Museums and Gardens in Lincoln: Where to Go and What to See

For a mid-sized city, Lincoln has an unusually rich set of museums and public gardens, many of them tied to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln or run by the city. Several are free, and most are close enough to each other that you can pair two in one outing.

This guide covers the major museums and gardens, what makes each one worth a visit and how to plan around them. Hours, exhibits and admission policies change, so check each official site before you go.

Sheldon Museum of Art

The Sheldon Museum of Art sits on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's City Campus. Its landmark building, designed by architect Philip Johnson, opened in 1963. The museum, whose roots go back to 1888, says its collections include nearly 13,000 artworks in diverse media, with particular strength in American art from the 19th century to the present.

The museum says admission is free. Beyond the galleries, more than thirty of Sheldon's monumental sculptures are displayed across the university's City and East campuses, so a walk around campus doubles as an outdoor art tour. Sheldon also notes it was among the earliest institutions accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, in 1972. Check its hours page before visiting, since schedules can shift for holidays and events.

Morrill Hall: University of Nebraska State Museum

Morrill Hall, home of the University of Nebraska State Museum, is a few blocks away at 645 North 14th Street. Its best-known gallery is Elephant Hall, home to "Archie," which the museum calls the largest articulated fossil Columbian mammoth, and a unique collection of fossil elephants.

Other permanent galleries listed by the museum include:

• The Marx Discovery Center, a hands-on science space with a fossil dig pit and a beaver dam replica
• The Hall of Nebraska Wildlife
• The Mesozoic Gallery and the Torren Gallery of Ancient Life, covering the age of dinosaurs and the Paleozoic Era
• The Rhino Gallery, with fossils from Ashfall Fossil Beds
• The Visible Lab, where visitors can watch researchers prepare specimens

Mueller Planetarium is inside Morrill Hall. The museum says public shows run on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, except on home football game days, and it lists current shows and suggested ages on its planetarium page.

Morrill Hall charges admission, but entry is free for museum members, UNL NCard holders and ASTC members, and the museum currently offers free Museums for All tickets to visitors with SNAP, EBT or WIC cards; the visit page has current details. The museum is usually closed on Mondays and on select holidays. There is limited free parking east of the building, but on football game day Saturdays there is no parking in the lot outside Morrill Hall. The visit page also lists nearby city bus stops.

International Quilt Museum

On the university's East Campus, at 1523 North 33rd Street, the International Quilt Museum holds what it describes as the largest publicly held quilt collection in the world. Its mission includes celebrating "the cultural and artistic significance of quilts." Exhibitions rotate, so repeat visitors usually find something new. The museum is usually closed on Sundays and Mondays; check its site for current hours, tours and events.

The Nebraska State Capitol

The State Capitol is both a working government building and one of Lincoln's best free attractions. According to the Capitol's official site, it was designed by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, who won a national design competition in 1920, and it was built in four phases from 1922 to 1932. The tower rises 400 feet and is topped by a 19-foot bronze figure called The Sower. Inside, look for marble-columned chambers, vaulted tile ceilings, marble mosaic floors and murals depicting Nebraska's history.

The Capitol offers free guided tours several times a day, beginning at the North Entrance on the second floor. The official site recently noted that the tower and observation decks are closed during HVAC construction, so check the visitor page before planning around the view. School groups have a separate tour booking process.

Sunken Gardens

Sunken Gardens, at 2601 D Street, is the best known of Lincoln's public gardens. The City of Lincoln says the site was a neighborhood dumpsite before it was first developed in 1930, and that it is the only Nebraska garden listed in the "300 Best Gardens to Visit in the United States and Canada" in National Geographic's guide to public gardens. A 2005 renovation added accessible entrances, new pavilions and renovated water features.

The 1.5-acre garden is replanted each year around a new theme with more than 30,000 annuals. Tulips usually bloom in spring, followed by annuals and perennials through the summer.

A few practical notes from the city:

• The parking lot is off 26th and D streets, with overflow parking across 27th Street at the Hamann Rose Garden.
• Dogs must be leashed.
• Photographers should minimize disruption to other visitors and avoid damaging plantings, and a large shoot may need a Special Use Permit.
• The city no longer rents the gardens in May or October because of planting transitions.

Planning a museum-and-garden day

For a hypothetical example, imagine a Saturday outing: start at Morrill Hall when it opens, walk a few blocks to Sheldon for an hour, have lunch downtown, then drive to Sunken Gardens in the afternoon. On a home football Saturday, though, flip the plan and stay away from campus.

A few tips:

• Several museums are closed on Mondays; check before you go.
• Downtown and campus parking is mostly garages and meters.
• The gardens change through the season, from spring tulips to summer annuals.

Key takeaways

• Sheldon Museum of Art has free admission and a strong American art collection in a 1963 Philip Johnson building.
• Morrill Hall offers fossils, hands-on science and the Mueller Planetarium; avoid it on home football days.
• The International Quilt Museum on East Campus holds a world-class quilt collection.
• The State Capitol offers free guided tours; check whether the observation deck is open.
• Sunken Gardens is free, city-run and replanted with a new theme every year.

Sources - Sheldon Museum of Art, About — https://sheldonartmuseum.org/about/ - University of Nebraska State Museum, Morrill Hall Exhibits — https://museum.unl.edu/morrill/morrill-hall/exhibits/ - University of Nebraska State Museum, Visit Morrill Hall — https://museum.unl.edu/morrill/morrill-hall/visit/ - University of Nebraska State Museum, Mueller Planetarium — https://museum.unl.edu/planetarium/ - International Quilt Museum, official site — https://www.internationalquiltmuseum.org/ - Nebraska State Capitol, Visit — https://capitol.nebraska.gov/ - Nebraska State Capitol, Building History — https://capitol.nebraska.gov/building/history/ - City of Lincoln Parks and Recreation, Sunken Gardens — https://www.lincoln.ne.gov/City/Departments/Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Facilities/Public-Gardens/Sunken-Gardens