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10+ Best Things To Do In Nebraska City

Every fall, my family joins thousands of others making the short trip to Nebraska City. In the past, this was a day trip for us, but this year, we planned a longer stay to see and do more things. Keep reading to find my list of favorite things to do in Nebraska City, especially in the fall!

UPDATED: This post was first published in 2019 and has been updated in August 2021.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Arbor Day Foundation. All thoughts, opinions and typos are my own.

Where is Nebraska City?

Nebraska City is the county seat of Otoe County located in southeastern Nebraska. The population is less than 10,000. Nebraska City is a two-lane highway drive from Omaha. It’s not far, and can be pretty scenic, if you like golden fields in the fall.

Here’s the drive distance to Nebraska City from several metro areas:

  • Omaha to Nebraska City – 40 miles
  • Lincoln to Nebraska City – 50 miles
  • Topeka, Kan. to Nebraska City – 120 miles
  • Kansas City, Mo. to Nebraska City – 140 miles

Timing a visit to Nebraska City

Very few people are going to argue this: Nebraska City’s prime time is autumn! Home to Arbor Day, trees are treasured in the city, so you can imagine how beautiful things get in the fall.

Sunset view of Nebraska City from Lied Lodge & Conference Center. Early fall is a great time to visit Nebraska City.

Nebraska City is home to popular apple orchards and pumpkin patches, which again, are best to visit in the fall. Apples are ripe for picking in mid-September and pumpkins are ready shortly after that. Nebraska weather can be unpredictable in the fall, so if you plan a visit, pack in layers. Don’t forget an umbrella! We got caught in the rain on our recent visit.

My second favorite time to visit Nebraska City is in the summer, when the green trees provide ample shade. If you want to see sunflowers — and there is a sunflower field at Arbor Day Farm Tree Adventure — you’ll want to visit the last week in August.

Nebraska City hotel recommendations

There are not a lot of options for hotels in Nebraska City. You’ll find a range of motels and moderate-priced hotels, as well as my recommended accommodations: Lied Lodge & Conference Center.

The impressive lobby of the Lied Lodge, my top recommended hotel in Nebraska City

My last stay at the lodge was about 15 years ago, and in the past five years, the Lied Lodge has undergone renovations. It’s gorgeous! What I love about Lied Lodge is that it’s very family-friendly, focused on sustainability, and it’s within walking distance of our favorite Nebraska City destination: Arbor Day Farm Tree Adventure.

Actually, the Tree Adventure and Lied Lodge are all part of the 260-acre Arbor Day Farm, managed by Arbor Day Foundation. Arbor Day Foundation is the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees.

Other notable features about the Lied Lodge:

  • Indoor Olympic-size swimming pool, kiddie pool and hot tub.
  • Two restaurants on site, Timbers and the Library Lounge. The Library Lounge is a cozy-looking bar setting with a limited menu.

Things to do in Nebraska City

Play in tree houses

Arbor Day Farm Tree Adventure has had a 50-foot-tall tree house to explore for years, but Treetop Village is a new addition in 2019. It consists of 11 tree houses. I’ve been looking forward to taking the kids to see it!

Things to do with kids in Nebraska City - Visit Treetop Village at Arbor Day Farm Tree Adventure.

The Treetop Village’s tree houses are connected by rope bridges. There are a few slides, including a net slide. The highlight is the WonderNet, the first net trampoline of its kind in North America. Don’t skip the Treetop Village…but expect a possible wait if you go on a weekend. Due to the nature of the bridges, traffic is one-way, so they have to monitor how many people enter the village at a time.

And note that if you go down a slide or step through one of the exits, you have to go back to the start and wait in line again. The wait wasn’t long for us, luckily.

Shop for tree souvenirs

OK, maybe that’s just me. The gift shop at the Arbor Day Farm Tree Adventure is packed with gifts and souvenirs inspired by nature, trees and camping. It’s the best place to shop for kid’s stuff. Another good place to shop is the Apple House Market. It’s a cute decor shop, wine tasting room, and restaurant all in one building, and it’s within walking distance of the Arbor Day Farm Tree Tree Adventure.

