm near Clearwater when I was a girl.

I've visited Boys Town many times over the years, but until this summer I didn't know there was a Hall of History housed there. It makes perfect sense to have a record of the town's illustrious history, but the way they have this Hall of History set up is astounding. I was very impressed with the layout and the way they have preserved important pieces of the town's journey from one man's idea to the far-reaching place it's become.

 

One of the well-known places in Omaha that has long been on my list of places I want to see is the Joslyn Art Museum. I have only myself to blame for never making time for it before this, but I can now say I've been there. Modern art isn't really my thing, but I did enjoy the older pieces, and I was especially pleased to find one by El Greco in their collection. As a Spanish teacher, I've been to El Prado museum in Madrid, Spain, and I've seen many pieces by El Greco there and in the city where he lived most of his life, Toledo, Spain. 

Another place we really enjoyed was Kreycik Elk and Buffalo Ranch nestled in the gorgeous Niobrara River Valley. Actually, I didn't much like seeing the farm because I don't care to see bison being treated like cattle in a feedlot, and I don't care for that smell either, but I did love the view on the way there!

So, while I haven't yet visited (and probably won't) all 80 of this summer's Nebraska Passport stops, I have made it to quite a few, and I've really enjoyed the ones I have seen. Hopefully, I will make it to a few more before the end of September. If I don't get to any more, though, I'll have this great view of the Niobrara River Valley to remind me of summer 2016.