8 Small Towns In Nebraska To Visit For A Weekend Getaway
Instead of flying to Nebraska for a week-long Omaha vacation, consider driving to its small communities for a weekend getaway. Spend Friday, Saturday, and Sunday enjoying a lovely wildlife refuge near a beautiful city or an aerospace museum in the "Tourism Capital of Nebraska" or environmental events in the birthplace of Arbor Day. Better yet, you do not have to wait till 2026, thanks to certain towns that double as winter wonderlands. Behold! Eight Nebraska settlements where you can spend a weekend in 2025.
Valentine
Take a weekend, or two or three, to find all there is to love about Valentine. Home to around 2,600 people in northern Nebraska, Valentine is flanked by picturesque preserves that stay open year-round. The Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, situated south of town, offers hiking, birding, hunting, and fishing opportunities.
The Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest provides many of the same activities, but from a spot west of Valentine. And the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge, situated east of town, is a hotspot for floating via the namesake Niobrara River, which takes floaters farther east to Smith Falls State Park and under Nebraska's highest waterfall, at the same time, falling for those lovely locales, overnight in Valentine proper at Harmony Inn & Suites. It sits just 0.2 miles from the Niobrara Visitor Center & Headquarters Office.
Ogallala
Located on a different but no less dynamic river than the Niobrara, Ogallala attracts oodles of oglers via the South Platte River. In addition to sightseeing, the river offers numerous recreational activities, as does Lake McConaughy, a reservoir located north of town and bounded by the Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area. Combined, they are alright, alright, alright.
After swimming, boating, camping, fishing, and/or picnicking, make sure to hit the streets of Ogallala, AKA the "Cowboy Capital of Nebraska," and stop at the Front Street Cowboy Museum. Then take a cowboy nap at Holiday Inn Express & Suites.
Creighton
With 2025 coming to a close, there are a few remaining events to build a weekend around. One is in Creighton, NE, a tiny settlement of around 1,100 people that, by late November, shines with around 100,000 lights. Dubbed SantaLand, Creighton's annual Christmas light display covers Bruce Park and attracts hundreds of visitors on crisp weekend nights until the end of December.
Besides colorful bulbs, SantaLand displays scenes from holiday favorites, such as Frozen and How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, and offers refreshments courtesy of Mrs. Claus’ Gingerbread House & Santa’s Workshop. Whether you wish to visit Creighton for SantaLand or wait till spring to search the Ashfall Fossil Beds, stay at the Creighton Community Center & Inn.
Chadron
Like Valentine to its east, Chadron is corralled by sprawling preserves that can fill multiple weekends. Northwest of town sits the Oglala National Grassland, a mixed-grass oasis with pronghorns and prairie dogs and toadstool-shaped formations. South of the grassland lies a companion woodland, the Nebraska National Forest, which is more specifically known as "Pine Ridge" due to its abundance of ponderosa pines.
Also perched among the pines is Chadron State Park, where you can book electric and basic campsites throughout the year. After taming this wild region, learn its history at the Museum of the Fur Trade, which stands three miles east of Chadron and stays open year-round. However, between November 1 and April 30, visits are by appointment only.
Ashland
Though home to just over 3,000 people, Ashland, with its outskirts included, is the self-described "Tourism Capital of Nebraska." According to its website, three of the state's most popular attractions are located within a four-mile radius of the city.
They comprise the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum, whose 300,000ish square feet support a massive collection of aircraft; Eugene T. Mahoney State Park, a recreational wonderland for hiking, biking, and swimming in summer and indoor rock climbing, sledding, and ice skating in winter; and Lee G. Simmons Wildlife Safari Park, which showcases everything from bison to wolves to eagles. Since you will probably need a weekend to catch all the Ashland-area sights, camp at Eugene T. Mahoney or stay in Ashland proper at The Roost Bed and Breakfast.
Ponca
Unlike other communities on this list, Ponca is known primarily for one namesake attraction: Ponca State Park. Located just north of town, PSP is a blufftop paradise adorned with woods, wildlife, and human-made sculptures that honor the region's history, as well as 27 year-round cabins and four rustic cabins open from April to November.
Moreover, PSP is the eastern gateway to the Missouri National Recreational River, which preserves two sections of the mighty Missouri. While it is undoubtedly advisable to experience PSP from a cabin, it may not be suitable for everyone. Another option is the Oak Trail Inn, situated near Ponca, just outside Outlaw Pizza and the Cedar Hills Bar & Grill.
Nebraska City
Arbor Day is an environmental observance that typically runs on the last Friday in April. In Nebraska City, however, Arbor Day is observed year-round. This small settlement is the "birthplace of Arbor Day," which means that, while it hosts a big bash on the actual Arbor Day, its Arbor Day Farm attractions offer events from January through December.
Penciled on 2025's calendar are "Santa’s Lost Reindeer," an all-ages scavenger hunt at the Tree Adventure to begin on November 28; "Holiday After Hours," which are festive Friday evenings set for December at the Apple House Market; and "Christmas at the Mansion," an atmospheric yuletide romp set for weekends from late November to early January at the Arbor Lodge Mansion, where J. Sterling Morton conceived Arbor Day in 1872. Though you cannot overnight at the mansion, you can at Lied Lodge, another fantastic Arbor Day Farm feature.
Minden
As "Nebraska's Christmas City," which was supposedly coined by Santa himself in 1923, Minden draws weekenders with many November/December festivities. Chief among them is gazing at the Kearney County Courthouse, whose 12,000ish ornate lights can be seen for miles.
Illuminating the courthouse is a tradition that dates back more than a century, and it has been paired with the Light of the World Pageant for almost 70 years. 2025's pageant dates are November 29, December 7, and December 14. Also counted among Christmas City's activities are the Christmas City 5K and Christmas at the Harold Warp Pioneer Village, where you can stay for the weekend.
No need to wait until 2026 to spend the weekend in small-town Nebraska. Thanks to all-season sights like the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area, Chadron State Park, Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum, Ponca State Park, and Arbor Day Farm, plus November/December extravaganzas like SantaLand and the Light of the World Pageant, the Cornhusker State can be husked before the year is over. Better hurry, though!
