Nebraska State Capitol
Goodhue's 400-foot "Tower of the Plains" topped by The Sower, with carved reliefs on every face and free interior murals and mosaics (Mon–Fri 8–5, Sat 10–5, Sun 1–5).
- Address:
- 1445 K St, Lincoln, NE 68508
Places to photograph in and around Lincoln, Nebraska: what to see, the address, and where to park. Each place has its own page with parking and dates.
Goodhue's 400-foot "Tower of the Plains" topped by The Sower, with carved reliefs on every face and free interior murals and mosaics (Mon–Fri 8–5, Sat 10–5, Sun 1–5).
Limestone colonnade on the east face, glass-and-iron platform canopies on the west, and a two-story marble Great Hall inside.
Eight blocks of 1880s–1920s brick warehouses with painted ghost signs, the Iron Horse Park street clock, and Gallery Alley lit with color bands after dark.
140-acre National Register cemetery of curving roads, mature trees, a pond, Victorian statuary, the 1938 limestone Rudge Chapel and 1908 brick stables. Fall color is the favorite season.
171-foot sixteen-sided brick "Singing Tower" with winged evangelists at the corners, a cloistered courtyard, and a rose window flanked by peacock and phoenix tile.
Twin Gothic spires one block from the Capitol; frame the spires against the Capitol tower from K Street.
Italianate cupola-and-bracket house of Nebraska's first secretary of state, the oldest building left on Lincoln's original plat. Interior by appointment.
Renaissance Revival mansion on a corner facing the Capitol; the exterior detail reads well in low sun, and the grounds are viewable from the sidewalk.
Red-brick Queen Anne home with a wraparound porch and a bronze Bryan statue at the Sumner Street sidewalk; a National Historic Landmark. Tours weekdays 9–3 by appointment.
The only Chateauesque depot left in Nebraska: red brick, steep roofs, a curved parapet gable. Now a bank, so exterior only.
Four 36-foot sandstone Ionic columns from the old U.S. Treasury Building, set on the duck-pond bank to look like ancient ruins; a favorite for portraits and sunset.
Architecture Hall (1895) is the only 19th-century building on City Campus; Mueller Tower is an 84-foot Art Deco bell tower on the mall between Love Library and the Coliseum.
Ornate movie palace in an Art Deco tower; the 13th Street marquee at night and the gilded interior on public tours.
Block-long Beaux-Arts granite and limestone federal building at 10th and P with marble and terrazzo interiors.
Full neoclassical colonnade fronting Centennial Mall, which gives a clean axial view toward the Capitol.
Georgian Colonial mansion a block from the Capitol, decorated for the holidays each December. Free tours Thursdays 1–4 p.m.
Rare Second Empire mansard house with iron cresting at the edge of City Campus.
A small-town main street inside Lincoln: the 1891 Romanesque Revival Lancaster Block, the Joyo Theater marquee, and restored vintage storefronts.
1907 domed Classical Revival courthouse on a true town square ringed by brick streets and 1880s–1910s storefronts. Trees block the full facade, so shoot the dome and details.
1904 Renaissance Revival courthouse on landscaped grounds, National Register listed.
New England-style campus with three National Register buildings: Gaylord Hall (1884), the working Boswell Observatory (1883), and Lee Memorial Chapel (1907).
Late-1800s brick storefronts, the 1889 National Bank of Ashland at 1442 Silver St, and the 1911 Carnegie library with clay-tile roof and stained glass.
A 45-ton concrete pyramid on a furniture-store lawn, built in 1975 around a Chevy Vega. Reports say it was opened in summer 2025, so check what is on show. Pure roadside Americana, viewable any hour.
A dead front-yard tree chainsaw-carved into the Man of Steel. Private property, viewable from the street.
A nearly 12-foot brick head that plays trickling-water and clanging sounds, with fountains and the creek walk behind it.
A 32-foot white steel paper airplane on the airport approach road; clean minimalist form against open sky.
A 5,600-foot sandstone cave under the city, every wall carved with 130 years of names; former brewery lagering tunnels. Guided tours only, booked ahead.
The world's largest collection of historic skates and memorabilia; free, odd, and rarely crowded. Open Tue–Fri 11–4.
Century-old painted brick ads survive on two warehouse walls at 8th and Q; best in raking evening light.