Learn Arbor Day history

There are two places to learn more about the early days of Arbor Day and the Morton family. The Discovery Ride, which I mentioned above, as well as a visit to Arbor Lodge State Historical Park

The historic state park is the property where Arbor Day started. J. Sterling and his wife, Caroline, lived there when they initiated their vision and started challenging people to plant trees. On the first Arbor Day, April 10, 1872, they say nearly 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska.

The mansion at Arbor Lodge Historic State Park in Nebraska City.

You don’t need a park permit to enter the grounds of Arbor Lodge State Historical Park, but you will need to pay admission if you want to walk through the 52-room mansion. In the mansion, you’ll find artifacts from the Morton family, and see beautiful rooms preserved as they once were.

The mansion is a little worn on the exterior, but signs indicated that a renovation is planned. I’m excited to see the mansion restored to its former glory.

Pick apples in Nebraska City

We picked a peck during our visit to the Tree Adventure, searching for the best apples among primarily Fuji and Jonagold trees. Your options may vary depending on when you time your visit.

Shelley, the guide during our Discovery. Ride, showed my daughter one of the antique varieties of apples in the Preservation Orchard at Arbor Day Farm.

My family also got to pick apples in the Preservation Orchard at the farm. You have to take the Discovery Ride to get to this special orchard. The apple trees in the Preservation Orchard are heirloom varieties you’ll never find in a grocery store. It was an exciting chance to taste a Kandil Sinip, Winter Banana and Stern apple.

Apple picking is a seasonal activity in Nebraska City, with prime picking being in September (which is why the city holds the AppleJack Festival every year in mid-September!). I’ve collected a lot of great apple recipes that are perfect for the varieties you’ll pick in Nebraska City.

Pick pumpkins

We didn’t get a chance to pick pumpkins on our recent weekend getaway, but we have picked pumpkins at the Tree Adventure in the past. It’s fun to ride the hayrack out to the pumpkin field and scour the patch for a good one!

Related post: 20+ Things To Do This Fall In Nebraska

Challenge yourself

Quite possibly the most memorable experience we had the entire weekend was climbing a tree. Both kids made it to the top! Tree climbing is held on select weekend days at the Tree Adventure, and it’s included with admission. It can be popular, and we were lucky to get there early enough to not have much of a wait.

Tree Climbing Nebraska City

The folks helping with the tree climb were wonderful coaches for the kids. They were also pretty patient trying to help me figure it out. In case you were wondering, it’s ridiculously hard for an adult woman to try to climb a tree!

Take a Discovery Ride

This one-hour ride is a backwoods experience at the Tree Adventure. Part history lesson, part tour, the ride takes you to orchards you don’t usually get to see, including the Preservation Orchard.

Learning about the history of Arbor Day Farm and the Morton family on the Discover Ride at Tree Adventure in Nebraska City.

I liked the opportunity to try the rare apples. My fourth grader loved hearing and about the history he’s beginning to learn this year. For younger kids, the most enjoyable part may have been the chance to touch animal pelts.

Tip: There are no restroom breaks on the Discovery Ride. My youngest learned this the hard way.

Attend a special event

Everyone and their grandma has heard of the annual AppleJack Festival in Nebraska City, but that’s only one September weekend. There’s plenty of special events happening on other weekends.

One of the special events held in Nebraska City is the Living History Weekends held on Saturdays and Sundays seasonally.

Here are a few events to look forward to this fall:

  • Living History Weekends (Arbor Lodge Mansion, Saturdays and Sundays through October). On the weekend we visited, my kids loved talking with a man who made beaded pieces and they got a chance to throw a tomahawk.
  • Harvest Celebration (Arbor Day Farm, September through October)
  • Hayrack Ride, Storytelling & S’mores (Tree Adventure; reservations are required)
  • Halloween Pumpkin Party (Tree Adventure)

Eat good food

For the best dining experience, I recommend Timbers inside the Lied Lodge & Conference Center. We tried dinner there as well as breakfast. Reservations are recommended for weekend dinners and Sunday brunch. I had no problem reserving meals the day before. Outdoor seating is an option, and the view was wonderful.

