The heartbeat of Lancaster County emanates from Nebraska’s capital city of Lincoln, which sits in the center of its 846 square miles. The second-largest city in the state is home to the sprawling campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is a regional hub for sports, arts, entertainment and transportation. Interstate 80 flows across the county and the Lincoln Airport, the state’s second-largest, provides service to/from Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver and Atlanta.

It’s not all about the capital though. Lancaster County also includes Waverly and 11 other towns and cities, numerous miles of picturesque farmland and 8.8 miles of water. The Branched Oak State Recreation Area features an 1,800-acre lake in Raymond.

To learn more contact the Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau at lincoln.org and (800) 423-8212.

Discover Activities in Lancaster County

  • Lester F. Larsen Tractor Test & Power Museum

    The Lester F. Larsen Tractor Test & Power Museum is located on the East Campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The museum preserves and displays advances in agriculture from ...

  • Sheldon Museum of Art

    The Sheldon Museum of Art in Lincoln houses nearly 13,000 pieces of art inside a modernist building that is itself a work of art. The collection includes 19th-century landscapes, American ...

  • University of Nebraska State Museum

    The Nebraska State Museum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is known as Morrill Hall to locals, but the thousands of school children who visit each year call it Elephant ...

  • Historic Haymarket

    The Historic Haymarket district teems with unique shops, art galleries, fine food and trendy bars in downtown Lincoln. An online walking tour is available to guide visitors through the ...

  • International Quilt Study Center & Museum

    The International Quilt Study Center & Museum welcomes guests with a reception hall shaped like a needle’s eye in Lincoln. This facility on the East Campus of the ...

  • Pinnacle Bank Arena

    The Pinnacle Bank Arena is a spectacular piece of modern architecture that can seat more than 15,000 enthusiastic sports fans or live entertainment aficionados in Lincoln. The West Haymarket facility ...

  • Branched Oak State Recreation Area

    The largest lake in eastern Nebraska can be found at Branched Oak State Recreation Area near Raymond. Branched Oak Lake spans 1,800 acres, making it a mecca for fishing and ...

  • Sunken Gardens

    Lincoln’s Sunken Gardens bloom with more than 30,000 annuals planted to represent a different theme each year. Its walking trail and multiple gardens offers 1.5 acres of lush solitude that ...

  • National Museum of Roller Skating

    The National Museum of Roller Skating in Lincoln is home to the world’s largest collection of roller skates and related items, but not a roller rink. If you’...

  • Nebraska History Museum

    The Nebraska History Museum in Lincoln preserves the history of our state's storied past. The museum's collections include archaeological artifacts, historical photographs, videos, books and numerous other items that ...

  • Memorial Stadium

    Memorial Stadium, the home of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cornhusker football team, qualifies as the state’s third-largest city on Game Day. Built in 1923 and named in honor of ...

  • Great Plains Art Museum

    The Great Plains Art Museum is located inside the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Center for Great Plains Studies. Their permanent collection includes paintings, bronze sculptures, drawings and photographs that capture ...

  • Billy’s Restaurant

    Billy's Restaurant has been around for more than 30 of its building's 130 years. The longtime Lincoln restaurant is in the 1887 Noble-Dawes house. Noted chef Nader Farahbod's seafood, lamb, duck, steak ...

  • Museum of American Speed

    The Museum of American Speed in Lincoln was founded in 1992 by “Speedy” Bill and Joyce Smith. The museum contains thousands of items chronicling the history of the automotive and ...

  • Nebraska State Capitol

    The Nebraska State Capitol, built from 1922-1932, was the first statehouse to completely deviate from the prototype set by the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Designed by ...

  • Lincoln Children’s Museum

    More than 23,000 square feet of interactive exhibits and educational adventures await young learners at the Lincoln Children’s Museum. Prairie Dog Tunnels are favorites for active subterranean fun. The ...

  • Pioneers Park Nature Center

    Pioneers Park Nature Center is a wildlife sanctuary within minutes of downtown Lincoln. The Nebraska State Capitol building is clearly visible to the east. Eight miles of hiking trails ...

  • Star City Shores Aquatic Center

    Star City Shores Aquatic Center boasts the biggest swimming pool in Lincoln. Try your hand at water basketball, swim laps or splash around in the shallows. Water slides and ...

  • American Historical Society of Germans from Russia Museum

    The American Historical Society of Germans from Russia Museum in Lincoln showcases the mass migration of more than 100,000 German Russians to the United States and Canada beginning in the 1870...

  • Lied Center for Performing Arts

    The Lied Center for Performing Arts provides a 2,000-plus-seat venue for dance troupes, musicians, comedians and theatrical productions in Lincoln. Mannheim Steamroller, the Canadian Brass, violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman ...

  • Mueller Planetarium

    The Nebraska State Museum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Morrill Hall is home to the Mueller Planetarium. Guests can sit back and enjoy full-motion star shows that illuminate the ...

  • Lincoln Children’s Zoo

    The Lincoln Children’s Zoo features more than 350 animals, including some endangered species seen nowhere else in Nebraska. Interactive exhibits make visits feel like an adventure. Buy tickets to ...

  • Haymarket Farmer’s Market

    From early May through mid-October, Lincoln returns to its agricultural roots with vendors selling everything from watermelons and other produce, to baked goods and jewelry. Saturday sales begin at 8 ...

  • Thomas P. Kennard State Historic Site

    This former home of Nebraska's first secretary of state, Thomas P. Kennard, is considered the first major structure built after Lincoln was named the state's capital. Built in 1869, the ...

  • Lazlo’s Brewery and Grill

    Lazlo's Brewery and Grill satisfies thirsty and hungry Haymarket adventurers. The restaurant's steaks are aged for 21 days. This is also the home of the Empyrean Brewery, whose Luna Sea ...

  • Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film

    The Johnny Carson School of Theatre hosts theatrical productions ranging from comedies to classic Shakespeare plays on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Johnny Carson studied radio and ...

  • Prairie Plate Restaurant

    Prairie Plate Restaurant in Waverly is a farm-to-table establishment that features super-fresh local and regional ingredients. The livestock they serve is pasture-raised. Most of the veggies come from their ...

  • Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center

    More than 220 bird species have been spotted at the Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center south of Lincoln near the town of Denton. Hiking trails, birdsong, rippling prairie grasses and ...

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