A 1945 roadhouse with its landmark "big chicken" sign and a 5-foot fiberglass mascot on a perch.
Downtown Lincoln's own pick for eerie empty-space photos: a worn, half-abandoned deck lit by bare bulbs and window light.
A gravel dead end facing the throat of a three-mile rail yard, with tracks in four directions and 150-plus movements a day.
A wooden railroad water tower turned fountain and a 1901 Havelock-built steam engine on Track 1 beside the old depot, next to the carved-brick "Iron Horse Legacy" mural.
An 1,886-foot bridge over the rail throat west of the Haymarket; elevated angles on tracks, depot and skyline. Sidewalk access not confirmed.
BNSF's main freight-car shop, running since 1891, with a transfer table, gantry crane and a huge wheelset yard. Public roads only.
60–80 mph freights and Amtrak against open prairie, 15 minutes east of town.
A 1908 flour mill and 3-million-bushel elevator at the south edge of downtown; milling ended in 2026, so it is a fading subject. Private; shoot from the street.
A 1920s red-brick neoclassical municipal power and pumping plant, National Register listed.
A riveted through-truss with wooden trestle approaches, still carrying about five trains a day behind the ballpark.
A former railroad trestle re-decked in 2025 as a trail bridge, deep in the woods between trail markers 50 and 51.
The airport invites plane spotting from level 4 of the garage, with views of the runways and the KC-135 Air Guard ramp; weekdays for military traffic.
A hill on the old Lincoln Air Force Base overlooking the airport and downtown skyline; good for departures.
The surviving wartime chapel from the WWII airfield beside today's airport, National Register listed.
A 1951 slip-formed concrete elevator with a 1954 annex right against US-6, stenciled with the builder's name. Classic prairie elevator.
Philip Johnson's 1963 travertine pavilion with a floating central staircase is a subject in itself, and the galleries are free. Personal photos allowed inside without flash; exterior has no limits.
Three floors of race cars, engines and pedal cars lit by restored neon signs; cameras welcome. Open Mon–Sat 10–4:30 May–Sep; Mon, Fri, Sat only Oct–Apr. $15.
Elephant Hall's mounted mammoth skeletons under a tall skylit gallery; strong scale shots.
Glass-walled reception hall and large, evenly lit textile galleries; the exterior glows at golden hour. $10.
Saturated colors and playful set pieces for family and detail work.
Free Western and Indigenous art in intimate galleries a block from campus; quiet on weekdays.
Period rooms and Nebraska artifacts on Centennial Mall, with the Capitol as a backdrop out front.
More than 30 sculptures on the campus lawns, including Lachaise's Floating Figure and Heizer's Prismatic Flake Geometric, open at any hour from any angle.
A 22-foot painted-steel notebook with scattered pages at the campus edge, framed against downtown; strong at dusk.
A 57-foot column of 80 colored glass panels lit from inside; best as a blue-hour long exposure with the plaza's concentric rings.
45-foot polished steel and glass sheaf that throws moving shadows by day and runs programmed light sequences at night.
Two oversized glazed ceramic heads on a Haymarket corner; graphic shapes against brick warehouses.
1950s limestone figure group a block east of the Capitol; hard-edged carving that suits raking side light.
A kinetic steel sculpture and a 2007 photo mural of Lincoln residents share one downtown corner.
Three-block linear park with Rico Eastman's Nautilus, themed wall murals, three fountains and a creek walk; start of the city's Public Art Stroll.
Wayne Southwick's Reveille, David Young's Rebekah at the Well and Mary Buckman's Inspiration (2022) sit among terraced beds, lily ponds and a waterfall; early morning beats the crowds.
A whole Haymarket alley painted end to end, with brick and fire escapes for depth; the most-photographed street-art spot downtown.
Four stories of abstract pattern in the alley off 12th between O and P; shoot it looking up.
Bold graphic piece by a Portland duo on the Archrival building at the Haymarket's O Street edge.
An interactive wings wall built for portraits; stand a subject in front and you have the shot.
Emerson's "a thousand forests in one acorn" rendered large on North 11th; pairs with Butterfly Wings across the block.
Colorful festival commission on Gomez Art Supply, close to the sidewalk for detail work.
A 40-by-14-foot carved-brick locomotive projecting two feet off the north wall of Lincoln Station, with the real No. 710 engine parked beside it.
