Our ninth stop on the Nebraska Passport was Gallery 9. I didn’t do that on purpose. It just worked out that way!

This is a cute little gallery featuring local artists from Lincoln, Nebraska. I didn’t take pictures of the artwork out of respect for the artists. (The exception being the cards I purchased.) However, there were many pieces that were quite beautiful and are definitely worth viewing.

There was also this little guy who had quite the personality.

Hello, Puppers!

I purchased a couple cards with prints that I really liked. These are perfect for any occasion, as well as just saying hi! I’ve been trying to get better at sending cards and letters for no special reason other than it’s always nice to get something cute in the mail.

The gallery is small, so it doesn’t take much time to tour. However, it’s a cute little place and the artists are quite talented. I recommend stopping by and making a purchase to support these local artists.

Located in Greenwood, NE, Baker’s Candies is the largest candy shop in Nebraska and well worth every second spent there.

First and foremost, they make the best chocolate meltaways ever. Absolutely hands down. Ever. My favorites are the Scooters coffee and milk chocolate mint flavors, but I’ve never had a bad one.

As you can see, they have other types of candy, as well. Many of them you aren’t going to find in every store anymore. I must have said, “Oh! I haven’t seen these in forever!” at least ten times.

They also have different flavors of pop. We always get a few different kinds when we go, as my husband likes to make magnets out of the bottlecaps. Again, many of these aren’t going to be at your local grocery store or Walmart.

I love that they also carry many “from Nebraska” items, such as the Misty’s seasoning. That was a staple in our house growing up and I’m excited to use it again!

I was really surprised at the selection of barbecue sauces and seasonings that they had, as well. We grabbed this Uncle Earnie’s barbecue sauce, made in Cedar Creek, NE. I plan on using this to grill some BBQ chicken soon!

Overall, this is a great place to find some unique items made right here in the heartland. I definitely recommend that you stop by!

Our seventh Nebraska Passport Stop was Cellar 426 Winery. Located in Ashland, Nebraska, this winery has been a favorite of ours for a few years, so we were happy to return!

A wine tasting is our favorite thing to do when visiting a winery, but with the current health measures, this was not available to us. Luckily, we’ve tasted most of their wines before, so we shared a glass of their Sunflower White.

We also enjoyed some of their homemade bread and herbed butter. Very good and very reasonably priced (approximately $4, if I remember right).

Their wines are also very reasonably priced. I don’t recall any of them being over $20. A bottle of the Sunflower White that we enjoyed was only $16.

Given the current health measures, the atmosphere wasn’t quite as cozy and inviting as it usually is, but we still enjoyed ourselves. We appreciated their attention to social distancing and keeping everything clean. The staff was friendly and attentive, as usual.

We look forward to coming back many times in the future and hope to see you there!

The Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum, located near Ashland, Nebraska, has an amazing collection of military aircraft, including a B-47E, an F-105, and more. You can also see the Apollo Command Space Module, as well as the Atlantis Shuttle Trainer. There are also a wide variety of interesting exhibits throughout the museum, including exhibits featuring astronaut Clayton Anderson, the Tuskogee Airmen, and many more.

If you have young children, you can also visit the Children’s Learning Center, which features many interactive exhibits for little ones.

I also recommend trying out the Flight Simulators. You can purchase rides for $10.00.

A good thing to know ahead of time: admission for adults is $13.00. With Passport, you can get a slight discount, so I think it’s $12.60 or $12.65. Something like that. It’s completely worth it, but good to know ahead of time just in case that’s not in your budget. It’s always free to get your stamp and leave, but I thought I would mention it for those of you who want to tour the museum (which I recommend). Also, they have a lunch cafe open from 10:30 AM – 2:00 PM, in case you want to grab a bite to eat.

I regret that we didn’t take more photos, as there is definitely so much more to see than these two pictures I snapped outside. (Whoopsie.) However, we really enjoyed our visit and hope that you will, too!

My husband and I popped over to Beyond Golf Bar + Kitchen the other day for a quick drink and dessert. As it was a week night, we planned on being there for half an hour or so. Until we saw the golf simulator bays.

Dan loves to golf. Me, on the other hand, I can’t figure out why multiple clubs are needed to begin with. And once I have one in my hand, getting it to connect with the ball is almost impossible. However, I’m usually up for trying almost anything once, so we decided to rent a bay for an hour. The price was pretty reasonable ($20 per hour – flat rate, not per person) and the simulator was super impressive. As someone who doesn’t know much about golf, I warn you that my descriptions of the simulator may not be that helpful, but here’s what I liked:

First, you can choose whether to play a course or just practice on the driving range. Secondly, there are numerous courses to choose from. And third, the simulator is surprisingly realistic. If there is a slope on the course, the floor tilts. There are multiple lies, including the rough, fairway, and bunker. (I spent most of my time in the rough.)

Aside from the golf simulator, the food and drink were excellent. I had an Excelsior cider ($7) that was really good. I prefer dry ciders and this one really hit the spot. Dan had the Farmhouse Saison ($6.50), which was also really good.

We also tried out their Cookie Skillet ($6). The cookie of the day was peanut butter. This was served in a cast iron skillet, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and topped off by peanut butter cups. Let’s just say it didn’t last long.

Last, but not least, I also want to mention that our server was excellent. He was very attentive, helped us understand how to work the simulator, and kept our drinks full. Overall, this was a great spot to visit and we highly recommend you check it out!