Outdoor Attractions

Experience the great outdoors with Choice Hotels^®. Our Nebraska hotels are conveniently located near a number of picturesque gardens, stunning parks, and astounding wildlife. Take a look at the scenery and greenery that Nebraska offers.

In the Pioneer Country Region

Homestead National Monument of America
8523 W. NE Highway 4
Beatrice, NE  
402-223-3514

Discover a beautiful natural expanse with a historical focus at the Homestead National Monument of America, an inspiring ode to the prospect of free land and a free country. Under the Homestead Act, more than 270 million acres were turned over to individual landowners. After admiring the monument, feel free to wander down one of many hiking trails.

Governor Furnas Arboretum
5th Street
Brownsville, NE  
402-825-6637

Explore a natural commune in the heart of the vicinity of Brownville, a community noted for its fine and performing arts. The Governor Furnas Arboretum is an endeavor of botanical sorts - more than 200 trees, shrubs and flowers extend from 6th Street to the Missouri River along the Governor Furnas Connector Trail.

In the Lewis and Clark Region

Olson Nature Preserve
Highway 14
Albion, NE   68620
402-395-2395

Experience one of the prime natural destinations in the state of Nebraska at Olson Nature Preserve and enjoy hiking trails which roam throughout an expansive wilderness. If you're feeling up to it, bring along your ammo and enjoy hunting and fishing in designated areas.

Bruce Park Arboretum
1109 Main Street
Creighton, NE   68729
402-358-3557

Have you been wishing you were closer to nature, only to find that you're too locked in the city life to leave the concrete haven for a day? The perfect solution is in store at Bruce Park Arboretum, where a natural paradise lays waiting in-between the muddle and mud of the city. Enjoy trees, shrubs and an ever-popular butterfly garden.

In the Metro Region

Eugene T. Mahoney State Park
28500 W. Park Highway
Ashland, NE  
402-944-2523

Eugene T. Mahoney State Park has lots in store for visitors wishing to re-commune with nature. Enjoy the roving plains and the dramatic bluffs which call the park a home, and afterwards why not don a horse and ride down one of many horseback trail rides? Children in particular will enjoy a miniature golf course - right in the park!

Fontenelle Forest Nature Center
1111 Bellevue Boulevard North
Bellevue, NE  
402-731-3140

Enjoy 1,400 sprawling acres of wooded lands, rolling prairies, marshy wetlands and waterways. This beautiful Nebraska natural destination features deep ravines which cut their ragged ways through the earth, as well as loess ridges and more than 40 species of trees. Birdwatchers will marvel at the prospect of the 200 varieties of winged friends which occupy the park.

In the Panhandle Region

Chadron State Park
15951 US Highway 385
Chadron, NE   69337
308-432-6167

Experience Nebraska's first state park at Chadron State Park, one of the most fantastically beautiful destinations in the entire state. Here, you'll witness sprawling meadows as you hike the miles of hiking trails and enjoy a modern swimming pool, trail rides and more.

High Plains Herbarium
1000 Main Street
Chadron, NE  
308-432-6385

Located at Chadron State College, the High Plains Herbarium is quite a unique destination. As Nebraska's largest ethno-botanical medicinal plant and historic pharmaceutical collections, you're sure to learn loads about what makes plants one of the main sources for alleviations, medicines and cures.

In the Prairie Lakes Region

Bald Eagle Viewing Center
Lake Ogallala
Ogallala, NE   69153
308-284-2332

Head down to the Bald Eagle Viewing Center and experience a day like no other. Here, you'll be afforded the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see one of the country's most majestic animals as it soars overhead, shining a little light on why this winged creature was once chosen to represent our country.

Meadowlark Hill Lilac Collection
Ogallala, NE  
308-284-2524

Head to the Meadowlark Hill Lilac Collection to experience what few ever will - the largest privately owned collections of lilacs in the world. For fans of the gorgeous flower, this is a must-see destination, but all guests will be able to glean something worthwhile from the experience.

In the Sandhills Region

Calamus Reservoir State Recreation Area
Highway 96
Burwell, NE   68823
308-346-5666

Enjoy this prime natural destination, where you'll witness more than 5,000 acres full of recreational opportunities like fishing, boating and swimming. Open year-round.

Fort Hartsuff State Historical Park
Highway 11
Burwell, NE   68823
308-346-4715

At Fort Hartsuff State Historical Park, you'll enjoy some of the most pristine nature to be found in the state, and you'll also be clued into an important historical element. Explore the restored 1870 plains infantry post here, and you'll be transported to days of old.

In the Frontier Trails Region

Fort Kearny State Historical Park
1020 V Road
Kearny, NE   68847
308-865-5305

Enjoy the natural expanses found at the site of what was once a very important frontier outpost along the famous Oregon Trail. The park features a recreated stockade as well as a faithful recreation of a blacksmith shop.

Rowe Sanctuary and Iain Nicolson Audubon Center
44450 Elm Island Road
Gibbon, NE   68840
308-468-5282

Operated by the National Audubon Society and comprised of a sprawling 1,450 acres, this wildlife sanctuary is located along the pristine banks of the Platte River. In early spring more than half a million sandhill cranes pass through the expanse on the path of their northern migration.

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