Off the beaten path, about a fifteen-minute drive through rolling hills from Westin, Missouri, Riverwood Winery sits just off the highway in a repurposed, old school building. The hallways, once full of children, are now lined with rustic lamps and barrels which presumably contain wine. Inside a...
This I'll Defend. The motto of the Scottish Clan MacFarlane is prominently featured in the logo of the McFarland family of Lexington, Nebraska, the proprietors of Mac's Creek Winery and Vineyards. Though the McFarland's have lived in central Nebraska for more than a hundred years, this hint into...
Deep ruts scarred the muddy, dirt roads leading south from Interstate 80, near North Platte, that took us to Feather River Vineyards. These roads, lined by relatively young but blooming trees on either side, soon lead into the thirty-five planted acres of vineyard that Feather River maintains,...
Just off of exit 426, equidistant between Lincoln and Omaha on the far eastern side of the state of Nebraska, Richard and Amy Hilske are hard at work on a passionate project that threatens to revolutionize the wine industry in Nebraska. The only way to get to Cellar 426 is to follow the signs...
Ashland, Nebraska, is a midway point between Lincoln and Omaha, the largest cities in the state. Ashland is home to the Strategic Air and Space Museum, where, amongst other things, one can stare straight into the cockpit of an SR-71 Blackbird. It's also the home of the tasting room of Glacial...
The expression Don't quit your day job doesn't apply to Jim Shaw; he has two of them, but both qualify as passions more than they do work. A commercial airline pilot for Delta, Jim and his wife Sharon founded Soaring Wings Vineyard and Brewing ten years ago, in the summer of 2004. Jim's life as...
There's nothing fancy about Big Cottonwood Vineyard and Winery. That said, if and when you find yourself in Omaha, it's worth knowing that this little gem upon the prairie is less than an hour's drive north. We recommend you plan to spend the afternoon. There's nothing fancy at all about Big...
Forty-five miles north of Omaha, amidst the rolling hills planted primarily with corn and soybeans, a winery rests just off the beaten path, as they write in their brochures. Silver Hills Vineyards and Winery, located not far from Tekameh, Nebraska, is one of the many small wineries to pop up in...
Brownville, Nebraska, is a tourist destination unto itself. With incredible historic houses to tour, an entire main street (and an old school) full of used bookstores, a working steamboat, and the mighty Missouri rushing past just yards away from all of it, Brownville would be an easy place to...
As a boy, one of my favorite stories was that of The Lorax by Theodor Geisel, better known to most of us as Dr. Seuss. The story resonated with my boyhood self well into adolescence, in part perhaps because of the whimsical, furry little Muppet-like protagonist I'd grown to adore, and in part I...
Not far down the road from The Arbor Day Lodge in Nebraska City sits the Historic Kimmel Orchard and Vineyard, founded by Richard Kimmel in 1925. A Nebraska City high school graduate and veteran of The Great War, Kimmel was a banker, a farmer, and one of the early arborists in a state that would...
Schilling Bridge Winery and Microbrewery is located in Pawnee City, Nebraska, a few hours' drive from our home in Omaha. Founded in 2005, their wines and beers alike can be found in grocery stores around the state. In addition to being both a winery and a microbrewery, Schilling Bridge also has...