Nebraska Star Party honored by travel booking site as best in U.S. for ‘astrotourism’

Merritt Reservoir State Park Recreation Area has exceptional dark skies and has been recognized as tops for "astrotourism." (Courtesy of Nebraska Game and Parks Commission)

LINCOLN — Nebraska’s remote Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area is gaining acclaim for its remoteness and “exceptionally dark skies.”

In July, a premier star-gazing event there, the Nebraska Star Party, was named the best location for “astrotourism” outside of Europe by the travel booking site, Omio.

Merritt, located 35 miles southwest of Valentine in the middle of the state’s Sandhills, is so far from any city that its dark skies have drawn stargazers from across the country to the annual Star Party.

Merritt has hosted the event, open to all, each summer for three decades. In 2022, Merritt became the first Nebraska site certified by DarkSky International.

Omio looked at 1,400 places around the world for the best stargazing qualities, with the Star Party coming out on top.

Merritt wasn’t the only U.S. location to make the list. In Colorado, Rocky Mountain National Park was ranked No. 3. The rest of the top 10 were all destinations in Canada.

The best location for stargazing in Europe? The travel site said that Ireland was the clear winner, with eight of the top 10 places in Europe all being located there.

The honor for the Nebraska Star Party was detailed in an article in Travel + Leisure magazine.

The next Nebraska Star Party is scheduled for July 20-25, 2025.

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