About the Club
The Friendship Force of Lincoln (FFL) is one of the larger and oldest clubs in the world. Our members have traveled over the years to hundreds of different locations and met people from many different cultures while also entertaining people from other clubs with the “great plains” enthusiasm and friendliness of Nebraskans. Besides traveling, we have monthly local activities for the entire membership to participate in such as breakfast and dinner meetings along with picnics, cultural learning, and entertainment times. Because Lincoln is a center for refugee resettlement, we enjoy many ethnic restaurants through LEO (Let’s Eat Out.) There is a range of views, ages, and educational backgrounds among the members, and we enjoy our associations with each other as well as with our visitors. Many long-term friendships have developed among our members and their guests from other states and countries thanks to the use of technology. Review the other areas of this website and/or visit
FaceBook at Friendship Force of Lincoln, NE to see what we have been doing in Lincoln!
About the Region
The State of Nebraska is in the middle of the U.S.A. Lincoln, its second-largest city, has a population of 292,657 (2021). A visit to Lincoln is a unique combination of urban and rural experiences. While agriculture is the State’s main economy, Lincoln’s economy is built on government, education, and business as it houses the University of Nebraska and the State Capitol, home to the only one-house legislature in the country. Lincoln’s 90 parks cover more acres per capita than parks in any other U.S. city. The historic market district has antique shops, art galleries, restaurants, and nightspots.
Lincoln was designated as a refugee-friendly city by the government in the 1970s because of its size, educational institutions, and stable economy. Many refugees have settled in the city, and it was recently named as one of the Top 10 Most Welcoming Cities in America by Welcoming America. The refugee population began increasing in the 1980s in the area, and by 2022, Lincoln had settled 30,000 refugees from 152 countries. The Lincoln Public Schools serves students with 100 different languages. The refugee population makes up 1/10 of the population of Lincoln and Lancaster Count. In 2016, Nebraska resettled more refugees per capita than any other state in the USA.
In 2022, the City of Lincoln presented the Welcoming and Belonging Strategic Plan with 500 stakeholders including immigrant-owned businesses providing authentic cuisine, skilled labor and cultural services, other businesses and non-profits, which provide services in housing, language acquisition, medical, financial services, etc.
About the Journey
The closest major airport is Eppley Airport (OMA) in Omaha. It is 50 miles from Lincoln with a shuttle service OmaLink (402-475-5465) that costs about $100 to $150 per person. The Lincoln Airport (LNK), although smaller, is more convenient for host pick-ups and farewells. There is no “typical” trip to Lincoln since we try to keep the activities up to date with not only the interests of our visitors but also the constant changes happening in our community. We do take every group to the State Capitol and usually a luncheon at the Governor’s Mansion. Lincoln has a variety of museums including the unique UNL tractor museum and the National Quilt Museum. Small group dinners held during the week in members’ homes are excellent chat times with Nebraska hosts.
Depending on the time of year, we may take visitors to see the Sand Hill Cranes that land on Nebraska’s Platte River every spring, or we might visit the world-famous Boys Town founded by Father Flanagan. This visit is usually prefaced with the well-known film about the school. The Oregon Trail is also represented across Nebraska with specific memorials. Other day excursions from Lincoln include the Beatrice Homestead Monument, site of the nation’s first homestead of “free land” from the federal government; Nebraska City where Arbor Day originated and where you can take a hayrack ride through an apple orchard; or Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo which has become the largest and most visited Zoo in the United States. Our Welcome and Farewell dinners are held at various venues in the city including the Holmes Lake Clubhouse or one of our Country clubs or business facilities. We try to include Nebraska beef as well as many other home-grown foods. The cost of your trip to Lincoln usually runs around US $300 per ambassador plus your transportation.
Updated February, 2024