Three murals on one building: Oria Simonini's Hmong-textile portrait (west wall), Focus Smith's piece (lot wall), and Presley Shellhase's Marsha P. Johnson tribute (east wall).
Nine more walls in four blocks: Shawn Dunwoody (VFW, 2431), Sarah Rowe (2541), Ana Marietta's herons (2621), Eder Muniz (2633), Watie White's "100 People" (2626), Focus Smith's Lakota bear (2700), Susie Shepherd (2719), Wes Staley (2722), Nolan Tredway (2723).
Printmaker Karen Kunc's mural on her own studio marks the west edge of the Telegraph District.
Large wheat-paste prints from hand-carved woodblocks by nine Nebraska artists (2022). Wheat paste weathers, so check condition first.
Charcoal-style portraits of two local refugee women with the words "Notice Me"; high contrast that reads well in black and white.
A local photographer's go-to zone for brick, fire escapes and small unsigned murals, away from the arena crowds.
Terraced 1930 garden with lily ponds, a waterfall and 30,000 annuals; tulips in spring, bold color late summer, and a white garden meant for moonlit evenings. Free.
Formal rose beds inside boxwood hedges with a fountain and pavilion; June is peak. Some beds are being removed for rose rosette disease.
Shrub roses, native perennials and ornamental grasses with season-long interest, plus a labyrinth beside the Bicentennial Fountain.
Twelve acres of mature oaks, sweetgum and tupelo plus the Pfister Iris Garden; UNL's own video features its fall color. Dawn to dusk, free.
Display gardens on the same loop as the arboretum, so one stop covers three garden styles.
Demonstration beds of vegetables, perennials and pollinator plantings tended for the TV show; good for close-ups. Free.
Small neighborhood park with a naturalized stone fountain, gazebo and water features; intimate frames rather than wide scenes.
About 300 plant and tree species on the zoo grounds with guided botanical tours; a paid shoot, daily 10–5.
The only sunflower field sourced near Lincoln: a U-pick farm just north of town with spring tulips and a sunflower field with photo props. Fri 10–8, Sat 9–8, Sun 10–4; $50/hour for photo sessions.
Five-acre U-pick orchard inside the city: 2,000 mostly dwarf trees in 25-plus varieties, a barn and wagon, and picnic tables among the rows. Ripe rows carry orange streamers. U-pick August to late October: Fri 5–8, Sat 10–5, Sun 1–5; hours shift with the crop, so check the orchard's Facebook page. Free entry, cards only, no pets. Personal photos are free; professional photographers register ahead and pay a $50 session fee.
The city's own caption says "Holmes Lake Park sunsets are stunning"; the dam walk gives an open western horizon, and Hyde Observatory sits on the grounds.
The lake sits west of downtown, so the skyline and Haymarket read against the evening sky from the south shore; Yelp's top-rated local sunset spot.
28-acre lake with an island, native plantings (sunflowers, sumac) and covered fishing piers; restored shoreline gives clean foreground rock and reeds.
A meandering waterway with many crossings, three fountains and a scenic overlook, a few blocks from downtown. Open 5 a.m.–11 p.m.
Six miles of trail along Salt Creek and its levee from Haymarket Park south to the Jamaica North Trail. The Cornhusker Hwy to N 27th section was closed for work in 2026.
Lancaster County's largest reservoir, about 1,800 acres, with sailboats against fall foliage; nationally noted for bald eagles in late winter and snow geese in early March.
Big Salt Valley lake with 6 miles of trails; a second local eagle spot in winter and early spring.
Quieter 230-acre lake with a primitive feel and less traffic than Branched Oak.
315-acre lake; the state's own photos show the Area 2 swim beach at sunset. Lake levels are still low after a 2022 renovation and drought.
195-acre no-wake lake with two accessible fishing piers for low waterline sunrise shots.
Less-developed Salt Valley lake on the southwest side; shoreline and prairie edge without crowds.
Wooded bluffs over the Platte, a small waterfall on Stone Creek, and the Lincoln Journal Tower with a sunset view over the river and the Lied bridge. A fall favorite.
Bluff-top overlooks on the Platte, rock outcrops, hardwood forest and a suspension bridge; a top fall-color hike near Lincoln.
