What a cool spot! There's something for everyone here -- one of the biggest indoor play structures I've ever seen. Plus multiple rock climbing walls, fresh food and snacks, drinks, an ice skating rink and more. It was my first time coming here and it did not disappoint. We love how cheap entry is and all the activities you can do. It's a great place to go to, especially during winter time. I'm looking forward to coming back here during spring and summer months when the water park is open. The pizza wasn't bad either! I'd totally order it again. No outside food or drinks are allowed here. There's plenty of parking outside. read more

Eugene Mahoney State Park - Slice of Valentino's $6 pizza made to order - Parks Near Me - Ashland, Nebraska

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Rented a cabin for a family reunion and we had a lovely time! The park is beautiful with plenty of trails and activities. My family enjoyed the disc golf, driving range, and nature center. The park was fully booked as it was Father's Day weekend, but it never felt crowded. I really enjoyed painting ceramics by the lake when it started raining and hiking the various trails. The cabin was clean and simple. I am rating four stars instead of five because there were a few things that could be easily improved. It was very hard to figure out what amenities were available in the cabin theough the web site, which made it kind of difficult to know what to bring with regards to cooking supplies and linens. I appreciated the cooking utensils, but I would have liked some form of skillet or griddle. We made do, but it was kind of oddfeying eggs in a pot. I was able to navigate the park without much trouble, but some of my family had a hard time finding the cabin, so maybe the signage could be more clear. read more

Had a great time visiting a friends cabin here for the 4th of July weekend. They had a great space, and perfect weather! We enjoyed swimming at the pool, grilling at their cabin, and others in our group went paddle boarding. It was a great space, and not overly pricy! I especially appreciated the full kitchen, fridge, etc. I would definitely return! read more

Eugene Mahoney State Park - Pool - Parks Near Me - Ashland, Nebraska

The only good thing was the view. Cabin was dirty and greasy when we arrived. Found a hairbrush in a bunk bed. Had to wash the dishes before we used them. No spatula. Blinds aee all coated in dust and grease. Had to clean as soon as we got there. Front desk offered to send someone out, but at that point it didn't matter. Restaurant... steak, over done. Burnt ends are fatty, and the chicken strios were burnt. read more

There is a lot to do at Mahoney so this review is for the activities center and horseback riding. The activities center is easy to find from the main entrance and is a good place to burn some energy, especially in the winter. After you pass for a day pass, general admission is $2 for adults and $3 for kids. It includes the play area and ice rink (ice skates are an additional $3). There is a rock climbing for $10 or you can buy a combo ticket. Back in October, I went horseback riding with some friends. We were part of a group of 12. If I remember correctly we made a reservation online for $25. After the guide discussed safety and how to get on and off the horse, walked the trail. There were guides with us the entire time and we didn't have to worry about the horse running off. read more

walking trails have lone star ticks everywhere, trails aren't well maintained. The main cabin area smells horrible and the whole park smells awful. read more

The indoor rock climbing is so reasonably priced and super fun! The walls are TALL! My husband and I enjoyed a date here. read more

Eugene Mahoney State Park - Parks Near Me - Ashland, Nebraska

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Where to begin with Mahoney. There is something for everyone, anytime of year! We've been to Mahoney many times since my childhood, and a parent now, we look to here for all sorts of activities. From horse back riding, to ice skating, camping, festivals, hiking, lodging, dining...don't even get me started on the pool and the indoor play place. We've done it all! It's a great spot to take friends and family over the holidays. If you have a park pass, you get in free, then pay additional fees for different activities. Since it's a state park, their website isn't the most advance, and can be difficult to manage and sometimes details are different there than online, so be cautious and call ahead. read more

Honestly disappointed by some of the facilities at Mahoney. We went tent camping there recently and the bathroom faculties were disgusting. I have been to many other state parks, Nebraska and otherwise, but have never had such dirty bathrooms. They were covered with cobwebs, dead bugs, etc. I do understand some level of dirtiness, but this just was not a pleasant experience. They also had these horrible toilet paper dispensers that were impossible to use to get toilet paper out of. You can see in the photo the rolls are stacked on top of each other with no way to get good leverage to push up and spin the roll. It took me a frustrating 10 minutes to pinch off enough tiny pieces of toilet paper to piece together to use. Their camping areas in the little creek campground area are covered in acorns. It isn't a huge problem, but if you are tent camping this does affect how much effort you have to spend clearing your site or choosing where to put the tent. The fire pits could use some TLC. The grills at other state parks have been more level than our was here. Water was easy to obtain at a pump. We did notice a ton of bees around when we brought out food. I understand some bees but this just felt extreme. There was an abundance of poison ivy in the woods at the edge of our campsite. Luckily we know what to look for but others may not. Leaves of three, let them be! I'm sure parks don't get enough funding so I'll bet they're doing the best they can. I just wanted to share my experiences so others can decide for themselves. Me? I'll be sticking to other state parks in the future. read more

