We visited The Archway and came away with mixed feelings--mostly because this just isn't a great…read morefit for families with very young kids. Ours are aged 8 and 2. When you enter, you're given a handheld device to scan exhibit numbers and listen to narration. In theory, it's a cool idea. In reality, it was tough to manage while chasing kids who were already 10-15 steps ahead. The device didn't always work smoothly, and trying to troubleshoot it mid-visit was frustrating. I eventually gave up and just narrated what I could myself. I expected we'd move through quickly because of the kids' ages, but the bigger issue is that the museum really isn't designed for younger audiences. Lots of stuff to read, pictures, very few artifacts, and of course, the handheld narration. That said--the displays themselves are beautifully done. You start by riding a very tall escalator "up a mountain" into the exhibit, which is a memorable entrance. I also went in thinking it would focus mostly on pioneers, but it's actually a broader (and well-done) journey through transportation history--pioneers, the railroad, automobiles, road trips, and more. One of the coolest features is that the museum spans over Interstate 80, and there are windows where you can look out over the traffic below. Where it fell short for me was in representation and storytelling. There was very little inclusion of Black history--only a brief mention of a Black pioneer. When covering the rise of car travel, it felt like a missed opportunity not to include the history of the Green Book. The exhibits often present travel as carefree and joyful, but that wasn't the reality for everyone. There's also a mining activity area (the typical "buy a bag and wash rocks" setup), which felt overpriced. One unexpected highlight: seeing people fishing outside the building. You can actually buy poles and bait inside, which my son was very interested in (we skipped it this time, but maybe next visit).

I've driven past The Archway more times than I can count, and every single time it's a moment of…read more"I've made it to Kearney!" It's one of those landmarks that immediately catches your eye and gives you that sense of arrival. Even though I haven't had the chance to go inside yet, the view of the arch from the highway is absolutely stunning, especially when the light hits it just right. I can already tell that the next time I'm in town, I'll definitely be stopping in to explore what's inside. If the exterior is this impressive, I can only imagine what the inside has to offer.

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.

Great Park with tons of space, and kids activities. We…read morebrought a 7 yr old boy and a 13 month old girl here, and they loved it! Check out the city of GI page for more. The have this great play structure called the "Kids Kingdom" Superb! And lots of other smaller play structures throughout the park. http://www.grand-island.com/index.aspx?page=100 FREE Wading Pool open in the summer. Decent Restrooms here also. Lots of mini parking areas off street. A concession stand. Beautiful huge old trees with shade, and open grass areas. Really nice garden area.

What a beautiful flag dedication, park and trail. This is a really neat thing to walk through…read more Beautiful area. Lots of parking. Guest sign in and benches.

Every little town needs a niche, a gimmick or oddity to give the travelers a reason to stop and…read moreHebron has found it's roadside attraction - The Worlds Largest Covered Swing. It's certainly not worth leaving the major east - west HI ways, but if you're traveling up US81 then take a few minutes to go the 10 blocks into town and get yourself a cheesy tourist photo. Nestled in a well maintained park with lots of shade and children's playground equipment to give everyone a break from the monotony of driving this bland landscape of central Nebraska.

The Largest Porch Swing in the world as it's called is what happens when a bunch of Nebraskans with…read moreextra irrigation pipe and welding equipment got a crazy idea and built a swing capable of seating 24 people all at once. It's a gimmick, it squeaks, yet you will likely turn off Highway 81 and go check it out. Rumor has it this swing has been eclipsed by an even larger swing in Canada, but unless you want to cross the border to find it, this one is located 90 min South of I-80. If you're out storm chasing and need to kill some time waiting for storms to fire this is worth a side trip just for the novelty of saying you've been there, done that.

We headed to the Kearney area for a mini family vacation with the goal of experiencing the Sandhill…read morecrane migration, and our first stop was the Crane Trust Nature Center--a great way to kick things off. Admission is free (always a win), and it's open during the week as well as Saturdays (we visited on a Saturday from 9 AM-4 PM). It's not a huge space, but it's thoughtfully put together and perfect for families, especially with younger kids. Inside, there's a presentation/movie room, a photography gallery (with pieces for sale), a gift shop, and a really engaging kids' area. My kids loved the hands-on elements--coloring pages, stuffed animals, and even making origami cranes. One of the sweetest touches was being able to mail a postcard for free, which we had to do. Outside is where it really shines. There's a trail behind the center with signage, open space, and even areas where you can see cows and bison. There's also a tall viewing structure you can climb, and the trail takes you right over the Platte River, which makes for a beautiful walk. We didn't happen to see cranes while we were at the center, but honestly, it was still absolutely worth the stop. It set the stage for the rest of our trip and got the kids excited and engaged in learning about the migration. If you're planning a crane-viewing trip, I'd definitely recommend starting here--it's a low-pressure, educational, and family-friendly way to begin the experience. We chose this over the Rowe Sanctuary because our children were still too young for the guided experiences there, and this was a free option that fit our needs perfectly.

We came to the Grand Island area for the Sandhill Crane migration. We stopped here at the Crane…read moreTrust. It is just off the Interstate so is easy to get to. There are nature trails, art displays, nature films, gift shop, etc. It's all very nice. There is a snack bar (nachos, hot dogs, etc) but I don't know if that is always open. This is a great resource. If you are making a long trip to see the cranes I suggest you look into the information for here and for Rowe Sanctuary (well in advance of your visit) if you want to have a really thorough experience. If you just show up, it's totally fine - but just be aware that during the spring migration, there will be thousands of humans coming through here - in addition to 710,000 cranes. It's a busy place.

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.

I really enjoyed my time here at the fair grounds. We really only came for the rides and to see…read moresome animals. The carnival is perfect for young kids. My 9 and 6 year old had a blast riding over 20 kid friendly rides, and using the all day game pass made it super affordable. The kids enjoyed the time on the sky tram and we explored the livestock buildings. Super fascinating and really nebraskan. We strolled through some of the enterainment tents and the shoppings. I got a burger from cactus jacks and it was fantastic! There is so much to do at the fair and we really only scratched the surface. I'd definitely recommend going at least once and seeing all the buildings.

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to go to Grand Island with my family. GI has been the…read morelocation of the State Fair for awhile now but this was my first time going since it stopped being in Lincoln. I had such a fun time! Saw tons of animals, people, food, other people's hobbies etc. The best thing I had was a donut burger, giant smoked Turkey leg and those cinnamon almonds. It was a fun time and definitely something I'd recommend to others. It only comes once a year and last just over a week until Labor Day! :D

What an amazing haven of automotive history! So many interesting cars to see and take me back to…read moremy high school days when I first fell in love with Corvairs. They even have an Air B&B that's really nice. I'm told that they are just beginning and have plans to make this a world-class venue with all kinds of interactive exhibits. I know this will be a destination I will visit often.