Strategic Air Command
Ashland, Nebraska
Nebraska’s Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum boasts one of the top collections of United States airships, nuclear missiles and spacecraft. The museum is unique in that it showcases the development of airship technology and commemorates those who witnessed the consequences of modern warfare firsthand with special tributes to Holocaust survivors and Vietnam War veterans.
Must see: The Searching for Humanity Exhibit contains personal testaments from Nebraskan Holocaust survivors and soldiers.
Special group experience: Groups should keep an eye out for the museum’s monthly events, which range from exhibitions of aviation art to the Swing Under the Wings dinner and dance.
The Wilds
Cumberland, Ohio
Sprawled across nearly 10,000 acres, The Wilds is a nonprofit conservation that shelters rare and endangered animals, allowing them to roam in open fields. During this real-life safari adventure, guests ride through beautiful grassy hills on an open-air transport as they observe rhinos, cheetahs, zebras, giraffes and bison grazing with their young.
Must see: The Open-Air Safari tour takes visitors through the conservation to meet rhinos and giraffes face to face, sometimes close enough to offer them a bite of lettuce. Afterward, visitors can eat in the Overlook Café.
Special group experience: Other unusual experiences on the preserve include the Wild Zipline Safari Tour, the Horseback Safari and the Fishing Safari.
The House on the Rock
Spring Green, Wisconsin
The House on the Rock is a museum of oddities nestled atop Deer Shelter Rock that takes visitors on a surreal journey through rooms of eerie animatronics, unusual antiques and endless color. Designed by Alex Jordan Jr. during the 1940s and 1950s, the house continually expands its bizarre collection. There are several seasonal events throughout the year, such as the Dark Side Halloween, the Winter Guided Experience and Christmas at the House on the Rock, during which more than 6,000 Santas are displayed.
Must see: Several hallmarks of the tour are the world’s largest indoor carousel, a room full of automated musical instruments, a 200-foot model of a whale fighting a squid, a reconstruction of an early-20th-century town, an antique doll collection.
Special group experience: The property also features an inn and a resort; groups can find lodging deals there on the attraction’s website.
