WanderNebraska travel adventure program expanded to 150 sites this year

SUBMITTED ARTICLE

Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation will kick off the 2023 WanderNebraska Travel Adventure Program on Memorial weekend. This is the second year NSHSF has offered this program and, based on feedback from 2022, there have been many updates for this year.

WanderNebraska was created to promote the work of local museums, historical societies and libraries and increase awareness of what is found in the local sites along Nebraska’s backroads and in communities that are often overlooked by the typical tourist.

This year’s program features 150 sites across the state of Nebraska, which is over five times as many sites as the first year. NSHSF opened the program to any non-profit organization with historical information about Nebraska. Previously, the sites were chosen from the Statewide Grant recipients. The timeframe has also changed from a summer travel program to a year-round opportunity, kicking off Memorial Day weekend and running through May 2024.

“We are thrilled with the response,” said Sue Quambusch, director of special projects for the foundation. “The fact that we have 150 organizations participating in the program shows a high level of excitement. They work hard to build exhibits and gather information on their communities and we are proud to help them show it off.”

A new website was also built to house information on all 150 destinations. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Raikes School of Computer Science and Management student, Chaitra Pirisingula, serves as the foundation’s first intern and was responsible for building the new website, WanderNebraska.com, which launched earlier this week. Each listing includes the organization’s name, hours of operation, contact information, a Google map for directions, a summary of the organization, any upcoming events and a list of nearby WanderNebraska sites. The state has been divided into seven sections to make it easier to plan a trip and visit multiple stops along the way.

“Last year’s program was a good start, but we have found ways to make the program even better and easier for the public,” said Leslie Fattig, executive director at NSHSF. “The fact that it is available all year and that you can just jump on the website whenever you are looking for something to do in Nebraska makes it more accessible and convenient. No booklet is needed.”

Visit WanderNebraska.com for more information on the locations.