Nebraska City

Nebraska City is the home of Arbor Day – and it’s packed with beautiful parks, museums, first-class accommodations and family fun.

Arbor Lodge, once the home of Arbor Day creator J. Sterling Morton, is a 52-room mansion surrounded by the 72-acre Arbor Lodge State Historical Park. The park includes an arboretum, garden, log cabin, carriage house, walking trails and more than 200 varieties of flowering lilacs. 2600 Arbor Ave. (402) 873-7222

Arbor Day Farm encompasses 260 acres of natural beauty. This national historic treasure is home to the one-of-a-kind Tree Adventure and the Lied Lodge. Tree Adventure is a nature-themed attraction at Arbor Day Farm where trails lead from treehouse to treehouse in the 3-acre Treetop Village. 2611 Arbor Ave. (402) 873-8717

Nebraska City’s Lied Lodge

Lied Lodge is a popular venue for weddings, retreats, meetings and special events. Nature-inspired rooms and suites provide respite. Timbers restaurant prepares seasonal meals with local produce paired with striking views of Arbor Day Farm through the lodge’s massive windows. A fireplace and libations provide warmth in the lodge’s Library Lounge. The pub stays true to its name with shelves of nature books to flip through while visiting with friends old and new. Lied Lodge also offers an indoor Olympic-size swimming pool. Every aspect of the lodging here is environmentally friendly from its recycling program to the onsite biomass heating system. 2700 Sylvan Rd. (402) 873-8733

The Kimmel Orchard & Vineyard features 40 acres of u-pick produce. Visitors can harvest strawberries in late May, cherries in mid-June and peaches from mid-July through August. Apples and pumpkins are popular harvests, too. The tasting room offers wine samples year-round. 5995 G Rd. (402) 873-5293

Kregel Windmill Museum is Nebraska’s City newest museum. The Kregel Windmill factory operated for 112 years. The factory closed in 1991 and appears as if the workers simply went home for the night and never clocked back in. 1416 Central Ave. (402) 873-1078

The Nebraska City Museum of Firefighting chronicles the Nebraska City Volunteer Fire Department’s long history with an 1884 Button steam engine used to draw water from the nearby Missouri River. 1320 Central Ave. (402) 873-4403

The Wildwood Historic Center includes a 10-room mansion built in 1869. The house has been immaculately preserved and is filled with authentic Victorian-era furniture and artifacts. Tours are given by guides dressed in handmade period clothing. The center has a gift emporium,

a Victorian garden, and the Barn Art Gallery which displays local and regional artwork. Open from Arbor Day in late April through October. 420 Steinhart Park Rd. (402) 873-6340

Missouri River Basin Lewis & Clark Interpretive Trail and Visitor Center

allows modern-day explorers to follow in the footsteps of the explorers who traveled up the Missouri River near here in 1804. The Great Hall in the building’s loft displays some of the large animals that Lewis and Clark encountered. A larger-than-life prairie dog display on the lower level gives a glimpse of life underground. Four trails lead to outdoor adventures. 100 Valmont Dr. (402) 874-9900

Weekends are busy in Nebraska City with annual festivals and musicians, including Arbor Day weekend (last Friday in April) and AppleJack Harvest Festival each September. Up to 80,000 people attend. Apples to apples, it’s the tastiest fruit fest around. nebraskacity.com/festivals. (402) 873-6654

Union Orchard knows something about growing apples. The attraction is 8 miles north of Nebraska City and has roots tracing to 1917, when the property served as a fruit farm for the University of Nebraska. A new batch of 10,000 trees planted in 2011 are already showing the fruits of the Worstrel family’s labor.

Signs reading “fresh apple donuts” draw travelers passing by on U.S. Highway 75. Visitors pick their own apples, ride through the orchards on wagons, shop for apple cider and enjoy fruit wines. Families enjoy picnics and fresh air. The orchard’s Full Moon Bonfire events feature experts and re-enactors speaking about local and state history. 2405 S. U.S. Highway 75. Union. (402) 263-4845.

Residents hankering for fruity flavors don’t have to leave town. The Central Apple Market is the Worstrels’ Nebraska City outlet for the same fruit, baked goods, wines, jellies, hot sauces and gift items that have made its rural location a destination. 701 Central Ave. (402) 873-1090

Getting away doesn’t have to mean going far away.

Let the natural surroundings of Lied Lodge and Arbor Day Farm’s 260-acre property welcome you — for business, a family reunion, or a memorable weekend with those you love.

Experience the Treetop Village®, explore a historic mansion, raise a glass to new tastes, or simply relax in world-class comfort. Now’s the time to rediscover what you love in Nebraska City.

Nebraska City, Nebraska | 402-873-8733 | arbordayfarm.org

TASTY, FRESH & FUN NEAR NEBRASKA CITY

Savor the farm-fresh produce and baked treats at Union Orchard. Bring the kids for pickyour-own fruit and pumpkins, plus monthly events held in our large pavilion. Sample a wide variety of Nebraska wines, hard ciders, and seasonal cocktails in our tasting room.

2022 EVENTS

New Moon Campfire

June 25 • July 30 • Aug. 27

Music Under the Stars

June 11 • July 16 • Aug. 13

Applejack Festival

Sept. 16-18

The Taste of Applejack

Sept. 24-25

Open year-round

Nebraska City’s Historic and Only Family-Owned Orchard

2405 S Hwy 75 • Union 68455 • 8 miles north of Nebraska City on Hwy 75 Central Apple Market • 701 Central Ave • Nebraska City 68410 unionorchard.com • 402-263-4845