We came for a field trip, and the staff seemed completely annoyed by the kids the whole time. They…read morewere trying to act like their teachers, instead of making things fun. I'm just saying, those people that work there should NOT be working with children.

The Edgerton Explorit Center is a stop on the 2023 Passport program and that is what brought us to…read moreAurora. Easy parking, great outdoor landscaping and a warm welcome was a great way to start our visit. Gift shop items were displayed in the lobby area and had a STEAM (science/technology/engineering/arts/math) focus. We toured the Doc Edgerton displays and activities (one was not working) that had interactive pieces. The central area would appeal to children of all ages with learn thru play components making bubbles, building blocks, pattern connections, memory sequence competitions and more. One of the stations was missing pieces but worker bees were swarming and resetting stations on our visit. Admission was $10 and you could spend 3-4 hours and keep busy. We did not make it down to the lower level. Restrooms needed attention, but we stopped during a busy time so that may have contributed. If you are looking for a fun place to spend a day immersed in learning and exploring with your children, this would be a great stop.

OK, this museum is a lot of fun. There is a lot to do for families of all ages and groups of all…read moresizes. We got there and came in and we're looking at the animal exhibits when someone mentioned that a planetarium show was about to start about black holes, so we went inside and my cousin and I both adults and three young children under 10 took our seats and really enjoyed the approximately 20 minute presentation on black holes, looking up at the ceiling in the projection and it was a lot of fun. There are multiple types of exhibits in the museum, including a really cool area celebrating Kool-Aid. Because apparently Kool-Aid was invented in Hastings, Nebraska. Who knew?! There is a antique car exhibit in the basement area as well and a Lego section that is interactive, and the whole experience was really nice. The bathrooms near the Lego exhibit were clean. We used the elevator to go between floors because my cousin has lots of small children in a rolling stroller/cart, and there's a little gift shop with fun things to view and purchase and I would definitely recommend if you're in the Hastings area. You spend some time here..

I'll admit that the only thing about this museum that I experience was the basement, which to most…read morepeople is the most interesting part. What I'm talking about is the history of Kool Aid! Kool Aid is a brand we don't hear very much about anymore, unless we're talking about cults. But the town of Hastings does take pride that the founder of Kool Aid is from there. There is a huge detailed display about the evolution of Kool Aid, and its very cool to learn about. Remember the Kool Aid toys and collectibles we all grew up with, regardless of generation? They're all there. And you can also watch a montage of classic Kool Aid commercials while there. There's a statue of the Kool Aid Man outside the museum as well. I feel really bad that I didn't check out other parts of the museum (I think there are 3 floors...) as it talks about the natural history as well as the agriculture and cultural part of the town. But maybe for another time....

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.

Pretty good at showing what early settler life in the area was like in a variety of ways. The…read moremuseum exhibits -- in two separate buildings -- are slightly dated collections of objects and info about aspects of typical life. Then the Railroad Town gives depth to that experience, with relocated historic buildings staffed with living history. Considering the size of the town and daily operations, it makes sense that every building can't always be staffed -- and if they were, it'd sure take a long time to get through. The main exhibit building itself is a bit ridiculously grand: why is it surrounded by a moat and have fountains in the middle? That design would make more sense for an art museum maybe.

A huge amount of buildings and cool old things to see and touch! Our three and five year old…read moreenjoyed it and we stopped for lunch at the cafe which was very tasty. A worthwhile visit for sure! Friendly and fun workers there as well.

It is a wonderful place to visit. Please do not close. We loved every inch of it and bought many…read moregreat marbles.

If you're looking for interesting Americana, this is the place. Lee spent his life traveling the…read moreworld gathering all types of Marbles... antique, hand blown, glow in the dark, etc. Michael was very helpful explaining all the differences & backgrounds. We were glad we stopped!

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.

Great place for my family and I to make a visit and highly educational! Worth a visit to learn…read moreabout American pioneers and homesteaders as they settled farther west.

When I visited this site, there were about 100 elementary school students having a field trip at…read morethe same time. Talk about chaos! Despite this, the rangers were all very cheerful and able to answer our questions. Daniel Freeman was one of the first people to file a claim under the Homestead Act of 1862, and the NPS site is built on his claim site. The visitor's center is expansive, with two floors. The bottom floor has the lion's share of the exhibits, and even has a window into the preservation arm of the museum where relics are stored. There is also a gift shop on the ground floor. The outside has a prairie with trails, and a small example cabin. The NPS did a good job cramming as much as they could into this site, as even the barb wire surrounding the prairie has different variations to showcase the wire used back then. Don't miss the Homestead Education Center, which is a short drive away from the visitor's center. There's a whole room with old farm equipment, and a small path that goes on a small suspension bridge. Across the Education Center is the the Freeman School, which was closed unless we wanted to call a ranger to open it up. I could peek through the windows though!

On Sat May 16th your 55 grain 223 ammo destroyed on of my rifles at Volusia Top Gun in Daytona…read moreBeach FL. They're one of your largest customers in Central FL. They shipped my rifle to you. It was evaluated by a gentleman named Matt Ritchie. He confirmed it was your ammo that was in my gun but then refused to do the right thing and replace my gun because he fired more ammo through the gun without issue. Read that again, your employee admitted it was your ammo but refused to replace my rifle. The range manager at Volusia Top Gun was the person shooting the gun when your round fluttered down the range and blue smoke came out of every opening in my gun. The owner of Volusia Top Gun can confirm that I go through many thousands of rounds of Hornady ammo every year. I'm currently sitting on a large stockpile of your ammo. I would appreciate somebody from Hornady reaching out to me and offering to do the right thing.

Hornady Mfg/ammo co. sent me a letter that literally promotes price-jacking by their vendors as a…read moreway to curtail frenzied ammo buying/hoarding. So basically, Hornady's answer to the ammo shortage, is to make their ammo so expensive that, average American patriots can't afford to buy it, leaving it all to the wealthiest people who don't blink an eye at their obscene and exploitive pricing!...Corporate America: Continuing its traitorous march.

What a great collection they have. I'm glad we were able to stop, but wish we had more time to see…read moreeverything- this place is huge!!

If you would like an extraordinary museum where you can learn about central Nebraska and see an…read moreastonishing collection of everything from arrowheads to tractors...this is the place!!! Having been to the Smithsonian American History museum in Washington DC i was completely impressed by this mini version of that venerable institution here in Holdrege. The professional quality and thoughtful exhibits need several hours, or more than one visit to fully enjoy the detail and history. I also stopped in their genealogy room which is fantastic if you have local ancestors to learn about!