The Timbers at the Lied Lodge and Conference Center in Nebraska City overlooks the property.

If you’ve come for all-things-apple, Nebraska City is your place. Apple pie (with the works) is available at The Apple House Market, as are caramel apples and apple cider. Looking for apple cider donuts? I didn’t find them at The Apple House Market, so your best bet is to head to Kimmel Orchard, where we got some that were still warm from the fryer.

Porters, a barbecue restaurant attached to The Apple Market House, is also a great option. It’s extremely popular, and I almost always saw a line. We tried brisket, smoked chicken and pulled pork. The baked beans were the best side, IMO.

If you’re wondering about restaurants in Nebraska City away from Arbor Day Farm, I asked around and got quite a few tips. Oh My! Omaha Twitter and Facebook followers shared these Nebraska City restaurant recommendations. Here were their tips: The Keeping Room, Buck Snort, Ladybug BBQ and Tacos El Pueblito.

We had the hardest time finding a place open after 7 p.m. on a Friday night! Our first pick was Tacos El Pueblito but we missed its closing time by 15 minutes. We ended up at El Portal, which had pretty good food. But being one of the few restaurants open after 7 p.m., there was quite a wait.

Sip Nebraska wines

Nebraska wines, like a lot of Midwestern wines, tend to be sweet. My personal preference is to stick to the white varieties. The reds just aren’t robust enough for my taste.

Wine tasting is available at The Apple House Market and Lied Lodge.

Arbor Day Farm offers two places to try wine tastings – daily at The Apple House Market and on Friday and Saturday evenings in the lobby of the Lied Lodge. FYI: Tastings are not free. I recommend trying the Arbor Day Farm vignoles. If you like super sweet stuff, a lot of people in the tasting room when I visited loved the honey crisp wine.

Enjoy the trails

Our visits to the Tree Adventure almost always include an easy hike through the forest. You’ll find a play area, cute photo opps, and a fun look-and-find game. Be on the lookout for the fairy doors, too! We had plans to bike the Steamboat Trace Bicycle Trail until we found out the crushed limestone trail had been flooded this year. We’ll return to explore it another (drier) year.

Play outdoors at the Tree Adventure

For my family, Nebraska City is about spending time together outside. The apples, the pumpkins, the hayrack rides…those are all a part of it. But’ nothing beats the pure joy of simply playing. 

Things for kids to do at Arbor Day Farm - Play at the Tree Adventure

Among my kids’ favorite places to visit at the Tree Adventure are:

  • The Nature Explore Classroom where they can play the marimba and build with blocks, and sit in colorful hammocks.
  • The little zip line course, huge spider web, and larger-than-life tic tac toe game. They’re all group near each other.
  • The Treetop Village is a new favorite.

Take a hayrack ride

There are two opportunities for hayrack rides at Arbor Day Farm. You can get a free one while you’re in the Tree Adventure, which will take you to the pumpkin patch and apple orchard.

Hayrack Ride In Front of Lied Lodge

If you plan ahead–like months ahead–you can reserve spots on the Hayrack Ride, Storytelling & S’mores. The rides are seasonal on Friday and Saturday nights. The ride was full on the one rain-free night we were there, unfortunately.

Headed to Nebraska City in eastern Nebraska? Here's a guide to fun things to do, including visiting Arbor Day Farm Tree Adventure, Arbor Lodge State Historical Park, and recommended restaurants. If you're looking for all-things-apples, from. orchards to apple pie, this post includes where to go in Nebraska City for all of it! #Sponsored #Guide #Outdoors #Nebraska #ArborDayFarm #USA

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