Lincoln's most popular portrait park: tall grass, dense trees, ponds and sunset views. The bronze Bison at Harris Circle sits on the highest point facing sunrise; the sledding hill is the winter draw.
668 acres of tallgrass prairie, woodland and wetland with a bison and elk herd, raptor exhibits and 10-plus miles of trails. Non-gated trails open 6 a.m.–11 p.m. in summer. Free.
1,472 acres of creekside woodland, Lincoln's largest park: trout lilies in April, a heron rookery, old bridge footings, and the first pick for fall leaf hikes.
61-acre park at the south end of Wilderness Park with a trail bridge in; the paved base with the only restrooms nearby.
Tallgrass prairie sanctuary that a local photographer calls a favorite sunset location; greater prairie-chickens are the marquee bird. Trails open sunrise to sunset, free.
230 acres of never-plowed tallgrass prairie owned by UNL; the last hour before sunset is the draw, and a big cottonwood grove stands in the south draw.
Up to 200 bald eagles as the ice breaks up in late February and March; scope the water near the dam, then the north and east shores.
Crushed-limestone rail trail through dense forest and meadows along Wilderness Park with bridges over Salt Creek; a dependable fall-color ride.
The Elaine Hammer Bridge carries the trail over N 27th in town; east of 84th, 22 miles of woodland, prairie and farm country. The stretch east of the 84th St bridge is "absolutely stunning" in fall.
8.5 paved miles along Antelope Creek from Holmes Lake through the Sunken Gardens and rose garden to Union Plaza; it ties most garden spots together on foot.
The 70-foot Walter Scott Jr. tower gives a sweeping view over the Platte River and hardwood forest; a listed fall-foliage destination.
Lincoln's biggest market against the brick warehouses of the Haymarket, with buskers at Iron Horse Park drawing crowds 9–11 a.m.
Producer-run neighborhood market with about 50 vendors and live music 11 a.m.–1 p.m.; smaller and more intimate. This replaced the old Old Cheney Road market.
Small town-center market of about 20 vendors with lawn games and golden-hour light on a weekday evening.
10,000-plus runners starting at dawn beside Memorial Stadium and finishing on campus.
Memorial Day weekend hot-rod show: curated feature cars indoors and a free outdoor show in the lot.
Free monthly car show that has topped 700 cars across the Speedway campus.
Free Tuesday-evening concerts in the Sheldon Sculpture Garden with evening light on the sculptures and a food market.
Color-saturated parade circling the Capitol with the tower as backdrop.
The city's fireworks over Oak Lake with the skyline and arena as backdrop.
Nebraska's official Fourth of July City: 50,000 visitors, a 4 p.m. grand parade, craft fair on the courthouse lawn, 10 p.m. fireworks.
Torch relay across the pedestrian bridge and cauldron lighting outside the arena at dusk; free.
Steam engines, belt-driven threshing and antique tractors; smoke and brass in 6 a.m. light.
Ten days of 4-H livestock, midway lights, nightly 7 p.m. grandstand shows and rodeo.
Smoke, pit crews and grill fire. This replaced the arena's old Capital City Ribfest.
Hot-air balloon launches at 7 p.m. and evening glows with all burners lit at once. No Lincoln balloon festival was found.
90,000 fans in red, the team's walk through a fan tunnel at 14th and Vine about 2 hours 15 minutes before kickoff, and tailgate lots all around the stadium.
Orchard U-pick, hayrack rides and a downtown parade at apple harvest, with strong fall color at Arbor Day Farm.
Pumpkins heaped under maples, a 55-acre pumpkin field by hayrack, Nebraska's largest apple orchard, and barns. Paid admission. Professional photographers call 402-332-4200 ahead and pay admission.
Prairie wagon rides, bison and historic buildings in fall.
Lincoln's largest trick-or-treat: costumed kids, 40-plus lit booths and animals at twilight.
Synchronized light shows, light tunnels, 30-plus lit animal silhouettes and a holiday train.
Drive-through display of over a million lights synced to FM radio; long-exposure and light-trail material.
Drive-through synchronized show with Husker, Toyland and forest themes at the fairgrounds.
Gallery openings across downtown and the Haymarket with lit storefronts after dark; Tower Square hosts an art market and live music 5–9 p.m.
Downtown multi-venue music festival with outdoor stages on 13th between O and P in past years. No 2026 dates published.
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