If you’re looking to hit the links on your trip on the Lincoln Highway, there are a ton of great options.  Some of them are better known than others, but the North Bend Golf Course is a hidden gem that not many people know about.  Now let me be clear, this is not Pebble Beach. It’s a nice little 18-hole course with very reasonable greens fees and the perfect way to fine tune your golf game and kill an afternoon.  The North Bend Golf Course opened in 1994 with the back nine opening in 2001.  The course is a Marty Johnson design and features the large greens he’s known for.  NBGC isn’t overly long but it has some  unique and challenging holes.  Par is 35 for both the front and the back nines.  There is water on several of the holes but sand on only one.  Out of bounds comes into play on many holes and there are very few flat lies if you can’t keep the ball in the fairway.  The fairways are very well maintained and the rough is lush.

North Bend Golf Course is located on the west end of North Bend, Nebraska and is just south of Highway 30. The grass is very well established throughout the course. The front nine measures 2,760 yards from the blue tees, and 2,566 yards from the white tees. The back nine is longer, measuring 3,103 yards from the blue tees and 2,928 yards from the white. Although the course is on the short side, there are many challenges. Water comes into play on seven of the holes. The greens are large and very well maintained. The fairways are in great shape and the rough is lush. The 100, 150 and 200 yardage markers are easily seen, and NBGC uses the Laser Link yardage system. This course is a walkers delight. It is very flat and the distances from green to the next tee is minimal. The course rating is 67.2 with a slope rating of 108 on the blue tees.

So if you want to get out and play a few holes make sure you stop in North Bend and check out their course.  For more information go here.

One of Nebraska’s most popular vacation spots, Fremont State Lakes, covers roughly 40 acres of land and almost 300 acres of water in 20 sandpit lakes. The state lake park is located just three miles west of Fremont. If you’re coming through on the Lincoln Highway, the Fremont Lakes can be a great option to get off of the road and dip your toes in the water. When the weather is nice, a beautiful swimming beach is available. (It’s also available when the weather isn’t nice but that’s not really relevant.) A ramp is provided for personal watercraft in the designated area, and a handicap accessible fishing pier ensures that these lakes offer something for everyone.

No matter what your aquatic interests are, these lakes are a place where everyone can have a great time. Showers and clean water are provided and there are plenty of campsites for anyone who wants to stay overnight. (200 sites with hard-surfaced pads and electrical hook-ups as well as 600 primitive non-pad sites are available.) Even if you don’t want to stay overnight, the Fremont Lakes SRA has a ton of picnicking spots under mature shade trees to give you a peaceful respite from driving. No matter if you just want to take a break for an hour or stay for a weekend there’s plenty to do at Fremont Lakes State Recreation Area.  It’s just a few miles west of Fremont, Nebraska, right off  the Lincoln Highway.

Boys Town is one of the great historical attractions in Nebraska; it’s a beacon of hope and optimism in the heart of the Midwest. In 1917, a young Irish
priest named Father Edward J. Flanagan was called to help boys in Omaha, Nebraska. In December 1917, Father Flanagan borrowed $90 to pay the rent on a boarding house that became Father Flanagan’s Home for Boys. Flanagan welcomed all boys who needed help, regardless of their race or religion. By the spring, 100 boys were living at the Home.

In 1921, Father Flanagan purchased Overlook Farm on the outskirts of Omaha and moved his Boys’ Home there. In time, the Home became known as the Village of Boys Town. By the 1930s, hundreds of boys lived at the Village, which grew to include a school, dormitories and administration buildings. The boys elected their own government, which included a mayor, council and commissioners. In 1936, the community became an official village in the state of Nebraska.

If you’d like to tour Boys Town there are several options: The standard tour, an interactive self-guided tour, and custom tours for groups.

The standard tour begins at the Visitors Center, where a step-on guide will greet you. From there, you will start a driving tour through the Village and see where the children of Boys Town live, play, work, go to school and pray.

The first stop is the Hall of History. Other attractions include Dowd Chapel and the Father Flanagan Shrine, Chambers Chapel, the Garden of the Bible, the historic Father Flanagan House, the Rose Garden, the Gift Shop and Leon Myers Stamp Center, both located in the Visitors Center. Depending on the time of day, you have the option of having breakfast or lunch at the cafe.

Attractions are free. For a guided tour the suggested donation is $3 per person

For the interactive tour of Boys Town you’ll need a smartphone with a QR code reader. This tour features ten attractions with QR codes nearby. Simply scan the code and you will instantly have access to facts, photos and videos featuring some of the most popular attractions. When you’ve completed the tour, you can stop by the Boys Town Gift Shop and you’ll receive a gift.

