There are some nice exhibits and gardens here; however, more maintenance is needed for much of the…read moregrounds. We liked the monument stones which detail past U.S. Presidents, Nebraska governors, etc.; nevertheless, they need to be updated for recent elections. The gazebo exhibit includes several interesting displays of President and Betty Ford along with audio recordings.

This was near my hotel and it was pleasant garden to visit. It is well maintained and lookout for…read morewho's peeking through the bushes

Randomly found this as we were exploring near by. Nice…read morebathrooms, clean interior. Lots of information about the local parks and things to see. Free to stop in and check out all the buffalo and bison info. Little gift store inside and beautiful garden outside. Make sure you go to the pedestrian bridge and water fountain if you stop here.

After walking across the Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge, we stopped in here, and they have a little…read moregift shop, bathrooms, and a couple of small exhibits to look at. The employees were really helpful and passionate about teaching visitors about the places to explore in the area.

It was by sheer luck (good or bad?) that we were able to come to Freedom Park. We had arrived in…read moreOmaha on a Sunday and was supposed to leave early the following Saturday, so would have missed out since the park only opens on Saturday from 10am-3pm. But as luck would have it, our return flight was cancelled and we were rebooked for Sunday, so that left us the whole day free to check out Freedom Park! You enter through Miller's Landing along the Missouri River and pass through a normally locked gate onto a gravel road. About a mile down, you will see a gray ship off to the right, so you realize this must be the place. The ship is a 530 ton minesweeper that served in WWII at the Battle of Okinawa named the USS Hazard. What's curious is that it is on land and behind it is also a submarine, the training sub, USS Marlin. Both are open for self-guided tours, but there are volunteer docents on board to answer your questions. One of the docents had opened the ship's armory and was showing samples of inert ammunition used by all the gun mounts from the 20mm Oerlikons and 40mm Bofors, all the way up to the 3" main cannon at the bow. It was interesting to see many of the compartments onboard have been restored to their original condition showing how life was during its WWII deployment. On the grounds of the park adjacent to the minesweeper are a lot of navy relics not related to the ship but collected over the years and have seen better days. There are missile launchers, larger guns and even 3 aircraft from the 50's-70's, an A-7 Corsair, A-4 Skyhawk and an HH-52 Coast Guard helicopter. Also interesting is the anchor garden and actual ship nameplates of some famous ships cut from their sterns when they were scrapped. All are in bad shape and disrepair. Funding is limited and only volunteers work here. Plus the Missouri River has flooded this area at least twice, causing a lot of damage and nearly floated the minesweeper away. If you do get a chance to visit the park, be respectful to the history and be generous in donating to keep these historic relics from disappearing. A huge thank you to the volunteers that run this place.

As a US Navy veteran I loved this little park. We tried to go a few years ago, but the area was…read moreflooded the majority of that year and the park was closed. This past week took us from the Des Moines IA metro to Lincoln NE...and then back and forth between Lincoln and Omaha several times. I'd almost forgotten about Freedom Park until one of my fellow travelers mentioned it... The park is free admission and staffed by volunteers. The short drive in is on a gravel road. Do check their Facebook page pior to visiting as the park can close for flooding, the heat (there's no AC in anything there), etc. The current centerpieces of the park are the USS Hazard (AM-240) and USS Marlin (SST-2) along with several other displays and aircraft. It does feel a little weird seeing these vessels sitting way up on dry land... I was a carrier sailor on the USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) so these are small boys comparatively speaking. Lol Some of the exhibits are kept up better than others... Hopefully you don't mind a little peeling paint and some rust. The equipment bears a bit of a resemblance to us old sailors who are showing our age a bit more now too. The labels and available handouts are helpful and great educational tools for the general public. As a former Navy sailor some of my best memories of this little park will be the conversations with it's volunteers. A lot of them are former sailors themselves. Veteran to veteran there is always common ground... Regardless of which service or era.

Elkhorn Crossing Recreation Area is a terrific spot for camping. That's why I came here. I was…read moretraveling across the country and this quiet park situated about 25 miles west of Omaha, Nebraska was the perfect place to rest for the night. I discovered Elkhorn Crossing through the app on my phone called Campendium. Upon arriving here, there's a little "introduction board" posted near the entrance. I pulled my car over and read the sign with instructions on how to get situated camping. There was a small pamphlet/card to fill out. Included with this was an envelope to deposit $10 cash or a check into the drop-box. Then I teared off the receipt portion and attached it next to the campsite of my choosing. That was it. I was good to go! I'd just like to point out that Elkhorn Crossing is closed for 5 straight months out of the year from November 1 - April 1 which obviously makes sense due to the winter conditions. For me stopping on by back in August 2020...I had nothing but warm weather, lol. What I really liked about this Elkhorn Crossing was the amount of space and area to spread out on. So although when I visited back over the summertime there were other campers nearby my tent...they actually appeared far away. I felt like I had a big section of grass all to myself. Also...this was important. You were allowed to pitch your tent on the grass area so it made for a fluffy setting to sleep upon. Most campsites these days (especially the more primitive ones in remote locations) feature hard dirt grounds to rest on. For those campgrounds I use my inflatable mattress for padding. Some real good aspects to Elkhorn Crossing that I appreciated was not only the campground area being so spacious...but every site had a barbecue pit to cook including picnic tables. For anyone bringing food and groceries with them...it's the ideal place to enjoy a cookout. Also good was being able to back my car nearby my tent so this way I didn't have to walk back and forth far setting myself up. If I had to reveal anything disappointing, it'd be that there weren't any showers or restrooms on the grounds. Sometimes I get real lucky at campsites I pick where places actually offer these amenities. But usually I have to pay more than $10. Those types of campgrounds (mostly within RV Parks) cost more in the range of $25 - $50 for the night. But I am easy. I have no issues using the vault toilets. Although I never explored around this Elkhorn Crossing Recreation Area, I did check online a lot of other outdoor activities for having fun here. This included... - Fishing - Float trips down the river - Playgrounds - RV Camping - Wildlife Viewing (though I didn't see anything) I really liked the picturesque scenery during sunset. I sat back in my lounge chair and appreciated the views out into the distance. Goes to show how much space there was available here that I was able to admire an evening summer sunset. Overall, I very much enjoyed my time and stay for the night here at Elkhorn Crossing Recreation Area. It was a great pit-stop along my driving journey around the USA. I'd certainly recommend to anyone needing an easy going stop for the evening...this place is more than serviceable.

