Updated: Top 10 Nebraska attractions in a pandemic year
The Top 10 attractions in the state for 2020 were tallied based on visitor numbers reported to the Nebraska Tourism Commission. Many of the attractions were closed for part of the year.
No. 10: Lincoln Children's Museum
The Lincoln Children's Museum attracted 36,744 visitors in 2020. That number dropped from 151,000 in 2019.
No. 9: Pioneers Park Nature Center
A bison forages for food in the bitter cold at the Pioneers Park Nature Center. In 2020, 38,956 visitors stopped by to take in the wildlife. Nearly 79,000 people made the trip in 2019.
No. 8: Omaha Children's Museum
The Omaha Children's Museum attracted 50,577 visitors in 2020. That number is down from 309,268 in 2019.
No. 7: Fontenelle Forest
Fontenelle Forest gave 86,662 visitors a chance to experience and enjoy the quiet wild of nature in 2020.
No. 6: Lauritzen Gardens
Omaha's botanical center attracted 104,903 visitors in 2020. In 2019, more than 270,000 visitors stopped by Lauritzen Gardens and Kenefick Park.
No. 5: The Durham Museum
The Durham Museum is Omaha's home to history and in 2020, 113,469 visitors saw it for themselves. That number was nearly double in 2019 at just over 220,000.
No. 4: Lincoln Children's Zoo
At the Lincoln Children's Zoo, you can see over 400 animals and even feed giraffes. In 2020, 170,230 visitors made the trip compared to the 345,915 in 2019.
No. 3: Chadron State Park
From hiking to mountain biking, 237,750 visitors took in the views at Chadron State Park in 2020. In 2019, just under 290,000 made the trip.
No. 2: Bakers Candies
Baker's Candies in Greenwood, which offers a variety of chocolate meltaways, saw 250,000 visitors in 2020. That number matched the total in 2019.
No. 1: Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium
The Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium in Omaha is the state's No. 1 attraction. More than 817,000 visitors toured the zoo in 2020. For comparison, the zoo saw 1.7 million visitors in 2019.
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