James Arthur Vineyards - Raymond

 

We had the pleasure of going to James Arthur Vineyard with Frank's sister, Vicki and her friend Sandy. That was very special for us. 

It's  among rolling hills and beautiful grasslands near Raymond and close to Lincoln, NE. James Arthur Vineyard was established in 1997. It was founded by Jim and Neenie Jeffers and their family. They have a fantastic tasting room, gift shop, party room and you can see a view of their production facilities. 

We took a walk around the grounds and saw covered decks surrounded by beautiful plants and flowers and a small water feature. There were a lot of people there enjoying the beautiful scenery and also enjoying their drinks. 

Of course, we each did 6 wine tastings, except for Frank. He did take a few tiny sips of my wine but he ended up drinking a Coke. We also found out they have Hard Ciders, Beer, Bourbon and Whiskey.  they have quite a selection of wines to choose from.

We all had a lot of fun visiting with each other, tasting the wines, seeing the production facilities and finding about all the events they have.

You can go to their website www.jamesarthurvineyard.com to see all the amazing events they have coming up. We were treated to live music when we were there.

If you can't make it to the Winery by Raymond, they also have a store in the Haymarket in Lincoln. You can relax and enjoya wine tasting there, as well.

Even if you are not a wine drinker, it's worth the trip to see the beautiful scenery and rows of grapes.

 

 Wildwood Historic Center - Nebraska City 

As we drove up to the historic center, it was like taking a step back in time.  It's always interesting to see historic places that maintain as much of the original look and feel as possible.  The Wildwood Historic Center has done a very good job of this.  The Victorian Country Home and Barn were built in 1869.  The building above is the barn with a gift shop inside.  It houses a wide variety of handmade crafts, art, pottery, woodwork, handmade cards, jewelry and photography. This is also where you purchase tickets to see the Victorian home.

 

 

 We took a short walk to the home and we were greeted by Margaret, our tour guide. 

She told us the home was built in 1869 and was owned by Jasper  and Ellen Ware and their 3 daughters. It's an example of an early rural estate which features ten rooms, the main floor includes  formal and informal parlors, dining room, kitchen, and a downstairs pantry.                                                     

I don't remember what this was called but fresh bakery was put in here to cool.  Margaret then took us up an open staircase that leads to four bedrooms and the maids quarters. The maids quarters were closed due to renovations, but we did see the back staircase that the maid used which leads to the kitchen. 

All the rooms were furnished with some of the original furniture and furniture as close to 1869 as possible.  We had a wonderful tour of the house. We enjoyed seeing the beautiful rooms and furnishings. The garden walk was also beautiful and well-kept.

The Keeping Room - Nebraska City 

Very unfortunately we arrived here on a day they were closed.  I hate when that happens.  We really try to get to everywhere so we can engage with the location and workers.  Hopefully, we can return again soon.

 Sorry about this terrible photo.

Gospel Coffee & Ice Cream - Brownville 

 This coffee shop is certainly one of the most uniquely named places you'll ever find.  Obviously, you would think it has a connection to the Bible because of the name but you might wonder why there is a dog's head etched on the glass.  It's because that's the name of their dog!  That gave them the opportunity to start conversations about the gospel with people.

Gospel Coffee and Ice Cream was a fantastic place located in historic Brownville.  Frank had ice cream and, of course, I had an Iced Mocha with Almond Milk.  They have a great selection of coffees, teas, food and Ice Cream, ask Hayley to get whatever you fancy. 

The building inside is unique with framed coffee bean sacks covering part of the walls. They built beautiful tables and installed a barn door between the serving and seating areas. Outdoor seating is also available.  There's a bookcase filled with various books you can read while you wile away the hours plus a few other items to buy.

We got there a bit late and close to closing time so we didn't get to stay too long.  As always, we ran into some other Passport folks.  It's always fun to talk to everyone about where we're from and where we've been.