National Plan Your Vacation Day and the allure of the "Staycation"
The Intentional Tourist, January 29, 2025
Note: This column will appear in the Webster County Sun on Wednesday, January 29th. That’s why even though it’s getting published here on January 22nd, it refers to the 28th as a date that has already passed. You can read this column one week early with a paid subscription. If you’re new to “The Outlawed Prairie,” this is a column a write for my full-time gig, which is the Heritage Tourism Development Director at the National Willa Cather Center in Red Cloud, NE. That means fewer swears and no politics mostly. This column will be free to read one month after it gets published in the Webster County Sun, which in this case will be Mar. 1st, 2025.
January 28th was “National Plan Your Vacation Day”. I don’t know about you, but I’m wary of the “national” day stuff. They’re mostly empty marketing gimmicks. After all, January 28th was also “National Kazoo Day” and I know we’re all waiting with bated breath for “National Flash Drive Day” on April 5th. And who hasn’t had a few too many celebrating “National Proofreading Day” every March 8th? Granted, that day is also “National Peanut Cluster Day”, which I celebrate year round. You can find a day for just about literally anything on www.nationaldaycalendar.com.
Most of these national days are harmless fun and used to promote a product or create an excuse to eat delicious food (“National Donut Day” is November 5th though I prefer to celebrate “National Cream-Filled Donut Day” on September 14). Others, however, are a little more serious. I’d like to count Plan Your Vacation Day as one of the most significant others. Why? I think that’s best expressed in the organization’s mission statement: “National Plan for Vacation Day focuses on the intense burnout experienced by American workers, highlighting how planning a vacation can be a powerful tool in bringing joy and rejuvenation.”
In short, most Americans need to take more time off and reconnect with themselves, their families, interests, nature, etc instead of relentlessly grinding at work. Even the act of planning a vacation can be therapeutic as it always is to dream of what’s possible. Many of us struggle to separate our identities from our work and that can take a psychological toll. What’s ironic is that taking a break makes us healthier and, in the long run, more productive at work. Each year, Americans leave more than 600 million vacation days unused. 55% of PTO went unused in 2022. This year, don’t be one of these statistics—plan your vacation now!
If you need a little help, the U.S. Travel Association has put together a plethora of options at www.planforvacation.com. Since I’m the Tourism Director in Red Cloud, the chair of the Webster County Visitors Committee, and since the Hotel Garber is set to open in early April, I would like to invite readers of this column to plan their Webster County vacation in 2025.
If it’s been a minute since you’ve been to Red Cloud, now’s the perfect time to come back. The Hotel will offer 27 rooms in a variety of sizes including a 2 bedroom loft on the top level with a gorgeous view of our historic downtown. The lower level will feature event space and a kitchen that will provide 24/7 food and beverage service that you’ll be able to enjoy in our dining and lounge areas on the first floor. The Hotel Garber will be the perfect spot to launch your tour of the region, starting with the nation’s largest collection of nationally-designated historic sites dedicated to an American author, all of which comprise the National Willa Cather Center. Most of these properties have been restored within the last 10 years.
There’s also fun events at the Red Cloud Opera House. Among this year’s offerings are Omaha Street Percussion (Feb. 7th), cover bands Tastydactyl (1990s and 2000s on Apr. 5) and AM/FM (1980s on Oct. 3rd), as well tributes to George Strait (Mar. 7) and Elvis Presley (Dec. 5-6). We have art on display at the Mark Dahle Art Gallery, Abundant Life Honey, On the Brix, and the Red Cloud Opera House. You can immerse yourself in history at the Webster County Museum and the Starke Round Barn (special appointment only) and recreation at the Red Cloud Golf Club and the Republican River. There’s also annual celebrations like Street Car Days (Aug. 1-3), the Webster County Fair & Rodeo (July 25-27 in Bladen), and 4th of July celebrations in Blue Hill. There’s a 3 hour tour of rural Webster County sites available from the Cather Center as well which includes a stop at the restored Pavelka Farmstead near Bladen which figures prominently in Cather’s most celebrated novel, My Ántonia. Areas near Guide Rock are even considered the cradle of Pawnee civilization. Liberty Cove Recreation Area near Lawrence offers opportunities for fishing and camping. You can hike miles of trails, view spectacular sunsets, and gaze at the stars on the 612 acre Willa Cather Memorial Prairie on the Kansas state line (there’s a great selfie spot next to the Nebraska state road sign near there as well).
I could go on for thousands of more words listing all of the fun and interesting places in south central Nebraska and north central Kansas that would allow an intrepid visitor to fill up a week’s worth of activities with the Hotel Garber serving as your base. I suggest you call Hotel Garber General Manager John Schwichtenberg now at 903-819-0798 or jschwichtenberg@hotelgarber.com to start mapping out some ideas for your visit and to get an idea of when rooms will be available.
I also invite locals to consider a “staycation.” Going other places is great, but we all need to reconnect with the place we call home from time to time. It helps remind us of what is so wonderful about this place and helps us avoid getting dragged down by the drudgery of day to day existence. You might be surprised by how much things have changed and improved and how much you enjoy things you might take for granted. There’s a lot to explore right here at home and we absolutely need all of you to become ambassadors for Webster County. That’s the best way to build pride in this place and make it feel welcoming to visitors and newcomers. You can’t do that if you don’t visit the attractions though. Plus, just think about all the money you’ll save on gas!
So go to www.visitredlcoud.com today and learn more about what we have to offer. There’s even itineraries available (some may need updating) in the Heritage Tourism section for everything from afternoon visits to long-term stays in the region.
