The University of Nebraska–Lincoln campus occupies a large section of the northeastern quarter of the city and is worth wandering even if you have no academic business there. The city campus — east of 14th Street — is the historic core, with mature trees, red-brick buildings, and several museums and cultural institutions open to the public. The city and campus blend together more organically than at many American universities, with coffee shops and bookstores spilling into the surrounding streets.
The campus brings Lincoln much of its cultural vitality — the Lied Center for Performing Arts hosts a serious season of music, dance, and theatre, the Sheldon Museum of Art has a strong permanent collection, and the University of Nebraska State Museum in Morrill Hall is one of the better natural history museums in the Great Plains. The 52,000-student population keeps the surrounding area perpetually lively.