The great part about vacationing in the Great Plains is the variety of attractions available in this part of the country. If city life is your family's desire, that can be accomplished. If it's a close-up look at history, that can be found too. Sports? Done! You might even find that one of the best places to vacation is right in your own back yard.

It's easy to see that Mace Fowler is pleased with this largemouth bass that he and his dad, Eric, caught while fishing the Wildwood State Recreation Area north of Lincoln, Nebraska. Many similar locations offer backyard getaways all across the Great Plains. Photo by Eric Fowler.

I live right outside of Omaha, so I understand that last statement to be true. As good a place as Omaha is to live, it could be an even better place to visit. Omaha is a little big city. It's easy to navigate and has limitless opportunities for kids of all ages. The Omaha Children's Museum is downtown for little ones, the CoCo Key Water Resort is an indoor water park for all ages, and there are multiple Frisbee golf courses in the Omaha area.

Even die-hard golfers can steal a morning away west of Omaha at Quarry Oaks Golf Club, one of the top public courses in the nation. With multiple shopping areas, including three malls and outdoor shops in Omaha's historical Old Market area downtown, this city has a little something for everyone.

This month also includes one of Omaha's largest events, the College World Series. From June 13 through 23-24, the nation's best college baseball teams will descend upon Omaha. Even if you're not a baseball fan, the atmosphere around the ballpark and throughout the city is tremendous. And if you are a baseball fan and have never been to Omaha, there's no better time to go. Especially when tickets are usually still available the day of the game.

Because of the series, lodging in Omaha itself is a fight. Instead, rent a cabin at Eugene T. Mahoney State Park or stay at one of the area's surrounding campground areas, including Two Rivers State Recreation Area (SRA), Louisville SRA, and Fremont Lakes SRA. Yet, regardless of where you stay, Mahoney is the one-stop shop that deserves your attention.

Located west of Omaha, Mahoney has a water park, miniature golf course and hiking trails. Next door is the Strategic Air and Space Museum, and within a couple of miles is the Wildlife Safari, an attraction that features elk, deer, turkeys and other wildlife in a natural environment. In addition, Omaha also has the Henry Doorly Zoo, known as one of the top zoos in the country. With its orangutan forest, desert dome, butterfly/insect pavilion, cheetah valley, and a number of other exhibits, the zoo is an entire day's trip itself. Plus, it has an IMAX theater and Rosenblatt Stadium, the current home to the College World Series, is next door.

There is also fishing close by. Two Rivers has five fishable lakes, accessible from both land and by boat, and one of their lakes is stocked with rainbow trout. Fremont Lakes has 20 fishable lakes, and Louisville has five. Most of these have been stocked with largemouth bass, bluegills and channel catfish, but wipers, blue catfish and crappie are caught in these lakes as well.

If you are a beginning angler yourself, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission offers Family Fishing Nights throughout the summer. On these evenings from 6 to 8 p.m. at area lakes, including Prairie View, Holmes, Halleck Park, Bowling and Pawnee, commission fisheries biologists provide instruction and equipment to visitors to learn how to fish. For more information on this program, visit outdoornebraska.com.