Visit Red Cloud This Holiday & Winter Season!
"I'm not exaggerating, Carrie, when I confide to you that I would rather go home to Red Cloud than to any of the beautiful cities in Europe where I used to love to go . . ."
-Willa Cather in a letter to Carrie Miner Sherwood
While Willa Cather only spent the second half of her childhood in Red Cloud, she returned often to visit family and friends. She once wrote, "I always return to Nebraska." You can, too—in any season or time of year, whether for the first time or on a return trip. We offer a variety of guided historic site tours, lodging, and events year round at the National Willa Cather Center and historic Red Cloud Opera House.
Interested in planning a trip? Browse our website, and the links below, or contact Nick Powers, Visitor Services Coordinator, at npowers@willacather.org.
Stay in our Cozy Lodging
The winter months are a great time of year to stay at the Cather Second Home Guest House or Villa Willa—both available to book through Airbnb year round.
Books & Unique Gifts
Curated books and gifts for the discerning visitor or Willa Cather enthusiast! All purchases support our mission to advance Cather's legacy through education, preservation, and the arts.
Willa Cather Childhood Home
The Willa Cather Childhood Home reopened last year on Willa Cather's 150th birthday—December 7, 2023—after an extensive 16-month restoration of the preserved literary landmark. There is so much to see: from Cather's high chair to the newly restored original wallpaper that she hung in her attic bedroom!
Big Read of My Ántonia
Willa Cather’s classic novel My Ántonia, published in 1918, was among the fifty titles selected by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for their 2024 Big Read initiative. Through grant funding, we have traveling exhibits, programs, and educational resources available through June 30, 2025. Participate in programs offered in Red Cloud and around the country—or take our Ántonia's Black Hawk Tour (offered on Saturdays through March 2025)!