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This review is for the aquatic center specifically. They have 2 big "water park" swirly slides a regular 3 feet to 10 feet pool with a fast slide and diving board. Then they have a playground style play set in shallow water. It still has a lot of fun water cannons, slides, and a huge bucket that dumps water every couple minutes. The show stopper is the wave pool. If your anxiety can take it, your kid will love it! $10 for adults and $8 for kids is a real bargain. The concession stand prices were decent too. We got huge pizza slices for $4 and candy for $2. read more

Eugene Mahoney State Park - Wave pool - Parks Near Me - Ashland, Nebraska

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A great park with fun activities and respectful, caring, and quick staff. Located cleverly for many Nebraska Family reunions.

Filthy restrooms in campground. Water not easily accessible. Terrible site. Won't stay again.

We recently came here with my whole family for vacation and it was just like visiting when we were kids. Back then, we used to come here just for the day or so since we lived nearby in Elkhorn. They've got all kinds of things to do - camping, trails for hiking, a water park, mini golf, tons of playgrounds, the main lodge for events and so on. I remembered it fondly from childhood, but the experience is WAY different as an adult. In terms of the whole stay - we had a few hiccups. My parents had a reception for their wedding anniversary, and we didn't receive any of the centerpieces we'd ordered. In general, everything was laid back -- which is nice on the one hand, but frustrating when you're trying to coordinate an event. Once we checked into our cabins, I was looking forward to some quiet time - but WOW. I don't think the beds have been upgraded since the 80s when we were originally here. My back hurt so badly after a few days of sleeping on this bed that I was taking ibuprofen on the reg just to stay functional. Couldn't sleep more than 6 hours without waking up it was so uncomfortable. With your park stay, you'd think you get passes or something to attend any of the events onsite -- but everything is extra. So if you want to go to the water park, it's $10 for the day per person. Mini golf? Per person per round. And you have to buy a parking pass on top of all of that just to park your car. It felt like it should be a kind of all-inclusive kind of vacation, but then became a lot of nickel and diming. I'm glad we did this for the nostalgia - but would I do it again? Probably not. I'd rather stay somewhere in Omaha with better accommodations, restaurant choices, and things to do. read more

Cabins are not inexpensive yet the beds are ridiculous.. the rug is filthy/gross... the door was covered w bugs. The pillows also absolutely junk... you can get 2 decent pillows at Walmart for 15 bucks. And no one every told us we'd be paying 28 bucks a day for the pool which doesn't open til noon..closes at five.. and half of it is closed! The ground are gorgeous but we never expected to have to pay for a pool . When I reserved the cabin.. 570 for 3 nights she said "zip lining isn't included" implying ofcourse the pool would be. We feel very nickle and dimed. read more

Eugene Mahoney State Park - Would you walk barefoot on this carpet? - Parks Near Me - Ashland, Nebraska

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I find it awesome that they have an indoor playground for the crappy weather we get in this state and that you can go as an adult into it with your little which you will need to o because so many parents bring their naughty kids here and leave them to run amuck and terrorize other kids. This is $2 for 13 year olds and up and then $3 for three to twelve year olds. This also includes admission to Ice skating and sled riding but then the skate and sled rentals are $3. They also have the rock climbing wall with us a higher fee. This is all located on the activity center. They also have mini golf which I'll have to get more details to later. León my husband and I took a walk when the weather was nice here and that's why they got bumped up for four stars because that was nice minus the shaky tower. The camping we have yet to try. read more

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Great place for a vacation.People are wonderful and friendly plus dog friendly. 4 year in a row I came plan to come next year pardon my spelling bark to text read more

When the country shut down, I think I purchased my first annual NE state park sticker and have used it to spend a lot of time in some of the parks, exploring and taking pictures. Mahoney seldomly disappoints. There are beautiful scenic views there and animals to enjoy. read more

The ice rink is well-maintained. They do have a food court option and looks like some kind of lounge on the second level. The cost for ice skates is five dollars if you don't have a state pass it's a six dollar day pass. read more

Eugene Mahoney State Park - Ice skating - Parks Near Me - Ashland, Nebraska

Park is fine. This one star is for the cabins. The cabins are nice, price was reasonable, everything seemed fine until bedtime. The beds are rock hard! All four adults in our group agreed the beds were so terrible, that we left the afternoon before our reservation was up, so we wouldn't have to sleep on them a second night. (We stayed in cabin #39 to be precise) read more

