What a beautiful park! We went to take the dog for a walk and a little swim. Lovely walking and…read morebiking trails. Beautiful trees, plants, grassy areas, and artwork/sculptures. Several areas for picnicking and children to play. There's a gorgeous flower garden with a winding path through it. Part of that area included troughs with vegetables growing in it. The produce is used by schools and a community food pantry. There were some buildings in the park, but I'm not sure what they are for. It was well-maintained. Plenty of parking in several spots.

Had a mini reunion with family near the splash pad, everything was wonderful! Highly recommend for…read morefamily, friends, kids, and pets!

I stayed the night at Mormon Island State Recreation Area in Nebraska on 8/22/1993. It was my 1st…read moretime there. The camping fee was $12.00 with electricity. We stayed at site #6 in our 1986 Winnebago Le Sharo.

Several lakes with beaches and waterfront access. Campgrounds available on the river or lake. Good…read morebathroom facilities. Noise from the interstate is audible. I've had relatives use the RV facilities, but commented on the high price.

Great place to visit, especially if you are here during Sandhill Crane Migration…read more Lots of interesting and informative exhibits, nice gift shop, walking trails, etc. Parking Lot, building, restrooms and such are very accessible. The volunteers are extremely helpful and are obviously very devoted to the cranes, other birds, and the natural environment here. I spoke with Cyndi, warm and enthusiastic, who made my visit here even more special. There are blinds here that you can reserve and ideally can give you an excellent viewing opportunity at dawn and dusk to see the cranes. You have to make reservations for these a LONG time in advance, we hadn't done that so we went to a different viewing area for the dusk return-to-the-river. Our GPS took us on a really roundabout route - absurdly so, really. Which honestly was not a problem, as it routed us on rounds along the cornfields and that's where the cranes are during the day. But if you are in a hurry to get here you might want to see what route your GPS has planned for you.

Came screaming down I-80 with purpose and propulsion this past summer, putting another 8500 miles…read moreon the old odometer. Somewhere in Nebraska, the kids were getting antsy in the back seat, and we needed a place to stretch our legs and eat a little lunch anyway. A poor cell signal revealed we were relatively close to Rowe Sanctuary, and after a couple of wrong turns and the acceptance that things on roads out here are always farther than they look on maps, we found it. Evidently, this place is quite a zoo when the beautiful sand hill cranes migrate through here in early spring (March-April). Really no one here during our visit in July, but enough natural beauty in the restored Platte river habitat, framed by some promising cumulonimbus clouds (we love summer thunderstorms... we don't get much of that in SoCal.) We walked a bit on a trail towards a marshy looking area that was pretty dry considering, then found a shady spot on a bench to eat a picnic lunch. As a card carrying member of the Audubon society, I always appreciate seeing little places like this designed to protect our natural resources.

Just to be clear, there are two different places in the area that are easy to confuse--Fort Kearny…read moreState Recreation Area is not the same as the Fort Kearny State Historical Park, even though they are close together and technically the same park. You can not access the hike/bike bridge in the Fort Kearny State Recreation Area from the Fort Kearny State Historical Park. We visited during the Spring Sandhill Crane migration, but since my son was also studying the Civil War, I wanted to squeeze in some history while we were in the area too. First, the Fort Kearny State Historical Park was really enjoyable for me. It was larger than I expected and has clearly marked areas showing where original buildings once stood. There's also a blacksmith shop with a covered wagon and several other historic features to explore along the way. The fort itself still stands, and you can walk inside and even climb up the lookout points on each corner. Inside, there's a lot of Nebraska history and artifacts from that time period. It didn't hold my son's attention quite as long as I had hoped, but I'm still very glad we visited. A Nebraska State Park Permit is required to park here, which can be purchased online ahead of time (what I did) or at the Fort Kearny Visitors Center or kiosk. The permit is good for 1.5 days. The interpretive center is open from 9 AM to 5 PM. This site has a lot of history--built by the Army in 1848, Fort Kearny served as a safe haven for Overland Trail travelers, Pony Express riders, and gold prospectors. Soldiers helped travelers, repaired wagons, and provided protection as people moved west. It also later served as a station for the Pony Express and supported workers building the transcontinental railroad. One unexpected highlight was seeing Sandhill cranes in the surrounding fields. It added a really interesting layer to the experience--thinking about how settlers may have experienced this same migration compared to us today. The cranes have been making this journey for thousands of years, which is incredible to reflect on. Just down the highway is the Fort Kearny State Recreation Area. There's a hike/bike trail with a paved, accessible 1.5-1.8 mile path that leads to a former railroad bridge over the Platte River. This is a well-known viewing area for the Sandhill crane fly-in and fly-out. We visited later in March and didn't see the massive peak migration numbers, but we still saw hundreds of cranes flying into the area at dusk, which was an incredible sight. It does get very crowded near sunset, especially on the bridge itself, so expect a lot of people and limited space. The experience felt a little rushed with kids, but I'm really glad we stayed through sunset to witness it. Watching the cranes come in over the river is something I won't forget.

