Guided Willa Cather Tours

The National Willa Cather Center and many of our historic sites are open for guided tours year-round. Four of the historic sites are fully accessible to those with limited mobility. Begin your exploration of settings from Cather's early years with one or more of these tours. 

The one, three, and seven building tours all include the Willa Cather Childhood Home. Please check our hours of operation when planning your visit, and be sure to scroll through the full list of tour descriptions below to choose an itinerary that is right for you!

My Ántonia Holiday Tour sites

Guided Seasonal Tour

My Ántonia and the Holidays

Tours in December feature holiday decorations and special Christmas readings from Cather's celebrated novel!

This is a driving tour of four historic sites featured in Willa Cather's 1918 novel My Ántonia. Guests should have their own transportation and plan to follow a tour guide from site to site. Tours last approximately 90 minutes and will be available for booking October 2024 through March 2025.

 

 

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Willa Cather Childhood Home

Guided Willa Cather Childhood Home Tour

Understand Cather's Youth

The Willa Cather Childhood Home is a National Historic Landmark that was restored in 2023. The accessible home is a short walk or drive from the National Willa Cather Center. Tours last approximately 30 minutes. 

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Farmers and Merchants Bank Interior

Guided Three-Building Tour

Experience Downtown Red Cloud

This is a walking or driving tour of three historic sites associated with Willa Cather's life and writing. Guests should have their own transportation and plan to follow a tour guide from site to site. Tours last approximately 60 minutes.

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Exterior photo of downtown Red Cloud

Guided Seven-Building Tour

Explore Cather's Hometown

This is a driving tour of seven historic sites associated with Willa Cather's life and writing. Guests should have their own transportation and plan to follow a tour guide from site to site. Tours last approximately 2 hours.

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Photo of the Willa Cather Memorial Prairie

Guided Prairie Tour

Hike the Trails

Your guided prairie tour will include an expert guide to provide an overview of this unique ecosystem. The prairie is also open for self-guiding year round. Tours last approximately 30 minutes.

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Exterior photograph of the Pavelka Farmstead

Guided Country Tour

Twenty Sites and Fifty Miles

This guided tour highlights twenty historic sites related to the life and writing of Willa Cather. Drive yourself through roughly fifty miles of the Webster County countryside, including settings from My Ántonia, O Pioneers!, One of Ours, short stories "Neighbour Rosicky" and "Peter," and others, as well as many scenes from Cather's own life—the Cather homesteads and the prairies and river where the Cather children played and explored. 

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Students at the American Bittersweet Exhibit

School Field Trip

Bring Cather's Writing to Life

National Willa cather Center education staff is always ready to create a customized field trip for K-12 students! Whether it is a special stop to the restored Pavelka Farmstead or a fun "guess the gadget" game, we are here to help learners of all ages make deeper connections between assigned readings and a visit to Red Cloud's beloved historic sites.

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Visitors walk outside near a trolley bus.

Group Tours

Curate a unique experience

Visit one of Nebraska’s premier historic attractions in a cultural oasis on America’s Great Plains. Enjoy an immersive and historic experience and let us create the perfect itinerary—and meal—for your timeframe. Basic tour packages are $10 per person or $25 per person (including a boxed lunch, with tax).

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