It is a very nice park with lots of amenities! However they really need to hire a company to come in and clean! The outside of the Lodge is very dirty, the windows and ledges are very dusty dirty. So a good power washing would go a long way. The outside balconies are the same. A good power washing. They need a cleaning staff inside to dust everything. And forget about checking in early. The rooms are clean it's just the rest of the place. Maybe they plan a big spring clean. I would have thought they would do that before their big Easter weekend events. read more

Large park that has lodging options-which is not common for many parks here. We drove past the cabins and they were quite nice. There are also camp grounds and RV parks for people to stay. Activities here range from horses to crafts to mini golf and hiking. Swimming in the warm seasons, fishing and kayaking in the marina. Entrance to the park was $5 for our car of three people. We spent a Sunday here to explore the observatory and do a little hiking- great place to see the fall foliage if you're interested. It overlooks the river and gives a nice outlay of the banks on either side. Also, maybe self explanatory but it is dog friendly and our dog loved the trails. read more

So many fun things to do. We visited the pool & aquatic center, observation tower, walking trails, greenhouse, paddle boats and lunch at the lodge. The buffet had a nice variety of meats, salad bar and sides. Mahoney has a lot to do for everyone. read more

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Great place to chill out! Great cabins and lots to do. We took our kids and grandkids along with everyone's dogs. Will go back next year. Sign up early as they book up quickly read more

Whenever I visit Mahoney State Park I am always reminded that I need to come back more frequently. A day pass will run you five dollars and there are many activities that you can do for absolutely no cost. They have large playgrounds simple hiking trails an observatory deck to climb if you are afraid of heights, miniature golf, paddleboats, horseback riding and more. In the past I haven't been overly impressed with some of their food options so I recommend packing a meal, but overall if you decide to spend the day here you won't be disappointed. read more

Eugene Mahoney State Park - Easy hiking - Parks Near Me - Ashland, Nebraska

we had scheduled a national event there to happen in May 2020. the Covid-19 pandemic ruined those plans. the staff had to refund all the reservations within the short time after the even was cancelled. the people at EMSP were simply lovely. patient, clear, understanding, sympathetic with my deep disappointment and just so very nice. i want to publicly thank them for their patience and will be planning a holiday there in the future - maybe just to meet the folks who work there. they seem like they'd be fun to have a beer with. ;) read more

Eugene Mahoney State Park - we're disappointed we had to cancel our trip :( - Parks Near Me - Ashland, Nebraska

Super fun state park with tons to do. We stayed in our RV so we didn't hear the loud buzz from the highway but you would if you tent camped. Easy access off the highway. We drove from the park toward south bend a few miles away to get firewood from a gas station that had a box for you to leave $5 a bundle since we arrived at night . Kids loved the go apes ropes course in the AM. Book in advance! We were lucky there was a last minute cancellation but only 3 of the 5 of us got spots. Wish we had time for the pool but we just stopped through for the night. Wish we stayed an extra night to take advantage of the amenities! read more

Spent one night two full days tent camping it up at Mahoney state park. For a state park, this place can't be beat. What it lacks in scenic "hikes", it makes up in fun family-centered activities that run all day, everyday during the summer. read more

** Activity Center ** I'm not sure why but every time we come to the activity center the woman that work here are so unfriendly! We asked how much it was to do the new rock wall and the woman tapped a sign in her computer instead of answering. I said "oh! So it's not open yet... how much WILL it cost when it opens?" It's just typical behavior of when we visit. They all act like prisoners being forced to work here and make you feel unwelcome. The rest of the park is always fun but because of the treatment we repeatedly get at the activity center I'm giving 3 stars. read more

The grandchildren had a great time - of course! We spent the entire afternoon at the aquatic center. We didn't check hours before showing up but pulled in just 10 minutes before they opened. Lucky!! The water slides were fun, as was the children's play area. The wave pool was a blast. The only thing we (adults) didn't like was the nickel and diming approach. We paid to get in the gate. We paid to get into the aquatic center. We paid for food and drinks. The lockers were extra. The tubes were extra. I'd personally prefer to pay one price and be done with it. My husband and I plan to come back, in the future, and enjoy some of the other things the park has to offer. read more

