Discover the Forest North Platte, Nebraska

On a road trip to North Platte, Nebraska with my BFF, we discovered the forest and reconnected with Mother Nature in the most unlikely place — the Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park & Recreation Area.

Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park in North Platte, Nebraska

North Platte, Nebraska: Discover Buffalo Bill

One of the cool things about road trips is discovering super cool places, such as forests, National and State Parks and other outdoor places touched by Mother Nature. Even better is creating a vacation and educational experience with your family and friends! And we did just that on a motorcycle road trip to North Platte, Nebraska. So when I was asked to write this sponsored blog post on how to discover the forest, I was happy to share!

You might say that North Platte brought the Wild West to city slickers, thanks to Colonel William F. Cody, aka “Buffalo Bill.” You’ve all heard of him as a buffalo hunter, stagecoach driver, Indian scout, and showman. My BFF and I set out to discover just how influential Buffalo Bill was in the local community of North Platte with a visit to the Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park & Recreation Area

Discover just how influential Buffalo Bill was in the local community of North Platte, Nebraska, with a visit to the Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park & Recreation Area.

Buffalo Bill in North Platte, Nebraska

Located on the outskirts of North Platte, Nebraska and near the I-80 Interstate, Buffalo Bill Ranch is a worthwhile 10-15 minute drive off the beaten path After some years of adventures, Buffalo Bill called North Platte home, started a ranch in 1876 (Scout’s Rest), but returned to the Army as a scout. Always the showman, he ultimately answered the call of the stage again in 1878.

In 1882 the North Platte folks asked him to organize a gala event, and his Wild West Show debuted on July 4 as the “Old Glory Blowout.” Today the popular event (now known as Nebraskaland Days) still continues. His show was so successful that he toured the country and then the world. In 1886 he built a large Victorian mansion.

The legacy of this interesting historic character lives on at the Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park.

Buffalo Bill Living Museum

Walk through this living museum filled with period furnishings.

Stroll through the barn with its Wild West Show memorabilia. Colorful posters line the walls, edges of them peeling back from time.

The grounds were meticulously landscaped. We imagined how amazing and over-the-top this place was back when Buffalo Bill built it!

Col. Wm. F. Cody, “Buffalo Bill,” built his North Platte home during the heyday of his famous Wild West Show, which debuted in North Platte as the “Old Glory Blowout” on July 4^th, 1882. Cody owned some 4,000 acres here, and in 1886, built the large Victorian mansion at a cost of $3,900. Sixteen acres of his ranch, appropriately named “Scout’s Rest”, became a state historical park in 1965. Since that time, the house and barn have been restored and a wealth of Cody memorabilia has been acquired. – See more at: http://visitnorthplatte.com/attraction/buffalo-bill-state-historical-park/#sthash.wPThrOwg.dpuf

Since our Nebraska road trip, I became aware of a PSA campaign to “Discover the Forest”. This handy search engine allows you to input a zip code and discover forests and parks nearby.

Click on the icon and the name of the site pops up with contact info and website! I can’t wait to tap into its search engine for my upcoming road trip in Colorado and Taos, New Mexico!

*Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are my own.