Scenic byways: from prairie to forest, mountain to seashore ~ and all four points of the compass ~ summer adventures for everyone

Take a trip to the panhandle of Nebraska to experience rugged buttes, badlands, and spires. Here you'll find Chimney Rock--the most mentioned geological formation in pioneer journals--as well as Courthouse and Jail Rocks. In the northern part of the panhandle, be sure to see the lunar-like landscape at Toadstool Park.

Called the Pompeii of prehistoric animals by National Geographic, Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park near Royal features ancient rhinos and tiny ancestral horses engulfed by volcanic ash 12 million years ago.

You can also tour Hudson-Meng Bison Bonebed near Crawford, where 600 bison perished 10,000 years ago. Or visit Agate Fossil Beds National Monument near Harrison, where you'll find Miocene paleontology exhibits and American Indian artifacts.

Lincoln's University of Nebraska State Museum of Natural History features one of the world's premier collections of fossil elephants. You'll also experience a hands-on discovery center Nebraska fossils, American Indian and African exhibits, dinosaurs, and wildlife dioramas.

Whether the outcroppings of today catch your eye or the fossilized reminders of yesterday tickle your fancy, Nebraska rocks!