Ate at the park restaurant now called 'The View) on 6/11/21. I don't know why any restaurant attempt here fails every time. The food has never been good through the years. I ordered the meatloaf that comes with 2 sides. I chose a baked potato and green beans with bacon. Food was served at room temperature. No where on the menu does it say the meatloaf is served on top of mashed potatoes and covered in gravy. You would think when I ordered the baked potato the waitress (they're all high school kids) would mention mashed potatoes were included. The green beans were right out of the can with bacon bits you buy in a package to put on a salad. Zero flavor. My husband ordered fried chicken. Very small chicken but that's ok. But, it was so overcooked the thigh and leg were petrified. Do they cook it in a microwave? One and done. read more

Very nice SP for the whole family, cabins were simple but comfortable and reasonable. A lot of activity for all ages and it is in close proximity. read more

Cool place to visit. Not all the trails on the map are maintained. We hiked all the trails in the park and did some horseback riding. These are old horses and the 1 hour ride is really ...maybe...30 minutes. They take the exact same trail each time. Not worse the 36 dollars for 2 people. Clean park with clean restrooms. Cabins seem to be a popular option for large families. read more

Stayed at the cabins. They were not the cleanest and the mattresses were horrendous. Our bedroom door didn't latch well and the bedroom light bulb needed replaced. No fire pits or hose connection. No tub to bathe small children. The park itself did not disappoint. read more

This review is for tent camping only. Mahoney puts on the impression that it is tent camping friendly, but it is absolutely NOT. It is the LOUDEST camping spot we have yet to camp and we have been to hundreds. The little creek campground loop is right next to train tracks, AND if you are not woken by the train every hour, you are sure to be woken by the interstate traffic that can be heard clear as day. Not to mention, quiet time past 10pm was not honored by our noisy, corn hole playing, cigarette smoking, drunk neighbors. Also, icing on the cake, the bathrooms were in very poor sanitary condition. So, if you're looking for an equivalent place to pitch your tent, find your nearest interstate bridge and save 50 bucks, but also get the awkward late night experience of confronting drunks. read more

Love this place! Hate the price to get in ($8) though or else it'd be 5 stars. I don't have enough time to get out there enough to warrant buying the year pass. Awesome place for walking/running which is why I go. Also alot of activities and places to check out for families and kids. Definitely a place to check out if you want to be outside for the day. Cabin rentals on site as well. read more

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Advice: Go between Memorial Day & Labor Day. I visited Mahoney a few times growing up & liked the horseback riding & waterslides. I recently spent a weekend there for a weekend getaway with my boyfriend. We stayed on the 2nd floor of the lodge, which is much more hotel than camping. It had a loft bedroom, antenna TV, a small table & chairs, pullout couch, a clean bathroom, and a tiny balcony. I liked it, & it's cheaper than the cabins. I reserved the room online, & that worked very well. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to do there when we visited in late April. Horseback riding, the pool, and most all of the prime activities run only Memorial Day-Labor Day. The activity center was open that day...but we were too late. They also have a theatre with live performances. Despite the lack of activities, we had fun. We hiked along the Platte River on one of the trails and had dinner in the lodge, overlooking the river. One gripe: The restaurant sucked. We ate dinner and breakfast at the buffet. Everything was fried or fatty & sitting under a heat lamp. It wasn't very appealing, but if you're a fan of Golden Corral or USA Steak Buffet, you'll probably be ok with it. View was great. Food was not. They would do themselves a favor by having the restaurant privatized...which it seems they're trying to do: (http://journalstar.com/sports/recreation/outdoors/article_3289f9b4-4c04-11df-8234-001cc4c03286.html). If you're tent/cabin camping, it's more fun to cook over a campfire anyway, right? Despite the gripes, I will definitely be back - during the summer. read more

This place is beautiful! We went here for the first time for my husband's birthday in february. I'm sure there's a lot more things to do in the summer, but he was wanting a vacation where he could do pretty much nothing. Just sit back and relax! So, I booked a cabin here! It was great! The cabin sat in the middle of the "woods" near the river. It was great. The cabin was comfortable and definitely felt like a home away from home. We enjoyed ice skating while we were there and nature watching of course. I can't imagine what this place looks like in the summer though. They have a little water park and everything! We will definitely come again. read more

I made a reservation to stay here about 5 pm. It was snowing so I decided to not travel in the dark. There web site said TV , Restaurant and Internet. I arrived at 5:30 to find out I had prepaid, The Restaurant was not operational, The TV system wasn't working and the Internet had so little signal strength that I could not go online. When I asked why they didn't tell me all these problems existed when I called they had no answer. I can't believe this place is being run like this. I think this place is beautiful but I suggest asking a lot of questions before booking. read more

Come here every year for a family reunion. This was the first year we had a few issues...and the park staff was great. They were very attentive and helpful. Couldn't ask for better service. Definitely recommend. read more

How did I not know about this place? I am coming back. From camping to horses to swimming. This place has it all.