We were aware of the restricted days/hours for the Water Park. . Arrived at 12:45 on the Wed of the week previous to July 4th with 92° temps. The line was shorter, but was a quickly moving line. Bath house was appropriately clean. They allowed us to bring in water bottles and chairs, not supposed to bring food. Nonswimmers had to pay the full price, still a bargain in our book. There were a lot of swimmers, but the large water features handled the crowd well. There were a goodly number of shaded areas, but they were quite full with limited chairs. The snack line was always long. The area was well taken care of by attentive staff. Our for grandchildren (ages 8-15) had a great time for the nearly three hours we were there. I would avoid the days adjacent to weekends, but we'd come back. See more..
This is an excellent state park with plenty of Western history, especially of the US cavalry and the native American tribes of the region. Markers note the location of the original fort and many buildings of the later installation remain, some being used as museums or cabins. There are some good trails on the edge of the park; we hiked up the ridges to the north for great views of the fort. Its in the middle of nowhere but a great stop to seek out.See more..
We got there around 8 am and pretty much had the place to ourselves as we viewed the barn and outdoor areas. The barn has a lot of amazing photos with a little bit of history next to each one. We paid ($8 state park daily fee, $2 adult and $1 child fee) and went into the mansion around 9:20 am for a self-guided tour. Our visit ended around 10:20 as more people than I was comfortable with entered the mansion and we were about done anyway. We like history and walking so this was perfect for us.See more..
I grew up in NE but was not aware of this park until recently. We visited on our way home from a trip to South Dakota. There are several waterfalls located near Valentine but our hotel recommended this one for accessibility. The park permit is self pay right now due to COVID. There are latrines located around the park, the visitor center is currently closed. It is about a 0.4 mile walk to the falls, down a few stairs, over a bridge, and on some boardwalks; it was not too much for my 4 yo and parents in their 60s. The waterfall is so beautiful and you can step into the cool water and sand at the bottom. I think a park employee was there monitoring safety. We were able to "social distance" for the most part. If we are able to return sometime I would definitely try to float the river as that looked very popular!See more..
Arbor Lodge in Nebraska City, Nebraska, was the home of the J. Sterling and Caroline Morton family. The four-room house built in 1855 was renovated over the years into a Victorian-style mansion. The 52-room mansion includes many Morton family Victorian and Empire-era furnishings. Guests may stroll the gardens and trails to view towering trees, many of which were planted by the Morton family. Arbor Lodge State Historical Park and Arboretum encompasses 72 acres of wooded area and gardens, with over 260 species of trees and shrubs.See more..
We stopped here to learn more about Nebraskan history and to retrieve our NPS passport stamp for the Oregon Trail. The visitor center is comfortable with a cute museum inside. The staff was incredibly kind and helpful. The grounds are beautiful and in March we could see sandhill cranes in the adjoining corn field!See more..
4.0Indian Cave State Park(80 reviews) - Great place to visit in the fall Monday: 6:30 AM - 9:00 PM State Parks
Awesome place to visit! It was really busy this weekend with lots of people camping. The Park was decked out for Halloween, even campers got in on the fun decorating their RVs and even tents! They had a small craft fair with food trucks, a scavenger hunt with clues throughout the park for everyone to participate if you wanted to. The living history sites were open so you could learn and enjoy a piece of history if you wanted. Lots of furry friends attended also with their families. Definitely a place to visit as the leaves were changing colors. The overlook is a great place to see as well as the old cemetery. The "cave" was an interesting piece of history as well. Definitely recommend!See more..
4.5Ponca State Park(78 reviews) - One of the best state parks we have visited! State Parks
This was one of the best state parks we have visited recently. Admission for non-Nebraska residents was $12, but wait, because we paid admission at another park yesterday and arrived here before noon today, there was no charge! There is an excellent visitor center and interpretive center about the Missouri, and for us it was great to go to the overlook and see the unchannelized Missouri. There are walking trails which we opted to skip, but the park has much to offer visitors, including rental cabins. If you’re interested in Lewis and Clark, this is an especially good stop.See more..
4.5Platte River State Park(67 reviews) - Platte River State Park - a very nice experience, relaxing and enjoyable !!! Monday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM State Parks • Parks
A very nice, and very large, rambling State Park...with tons of amenities that include rental cabins, camping areas, lodges, restaurant, observations towers, tennis courts, swimming/splash pads, athletic field, education facility/headquarters, fishing, miles and miles of hiking/walking trails, a waterfall, and of course the Platte River. A person could easily set aside a couple hours to just initially scratch the surface of what the State Park has to offer... just as easily take the entire day...and if feeling adventurous do some overnight camping. Enjoy !!See more..
