101 things to do in Lincoln

We think you'll love our college town.

When you hear Nebraska mentioned on TV shows, it's often as a stand in for "middle of nowhere." We prefer to think of it as the middle of everywhere.

Lincoln is a vibrant, diverse community drawing more than 37,000 students to the area's eight colleges and universities each year. With arts, sports, restaurants and much more, there's always something to do—not just homework. Here are a few ideas.

  1. Ride the slides at Star City Shores

  2. Borrow a kayak at Holmes Lake

  3. Study with your friends at The Mill

  4. Get a treat at Eileen’s Colossal Cookies

  5. See the bison at Pioneers Park

  6. Decide which of the four Walmarts and three Targets will get your business

  7. Try the falafel at The Sultan’s Kite

  8. Test drive a BMW at UniverCity Motors

  9. Watch World Cup soccer in the student center

  10. Make the world’s most perfect haystack at Union Market

  11. Spend your hard-earned money at the Round 1 arcade

  12. Read under the tree in Indigo Bridge bookstore

  13. The roller skating museum? Why not?

  14. Join a protest at the capitol

  15. Snarf up the free samples at Costco

  16. Take up disc golf

  17. Make your mom’s birthday present at Paint Yourself Silly

  18. Get more breadsticks at Olive Garden

  19. Pet dogs at Capital Humane Society

  20. Go paddle boarding at Branched Oak Lake

  21. Volunteer for disaster response with the Red Cross

  22. Get bouncing at Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park

  23. Become a bowling superstar

  24. Enjoy all 131 miles of bike paths

  25. See Hedy Lamarr’s Cadillac at the American Museum of Speed

  26. Meet the bookstore cats at A Novel Idea

  27. Teach a Pathfinder honor

  28. Try the Meadowlark Sherbert at Ivanna Cone

  29. Lay out on the beach at Pawnee Rec Area

  30. Get in the pilot’s seat at the Strategic Air and Space Museum

  31. Practice for your wedding photos at Sunken Gardens

  32. See the giraffes at the Lincoln Zoo

  33. Help a refugee learn English

  34. Get in a teepee at the Nebraska History Museum

  35. Pop into the LUX Center for the Arts

  36. Help the homeless at People's City Mission

  37. Befriend the campus squirrels

  38. Laser tag!

  39. Explore American Impressionism at the Sheldon Museum of Art

  40. Get a donut 24/7 at Hurts Donuts

  41. Flip out with the Husker gymnastics team

  42. Go for a hole-in-one at Adventure Golf Center

  43. Browse at Barnes and Noble

  44. Experience a world of sweets at Licorice International

  45. Go to Petco, the free zoo

  46. Get the Lemon Bomb crêpe at Cultiva

  47. Read your poem at Crescent Moon

  48. Play Super Nintendo games at Tea Vibe

  49. Go fishing

  50. Bring your skateboard to a coffee shop at The Harbor

  51. Yes, the International Quilt Museum is more interesting than you think

  52. Get a taste of Asia at Pho Factory

  53. Pick up a new sport at Lincoln Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Center

  54. Find an epic secondhand shirt at Cause for Paws

  55. See Saturn at the Hyde Observatory

  56. Count the cornfields along Highway 2

  57. Gluten-free doesn’t mean taste-free at Goldenrod Bakery

  58. Visit a hospice patient

  59. Learn the 100 types of trees and shrubs on campus

  60. Be a trainer for the K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry

  61. Visit the MX track

  62. See a triceratops at Morrill Hall

  63. Play pickup basketball at Antelope Park

  64. Lose your shoes at the Mud Run

  65. Pick up some new plant buddies at Earl May Garden Center

  66. Get something tasty at the farmers’ market

  67. Cosplay at NebrasKon

  68. Attend European Motorcycle Night in the Haymarket

  69. Make a pilgrimage to all five Taco Bell locations

  70. Get into goat yoga at Shepherd’s Rest Rescue

  71. Work on your fast five at Screamers open mic night

  72. Do a triple Salchow at John Breslow Ice Hockey Center

  73. Let Mama Narges fill your plate at Daffodil Mediterranean Restaurant

  74. Join a Christmastime Messiah sing-along

  75. Play hide-and-seek at Gateway Mall

  76. Replace your laptop power supply at Goodwill’s electronics store

  77. Try the tempura rolls at Ginger Grill

  78. Lunch at The Oven

  79. Sled down the dam at Holmes Lake — at your own risk!

  80. Let them bring the stars to you at the Mueller Planetarium

  81. Watch for the hot light at Krispy Kreme

  82. Pump iron at Larson Lifestyle Center

  83. Get a restored Game Boy Advance at the Gameroom

  84. See a play at Lincoln Community Playhouse

  85. Don’t panic when the door locks at The Escape Room

  86. Hang out at The Railyard

  87. Climb the tower at the Capitol Building

  88. Catch a show at the Lincoln Community Garden Performance Series

  89. Bicycle around Capitol Beach Lake

  90. Pamper yourself at a day spa

  91. Talk shop at Salty Dog Cyclery

  92. Catch a performance (with a student discount) at the Ross

  93. Take a spin class at Fly

  94. Sunday is a funday with Green Gateau brunch

  95. Visit one of seven Adventist churches in town

  96. Cheer for the home team at a Lincoln Saltdogs game

  97. Get lost in the woods at Wilderness Park

  98. Play a round of golf

  99. Donate blood

  100. Contribute to someone’s education at the College of Hair Design

  101. Ride the ferris wheel at Scheels Sporting Goods