"You have died of dysentery."…read more OK, if you're a Yelper of a Certain Age, you might remember that delightful game Oregon Trail, all monochrome green or orange in your tiny Apple IIc computer. Fort Kerney brings it to life. Visiting here, you can imagine the old 49ers heading west, stopping here for supplies and a little rest before heading west into the frontier. There's a lot of history here-- the Pony Express, connections to the Transcontinental Railroad, and the Westward expansion. The visitor center is well done, and the grounds have been variably preserved and restored to a condition that whisks you back in time to a very different era of American history. It wasn't all pretty, it wasn't all easy... but it's inexorably linked to who we are, who we aren't, and who we're all striving to be. Worth the stop for a stretch of the legs and the imagination.

Place is a great spot! Small cute little town of Aurora and the camping area is right next to a…read moregreat playground and water park for the kids. This park is great! Partial hookups with dump station right there and free WiFi what a perfect spot for 4 days!

This is an excellent stop. Free water and electric for rv. We are in 40ft 5th wheel. We had to back…read moredown road to get in the back spot but worth the effort. Public swimming pool at end of road (100ft) $4 admission worth it too. Well kept secret. THANK YOU, AURORA FOR YOUR HOSPITALITY. July 1. Plainsman Museum great stop. We spent 3 hours absorbing the information that

Good place to go. It's its been raining(a lot) we go elsewhere as it can get kinda deep some places…read moreand are not as usable but then there's usually more available spots cuz most want to go when it's clear and sunshine. We have gone there over the past 20 years always a great place and plenty of breathing room between campers.

This is a beautiful park. The office was closed when we got there, but they have instructions on…read morewhat to do and how to pay for the services you want. We only needed to stay one night since we were just passing through, but we hope to get a chance to visit again.

Great amenities. Love what they've done with it, unfortunately, in my experiences, at least during…read morethe daytime, people have been putting their dogs inside the fenced areas and going back to their cars or over to the port-a-potties and leaving their dogs unattended inside. Which also accounts for all the poop left everywhere. They have excellent walking trails and a great archery range and bike track down the hill. The evening park goers seem to be more responsible in our experience.

It is a very nice dogs park. Lacks some shade though so it's better to pick a cooler temperature to…read morehead there. This is the reason for 4 starts. Other than that the park has everything you and your dog need: water station, playground bag station, shaded gazebo.

We love this beautiful park the best in all of Nebraska . They keep it very well maintained …read more Thanks for the awesome memories. Have a blessed day

Beautiful little park located in Downtown Kearney, NE. Nice place to check out even if you're just…read morepassing through. Easy access from I-80/NE-44. Great views of the lighthouse just off 33rd St and 6th Ave. Also has a Skate Park at this same intersection. Also on site is 3 tennis courts, playground and more fun for the family.

Crystal Springs is a 73-acre park just south of Fairbury. It's open year round and offers picnic…read morefacilities, fishing and camping and a playground. Fishermen will find a variety of species, including large-mouth bass, catfish, blue gill and trout. If you like to observe wildlife (as opposed to catching it) you can watch the birds that habitate in and around the park. If you're lucky you might see bald eagles! Birdwatching is also a main attraction of Crystal Springs, as many varieties of migrating birds have been seen at the park. Bald eagles have been seen at the park, attracting birdwatchers. Beauty and serenity surround you for a day or a week.

First let me say that I am not a birder but the husband of a birder who followed his wife here…read more That being said, take this from the perspective of a non birder on a bird loving trip. What you can expect; Meet in the morning at 6:30am in the dining room. Have a light continental breakfast. Go to the state of the art heated blind which looks like a trailer that they ship materials on ships with. One side is cut out with portholes to see clearly and stick your camera out of. You will see a river with about 200,000+ big birds in front of you in the river waiting for the sun. As soon as the sun hits you see massive amounts of birds start taking off. You don't have to be a birder to think the sight is awesome! After about 90 minutes of this, you are taken back and you have a delicious breakfast. Then you have down time to either sleep, ride awesome "fat" wheel bikes, walk the trails or say hello to the Bison. Lunch is a great box lunch. Then off to doing other activities until it gets near sundown when it is time for snacks at about 5:30pm. You then go to the blind again to watch 200,000+ birds land in swarms on the lake for the night. Then you come back about 7:45 pm for dinner. Wine & beer is available all day long. If you take photo's be prepared for low light and a 300mm lens is minimum. I wish I had a 500mm fast lens. The only downsides are, no TV in the room. There is a TV in the shared kitchen outside our room. The room is small (Smaller then a typical motel room) but nice. The soap is so small it is unusable in the shower. Their van is extremely tight for driving around. The upside is that you have to be nuts not to think it is unbelievable that birds fly from Mexico to Canada/Siberia and almost all stop in this river on the way and spend a few weeks here and have been doing it for ten or so million years! The guides are superb and will do anything to please. If you like nature and want peaceful, this is the place.

Best place to go watch the cranes. The tour guides lead you out to the river early in the morning…read more It's definitely a sight to see every year!