Entertainment and Recreation
The great outdoors
With an average of 230 sunny days a year, Lincoln offers many options for you and your family to take pleasure in the outdoors.
Enjoy golf courses, outdoor pools, activity centers, tennis courts, recreation areas totaling 15,000 acres with 10 lakes, and more than 99 miles of recreational trails. Lincoln offers the most parks per capita in the nation and miles of bike paths that rival those of cities twice its size.
The Lincoln Marathon and Half Marathon is a great community event for both veteran and novice runners. The marathons draw more than 4,000 participants and take place in early May.
The Cornhusker State Games, a statewide amateur sports festival for all Nebraskans provides top-quality amateur competition in a wide range of activities. The week-long festival is held annually the third week of July.
Sporting events
For the spectator in you, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln fields 19 competitive teams.
With 23 Division I national championships, the Huskers provide community-wide events and make everything from football to women's volleyball and gymnastics to baseball entertaining and fun to attend.
Lincoln's semi-pro sports teams include the Lincoln Saltdogs, an American Association independent minor league baseball team, and the Lincoln Stars, a United States Hockey League junior ice hockey team.
Downtown and the Haymarket
An array of unique specialty shops and more than 100 restaurants, clubs, and nightspots await visitors in downtown Lincoln and the Historic Haymarket District along with an assortment of other life-enriching activities.
- Enjoy national tours of Broadway productions and performances at the Lied Center for Performing Arts and concerts by your favorite artists at the Pershing Center.
- Catch an independent film or attend annual film celebrations such as Movies on the Green at the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center.
- Attend annual festivals, such as the popular Jazz in June, a weekly concert series and street market.
- Explore art exhibits at an assortment of local galleries or the Sheldon Museum of Art, one of the nation's premier university art museums.
Beyond downtown
In addition to shopping, enjoy free concerts and a regional arts festival at SouthPointe Pavilions, Lincoln's outdoor shopping center featuring more than 50 stores, restaurants, and movie screens.
Westfield Gateway, Lincoln's large enclosed shopping center, offers five department stores and a wide selection of merchandise and dining options.
Outside Lincoln
When you need a get away or are in search of a wider selection of shopping and entertainment, take a trip to one of these larger cities and destinations not too far from Lincoln.
| From Lincoln to... | Approximate hours (driving) |
| Omaha | 1 |
| Kansas City | 3 |
| Denver | 7 |
| Minneapolis | 7 |
| Chicago | 8 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | 10 |
