Time to play the Nebraska Passport game again
You need a passport to visit Nebraska? While some may consider Nebraska its own country, our state patrol will not stop you at the state’s border to ask for your papers. Instead, tourists are encouraged to participate in the Nebraska Passport program.
The state tourism department’s campaign kicks off its ninth season today. The program encourages Nebraskans and out-of-state tourists to visit 70 destinations across Nebraska. The attractions are grouped in 11 categories, including Animals, Coffee, Back in Time (historical spots) and the Oregon Trail’s 175th anniversary.
The campaign runs until Sept. 30. Completed passports need to be mailed to Visit Nebraska with a postal date of Oct. 1.
The campaign rates highly with travelers. Participation grows annually, with a high of 32,650 passports requested last year. In 2016, 18,000 passports were requested. More than 167,000 stamps were collected in 2017, averaging 32 locations per person participating. Stamps collected nearly doubled the 2016 total of 87,492.
The program attracts more than Nebraskans. Visitors from 43 states participated in 2017’s campaign, topping the previous high of 28 in 2016.
The state awarded 3,510 prizes last year, nearly tripling 2016’s total. Almost 470 people visited all 80 stops last year, shattering previous records.
So, what can participants look for this year? The 70 attractions include 57 cities and towns. Lincoln and Omaha have the most attractions with four each.
We’ve made it a priority to focus most of our summer travel on exploring our state and visiting as many attractions as we can. Some of the destinations that will be new to us include Wessels Living History Farm in York, Red Door Coffee in West Point and Rock Creek Station State Historical Park in Fairbury.
For more information on the Nebraska Passport program, including attractions and prizes, please visit www.nebraskapassport.com or www.visitnebraska.com.