The Andrew Jackson Higgins Memorial in Columbus, NE is a tribute to the man that Dwight D. Eisenhower called “the man who won the war for us”.  Without the famous Higgins landing crafts (LCPs, LCPLs, LCVPs, LCMs) World War II would have been much different and winning the war much more difficult.

Higgins was born in Columbus, Nebraska, on August 28, 1886.  His early life was spent along the Loup and Platte Rivers near the city.  Perhaps his interest in shallow draft boats was born on these shallow, sandbar-infested rivers. His interest in shallow draft boats, the type you would see on these rivers, was a life-long influence.

During the war, his company produced over 20,000 boats for the war effort, including the famous LCVP, more often called the Higgins boat. This landing craft participated in every major invasion of the war, including North Africa, Sicily, Italy, D-Day at Normandy, and the islands of the Pacific, including Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Tinian, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.

The Higgins Memorial began as a class research project for Columbus High School classes taught by Jerry Meyer. He and his students became so taken with the story of Higgins and the opportunity to honor a native son that a research project became a community memorial. Through the work of students and numerous partnerships with volunteers and businesses Columbus has created a memorial dedicated to Higgins and to all veterans.

The memorial includes a full-size replica of the famous Higgins Boat. Running from the boat are sculptures by internationally renowned artist Fred Hoppe, depicting a soldier from each of the three wars in which Higgins Boats served (World War II, the Korean, and Vietnam War). Around the boat are sand samples from landing beaches across the globe where Higgins Boats carried soldiers ashore. Brass stars hold these sand samples from D-Day beaches and are embedded in the concrete surrounding the “Higgins Boat”.  This memorial is the only known location in the world to allow visitors to walk on sad from D-Day landings of WWII, Korea and Vietnam.

The memorial also features five flags, the tallest honors U.S. POWs/MIAs. Flags of both Nebraska and Louisiana are displayed, representing the states where Mr. Higgins lived. Surrounding the Memorial are flags of the other 48 states and 7 U.S. territories. The American Legion, VFW, and six service flags representing the Army, Navy, Marines, Merchant Marines, Coast Guard, and the Air Force are also displayed.

The Memorial Wall, which measures 8 by 94 feet, is made of Wisconsin stone. It surrounds 1,000 donor bricks and along the platform are 10 benches honoring veterans, families, businesses, and other donors. Two additional octagonal structures housing 960 bricks were added in 2002. Still to be added is another curved wall featuring an additional 1000 engraved bricks.  The historical marker to the right of the Memorial displays a biography of Andrew Jackson Higgins. A bronze statue of Mr. Higgins was unveiled on August 16^th by Dawn Higgins Murphy, daughter of Mr. Higgins.

After 9/11, the Memorial was expanded to honor those who lost their lives on that fateful day and those who continue the fight against terrorism. Perched on a 30-foot steel beam, a 400 pound bronze eagle symbolizing freedom, spreads his 7-foot wings as he circles the memorial. The eagle was sculpted by Fred Hoppe and is made from steel taken from the fallen World Trade Center towers. The steel, assembled along side the eagle, never touching the eagle’s 30 foot beam, symbolizes that terrorism will never touch our Freedom.

The Andrew Jackson Higgins Memorial stands as a tribute to a Columbus native son who changed history, to veterans of all eras who have served and sacrificed, and to the ongoing fight against terrorism.

Glur’s Tavern is a must for anyone following the Lincoln Highway through Columbus.  It has been continuously operated since 1876 which makes it the oldest continuously operated tavern west of the Missouri River.  Just because someplace is old is not the best reason to give them money.  You should give Glur’s money because they have great bar food and a good beer selection.  A cheeseburger is $3.00 and they have all of your favorite fried bar goodies.  When I say that their beer selection is good, that doesn’t mean that there are 97 beers on tap.  They have a decent selection of tap beer and a good selection of cans and bottles.  It’s a nice break given that when traveling through small towns on the Lincoln Highway you can be confronted with having no other options except for cheap domestics.

The bar itself is full of history and the kind of quirks that you would expect from a historic small-town tavern as well as some you wouldn’t expect to see.  There’s a stuffed goose and mounted animal heads, old beer signs and neon’s, and quite a few of their ceiling tiles have been signed or drawn on to commemorate various occasions, volleyball championships, high school graduations (including the class of 2014… seems a bit early to me.), and other miscellaneous events.

With a great atmosphere, good food, great prices and a friendly laid-back staff Glur’s  Tavern is a must for anyone traveling the Lincoln Highway through Columbus.  To get there take the Hwy 30 business loop to the corner of 11^th Street and 23^rd Avenue.  You can’t miss it and you won’t regret the stop.