School is out for most Nebraska children, which means that technically summer has started! Ice cream, outdoor fun and family time come to mind when I think of summer. It’s time for lazy days by the pool, cool summer nights eating popcorn and watching fireworks at a baseball game and camping or fishing at my favorite lake! Here’s a list of some great ideas for more family fun across Nebraska this summer:
- Order a crunch cone or a root-beer float at the old-fashioned Dairy Barn in Alma.
- Make a splash at one of our seven favorite Nebraska water parks.
- Tour the J. Sterling Morton lodge in Nebraska City.
- Relax and enjoy your family at the scenic Arbor Lodge & Conference Center in Nebraska City. While there, climb a 50-foot treehouse or enjoy an apple slush at the Arbor Day Farm.
- Purchase fresh fruits and veggies, crafts or jewelry at one of the state’s many farmer’s markets, including the Lincoln Haymarket Farmer’s Market.
- Watch a sunrise or sunset from the open prairie in rural Nebraska.
- Venture out west to see Nebraska’s famous natural landmark, Chimney Rock.
- Experience the nostalgia of an old-fashioned drive-in movie at Neligh’s TK-Starlite Drive-In or Alliance’s Sandhills Drive-In.
- Visit one or more of Nebraska’s zoos: the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, the Lincoln Children’s Zoo, the Riverside Discovery Center in Scottsbluff or the Horn T Zoo in Monroe.
- Enjoy delicious cinnamon rolls or cake pops at Dragonfly Desserts in Alma. (It’s on the Nebraska Passport, so be sure to get your stamp!)
- Attend the Central Plains Ribfest in downtown Holdrege on June 15 and enjoy delicious BBQ from more than 40 top teams from across the Midwest.
- Design your own bracelet or necklace at KD Designs charm bar in Lincoln’s Haymarket.
- Experience music in the great outdoors. Take in a concert at Nebraskaland Days in North Platte (June 4-24) or the Pinewood Bowl in Lincoln.
- Go horseback riding or try the new Treetop Zipline Adventure at Mahoney State Park in Ashland.
- While you are near Ashland, be sure to stop at the Strategic Air command & Aerospace museum. Fathers are free on June 17, and Astro Clay makes an appearance on June 29.
- Visit the new Funtastic indoor Fun Center in Kearney or one of several other indoor jump parks in the state, including Defy Gravity in Lincoln and Spring City in Grand Island.
- Watch an outdoor movie at Lincoln’s Railyard Summer Movie Hero Series.
- Take your kids out to the ballgame (and buy some peanuts and Cracker Jacks) and see the Omaha Storm Chasers or the Lincoln Salt Dogs semi-pro teams play.
- Go camping or fishing at one of the state’s many great lakes and parks.
- Schedule a dinner cruise on the Spirit of Brownville or the River City Star in Omaha.
- Visit the Petrified Wood Gallery in Ogallala. And while there, be sure to experience the old-fashioned shootout at Ogallala’s Front Street Steakhouse.
- Go tubing, tanking, canoeing or kayaking down the Republican, Niobrara or Dismal Rivers.
- Watch the kid-friendly musical “Madagascar” at the Cope Amphitheater at Yanney Heritage Park in Kearney. Tickets are just $5 for adults and $1 for kids 10 and younger. Dates are June 22-July 3.
- Participate in or watch “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” at Minden’s Opera House. This is a Missoula Children’s Theater production. Auditions are June 11. Performances are June 16.
- Unleash your inner artist at one of many painting studios around the state, including The Corky Canvas in Lincoln and Corky Creations in Kearney.
- Take a ride on the Ferris wheel, eat cotton candy and enjoy seeing amazing animal, art and home economic exhibits created by Nebraska kids at your local county fair. (Usually in late July and early August in most counties).
- Stake your spot along the street at a small-town Nebraska parade, where kids will enjoy seeing everything from classic cars and fantastic floats to horses and tractors. Check out the Swedish Days parade in Holdrege on June 16 or Seward’s Fourth of July Grand Parade on July 4.
- Pick strawberries at the Roca Berry Farm, Kimmel Orchard & Vineyard in Nebraska City and Bellevue Berry & Pumpkin Patch
- Explore science at the Edgerton Explorit Center in Aurora.