We like this place because we can bring our small motorhome out and enjoy camping for several days…read morewhile being just 15 minutes from home. There is no water or electricity hookups but we do not need them. There is no dump but there is a Loves 4 miles away where you can. It's quiet and right on the river. Sites are level.

This park is located on the opposite side from the Iowa border on Carter Lake. The pavilions can…read morebe rented through Omaha Park and Recreation for a nominal fee. This place has baseball fields besides a replay area for young kids. Boats and other watercraft are allowed to be used here. Bathrooms are the portable ones and parking is convenient. Swimming is not allowed on this side of the lake.

Levi Carter Park is in a crescent shape. It is quite a large Park it is across the street from the…read moreOmaha airport. I found it full of beautiful trees incredible grass and lots of small lots to park and I should go around bathroom seem to be at a premium as there were only a few to be found. The lake is beautiful there are geese both on the ground and in the air and at Sunset they really come down and Chow Down on the lawn I think. The coolest thing is across the street from the airport is small Lots parking lots that is make wonderful cell phone waiting blogs when you are expecting someone at the airport very handy indeed

On our cross country road trip, we visited this little park while stopping in to see my brother and…read morehis family in Omaha. The park is a quiet space which includes various athletic fields (baseball, basketball, tennis) and a well-maintained fishing pond stocked with catfish, bass, bluegill, and trout in season. The park features plenty of green space, shade trees, benches and tables, and walking paths. We had a nice afternoon with the kids, catching lots of little panfish in the pond, all released. Parking is free in the large dirt lot, but more that as best we could figure, the only bathroom facility is a portapotty near the baseball diamond. Hidden gem.

This is a nice surprise in the area. I have been before but it was looking kind up unkempt - not…read morethis time. The park looked great - nice place to walk around - the field looks well kept and the lake was active with people fishing and talking walks.

This quaint community is next door to the city limits of Omaha and the Omaha airport. Several parks…read moreopen to the public is available. If you want to have a good view of the lake, barbeque, have kids play basketball, use the skateboard park, or BMX bike course, visit Mabrey Park located on the corner 9f Willow Drive and 18th Street. They close by 10 pm and allow watercraft to be lowered by the ramps into the lake. Outdoor picnic seating is also available around the park area. No swimming is allowed at this park. You will have to visit Wavecrest Park for that.

Carter Lake is a former channel of the Missouri River and was formed by flooding of the Missouri…read moreRiver in the summer of 1877. The city of Carter Lake, Iowa takes its name from the lake and there is an interesting background story to this lake located near the Omaha Airport. In 1930, Carter Lake was incorporated as a city in the state of Iowa, a status it has retained ever since but there has been lots of fighting over it. Carter Lakes Colorful History states that "Carter Lake was once called Cut-Off Island - a fitting name for a place torn between two cities and two states, yet connected to neither." Iowa and Nebraska constantly battled for the city named Carter Lake and it's water feature born of a change of course of the Missouri River. The ensuing legal battle over whether Iowa or Nebraska had jurisdiction over Cut-Off Island went to the Supreme Court. In a 1892 ruling, the court sided with Iowa on the basis that state lines remain the same when a river avulsed, or dramatically altered, its path in 1877. Therefore, the land had never left Iowa, despite its position on the Nebraska side of the river. It is weird driving through the area, as you are in Nebraska one minute and Iowa the very next. Carter Lake has not escaped water pollution problems and in 2005, the lake had reached a crisis level. Due to a number of factors, the lake water level was both dangerously low and polluted with toxic algae. Placed on Nebraska's Section 303(d) List of Impaired Waters for elevated concentrations of nutrients, the lake was no longer a place for recreation and beauty, but a haven for floating contaminants. Interested citizens formed the "Carter Lake Environmental Assessment and Rehabilitation Council," and a community based watershed plan was organized to help improve the water quality. Now Carter Lake is a recreational hub for the area. The park is a great place to launch a boat for water sports and fishing, and also has baseball and football fields, basketball courts, and areas for picnics and larger gatherings. It is a beautiful gem of a lake and worth 5 YELP STARS.

We had a blast on our airboat ride! Kyle is a great guide who has been airboating on the Platte his…read moreentire life. His passion for the river is contagious. Pricing is reasonable, and there ended up being additional people on our ride, which lowered our cost considerably. Definitely something to check out if you've never done it before!

Wow what a great time!! My group took our first boat tour with River Life and had nothing but fun!…read more So relaxing to fly down the river and Kyle is such a great guide! He would stop to point out Eagles and their huge nests. He even schooled us on how to identify the ages of eagles and whether they are male or female. Stopping on a sandbar to dip your toes in the river was nice too! His landing has picnic tables that I believe you can rent for get togethers, and and a handy porta potty! It's a bit of a drive from Omaha to Cedar Bluffs but a fun and scenic drive once you hit the country fields! Really only about an hour drive. Can't say enough about this company! What I can say is I will be back and hopefully very soon!!! Thanks Kyle!!