The Nebraska Passport Program is an annual program that runs from May 1 to Sept. 30, encouraging travel and tourism throughout Nebraska. What makes the program special aside from showcasing the state and boosting its economy are the human connections and experiences fostered across communities in Nebraska, including Wayne.
The program features 70 destinations in Nebraska and each year showcases a whole new selection of locations, from retail stores, restaurants, museums and state parks to coffee shops and roadside attractions.
“It started in 2010 as a way to highlight some of the byways in the state of Nebraska… some of our highways that are historic that are off the interstate,” Madison Johnson of the Nebraska Tourism Commission said. “It has really grown a ton. As far as we know, it is the oldest and the largest program in the country, so we’re really proud of it. It’s a really great summer program for Nebraska.”
Johnson said when she first started helping with the program in 2018, the number of passport champions, or people who visited all 70 destinations, was around 750. Since 2020, however, the number of passport champions has been over 1,000.
“It really allows for a lot of folks to get some fun memories from the summertime and spend some time with friends and family,” Johnson said.
As for people who do some traveling but don’t visit every stop, there are more still. This year, 46,600 passports were distributed to be physically stamped, according to Nebraska Passport. Those who wished to obtain stamps digitally used the passport app, where 147,700 digital stamps were issued.
Figures from the 2019 program indicate the level of economic impact Nebraska Passport has on the state: $23.7 million was generated in traveler spending and $1.9 million was generated in local and state tax revenue.
“We just love to see it stay the course and just maintain this really positive reputation and impact on the destinations that are on the program,” Johnson said.
Rose Cottage, a former Chi Omega sorority house turned bed and breakfast in Wayne, participated as a destination in the 2025 Nebraska Passport Program. Elizabeth King, a Wayne State College alumna and owner of Rose Cottage, embraced the program’s positive impact on a local level.
“I was very blessed to have been chosen to be one of the 70,” King said. “It was just my absolute pleasure. I just couldn’t speak higher of it and was glad to have been on it.”
King said she knew she wanted to partner with other local businesses even though Rose Cottage would be the only official passport destination in Wayne.
“You can’t have a party and not invite anybody!” King said.
King collaborated with other businesses and organizations to create a coupon booklet to encourage passport travelers to stop at other places in Wayne. King also enlisted the help of Wayne Greenhouse and His Bakery to keep an extra passport stamper for instances when Rose Cottage was closed.
“I think small businesses in particular need to work together,” King said. “They need to complement one another rather than compete against one another and I think… part of the survival of being a small business is helping one another.”
Rose Cottage saw an increase in stays over the summer from passport travelers, gave out a total of 1,724 digital passport stamps for the program and had 618 passport traveler signatures added to its guestbook. King said the public awareness the passport program promotes is the whole purpose.
“It’s creating that visibility that all businesses want and that’s part of the job and they do it well,” King said. “People get out and explore Nebraska.”
King said when people travel the interstate, they see the flat, uninteresting side of Nebraska.
“But… there are beautiful hills; there are these beautiful churches; there’s history,” King said. “That’s part of what this [program] represents as well – all those beautiful places that a lot of people would not ever see.”
That’s exactly what Mary Nuñez experienced as a passport traveler. Born and raised in Arizona, Mary Nuñez moved to Nebraska in 2024. Nuñez heard about the Nebraska Passport Program through her
job at Dragonfly Desserts Coffee House & Bakery in Alma, Neb. which was a passport destination in 2024. When a friend suggested they participate in the program together, they went ahead and ordered their passports.
“I did several trips with my friend, Kayla,” Nuñez said. “It was amazing to get to know Nebraska. It was a good adventure and it’s great to have this available for people to explore the state.”
Nuñez said everywhere she went was a good experience. Whether visiting a flower shop, a monument, or a winery, Nuñez said she enjoyed getting to see people out having a good time. Being exposed to cultural diversity across Nebraska was another highlight of the program for Nuñez.
“I would highly recommend it to people who are from Nebraska,” Nuñez said. “It’s an important thing to learn about the people around the state and all the different cultures.”
Student Senate President Ava Hoffschneider said the program was a great excuse to take a vacation around Nebraska with the whole family, plus some day trips with just her mom.
“It was so fun,” Hoffschneider said. “I loved all of it, but the thing that I enjoyed the most was just meeting the people who run these places, because it’s incredible to see what they do for the town that they’re in… for everything else in their community.”
Hoffschneider said the program is impressively organized with themed categories and regional routes, making it a great way to meet more Nebraskans, learn more about Nebraska and fall in love with the state.
“I think every state should have this,” Hoffschneider said. “It’s incredible and it’s a great thing to do. I feel like it gets people out. It’s so easy to look at the map and do a day trip. I would have said that I loved Nebraska before… and now I’ve been around the whole state and I’m like ‘no, dude, I freaking love Nebraska!’”