- Attend Archie’s Late Night Party at Morrill Hall in Lincoln on June 14 from 6-9 p.m. All ages will be able to explore science and natural history topics through hands-on activities.
- See the Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Secrets of the Sewer exhibit at the Omaha Children’s Museum or visit one of the state’s other fine museums in Lincoln, Kearney, Hastings, North Platte and York.
- Go parasailing or build a sandcastle at Lake McConaughy, voted one of the nation’s best Midwest beaches by Midwest Living Magazine. While there, be sure to Lake Mac Visitor’s Center and Water Interpretive Center that features interactive exhibits about water the Ogallala Aquifer.
- Spend the night in an authentic retired train caboose at Two River’s State Park near Waterloo.
- Spend the afternoon celebrating dads at Frogs and Floats at Lincoln’s Pioneers Park Nature Center on Sunday, June 17. Activities include frog catching, tadpole chasing, and exploring the wetlands at the Nature Center. After all the mud is cleaned up, relax with root-beer floats!
- Attend one of several Becoming an Outdoors Family workshops around the state. The workshops teach basic outdoor skills to help families enjoy the outdoors together, including hands-on instruction in fishing, camping, kayaking, archery and hunting. Events are June 9-10 at Louisville SRA and Platte River State Park, June 29 (dutch-oven cooking) at Louisville State Recreation Area and Aug. 3-5 at Ponca State Park.
- Visit Scotia’s Happy Jack Chalk & Peak Mine, the only publicly accessible chalk mine in North America.
- Dig for fossils at Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park in northeast Nebraska near Verdigre.
- Visit the new splash pad and squirt gun center at Platte River State Park near Louisville.
- Take your younger children to a kid-friendly String Beans music concert. They are playing at many locations around the state this summer, including in Minden on July 5.
- Take a covered wagon ride near the Niobrara River at the Kreycik Elk and Buffalo Ranch.
- Visit Santa and enjoy a horse-drawn wagon ride without the cold and snowy weather at the Campfire Christmas in July at Indian Cave State Park on July 5.
- Experience an 1898 Independence Day Celebration at Grand Island’s Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer. This July 4 event is complete with patriotic programs, a pie-eating contest and other all American fun.
- For any kids who are train lovers, be sure to mark your calendar for Railroad Days, July 14 and 15, in Omaha. A $15 family pass includes admission to Lauritzen Gardens model railroad garden, the Durham Museum, the Union Pacific Railroad Museum, the RailsWest Railroad Museum and the Historic General Dodge House.
- Participate in Nebraska’s 2018 Great Park Pursuit for a chance to win great outdoor prizes, such as park permits and an iPad. The challenge encourages participants to visit 20 parks across Nebraska from Beatrice to Chadron.
- Get out and explore Nebraska on two wheels with the kids on one of the state’s bike trails. Try out the paved trail around Johnson Lake near Lexington or the two-mile trail at Branched Oak Lake near Lincoln.
- Get active this summer with kids by signing up and training for a Nebraska running event. Many events have shorter races that are kid-friendly. Here’s a few to consider: Kids Tri at the Blair YMCA on June 16, Superhero Dash in Kearney on June 30, Omaha Kids Triathlon on July 8, the Color Run in Omaha on July 14, Nebraska Football Uplifting Athletes Road Race on July 15 in Lincoln, the Happy Camper 5K (and kids fun run) in Omaha on Aug. 4 and the Nebraska Sports Council Mud Run on Aug. 25 in Lincoln.
- Experience Kool-Aid Days in Hastings, where the famous summer drink was invented. This year’s event is Aug. 10-13 in downtown Hastings.
- Visit a waterfall in Nebraska! Smith Falls near Sparks is the state’s largest. There’s also Fort Falls, Snake River Falls and Berry Falls near Valentine.
- Canoe at Lincoln’s Holmes Lake every Wednesday between 5:30-7:30 p.m. for the entire summer. This free event is hosted by Party in the Parks and Lincoln Parks and Recreation.
- Enjoy art shows and free concerts each Friday from 7-10 p.m. at Union Plaza in Lincoln.
- Need more ideas? Read the book Detour Nebraska by Nebraska mom and blogger Gretchen Garrison.
- End the summer with a trip to the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island Friday, Aug. 24-Monday, Sept. 3.