We spent the weekend at Chadron State Park in one of their duplex cabins. I was disappointed to find satellite TV and internet, but my boys were happy. If you are a clean freak, this may not be for you. We had a mouse or rat get into our van and clean up after the kids. Lots of great trails for us to take the dogs with us on. The Trading Post was were my husband and oldest son spent most evenings. They were able to do archery and tomahawk throwing for $1.50 for 30 minutes. They even had figurines for the kids to paint. The frisbee golf course was the best one I've ever played! The trail to Lookout point is a must do! We timed it so we were up there at sunset. You can see all the way to the Black Hills of South Dakota. Amazing.See more..
Who knew this gem was in Nebraska? I Googled swimming beaches in Nebraska and Voila! Huge lake - all sand bottom. Great for fishing, watercraft activities and clean sand swimming beaches. Beautiful slice of American Pie to view. Bring your camera.See more..
Absolutely beautiful park! I can’t speak of the trails, as we just camped here overnight, but it was an exceptionally beautiful view from campsite number seven overlooking the river. It seemed each campsite was large and private, and the park seem to be a very peaceful place. Of course, we were there during the week, so maybe that was part of it! Our campsite had a view of the old bridge that went over the river, and I have to say I was slightly disappointed that the trail to the entrance of the bridge was closed. Sometime recently the bridge had collapsed, due to flooding, I think, and I’m guessing it is considered danger, but it would been cool to be able to see it up close. Overall, I would absolutely come back to this park if I was in the area.See more..
I love fishing there and moreover, eating what I caught. The scenery was beautiful. People were friendly and food, delicious! I also like the museum, Buffalo Bill's Rest Ranch, Cody Park, the Railroad Exhibit and the two rivers. What a great place to relax and enjoy.See more..
4.0Ash Hollow State Historical Park(25 reviews) - Quick, interesting stop Spent 1-2 hours Historic Sites • State Parks • Historic Walking Areas
We stopped here quickly on a drive to South Dakota. There is a small, inexpensive indoor museum with some artifacts. The small cave discovered on the site is a short walk from the front entrance and is enclosed in a glass fronted building. There are a couple of short trails, the Spring one is quite steep on the way back. Beautiful overlook of surrounding hills. Bathrooms were clean.See more..
5.0Stolley Park(12 reviews) - Great Park Spent 1-2 hours State Parks • Parks • Playgrounds
This is a great park and home of a large playground called Kids Kingdom. There is a beautiful flower garden and plenty of picnic tables. See more..
3.0Broken Arrow Wilderness(8 reviews) - I’ve heard of tanking my whole life but never been State Parks
It’s relaxing! Pack your lawn chairs and cooler, rub in the sunblock and sit back. If you don’t mind pushing off the sa bars occasionally, this is a lazy river ride down the Cedar. See more..
Clean, big shady sites, lakes, fishing, swimming. Only downside is they are electric only. Nice clean bathhouse. While it’s near the interstate, noise is surprisingly light. Fills up fast on the weekends. Grand Island has lots of restaurants, shopping, Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer, nice paved bike paths and more. And if you’ve never been to Nebraska, you have to try a Runza!! A great place!!!See more..
This is one of the less well know state parks in Nebraska. It's worth the time to visit though as it's never very crowded. It was interesting to read about ranching in Nebraska and the history of the Sandhills. Both native Nebraskans and visitors will enjoy!See more..
Lovely old growth trees,, small well kept campground. Very clean,, the shower house & bathrooms are very clean. We stayed in a 27' RV site # 19. Nice shade,, option of 30 or 50 Amp at most sites. The deer come out of the woods at dusk,, I think they are looking for crab apples that fall from the trees on the southern edge. Its just very nice,, history here also, which we love. A footbridge connects the campground to the recreation area that has a lake with paddle boats. Very limited Verizon signal,,sometimes text would work,, but our receiver for Dish network functioned nicely. See more..
Plenty of trees and shade for camping, some nice hikes with decent hills. Fishing is ok. A good spot to stage from for going up to the Niobrara. See more..
5.0Schramm Park State Recreation area(4 reviews) - Great for Hiking and Recreation State Parks • Hiking Trails • Forests We packed a picnic lunch and ate at one of the many picnic tables. There was also a fish hatchery that our kids loved walking around. We took our kids on the longer loop hike with our toddler in a backpack and enjoyed a nice, shady hike. Small fee to get in or admission is included with a Nebraska state parks pass. See more..
Located just five miles south of town, the Sutherland Reservoir is our home lake. On the south shore of the lake is the Oregon Trail Golf Course and campground. There are electrical and water hookups, plus a dump station right next to a beautiful 9 hole golf course. On the south east shore of the lake, what locals call Hershey Beach is a boat dock and primitive camping with a beautiful sand beach. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission provides vault toilets, and you must have a state park permit to enter here. On the west side of the lake at the inlet, there is primitive camping and a boat dock, plus a fish cleaning station. You need a park permit for this area as well. The lake itself is 3,000 acres, so perfect for water sports and fishing.See more..
