Normally the Great Park Pursuit is ready to start next week on May 1st. Due to the country shutting down, post sightings are not officially accepted until June 1st. But if you are like me, you may want to start planning early the parks that you want to visit, so knowing the list in advance could be nice. Technically you could possibly get started if you happen to be near a location and choose to do the literal post rubbing, but then you need to wait to mail everything in until after June 1st. BUT … all of the places might not have posts quite as early, so maybe do not go miles out of the way to come up with nothing.
Because this is the “year of Lincoln” on my blog, I am going to feature the two places that are closest to Lincoln. Then I will provide links to the rest in case you want to learn more about those locations as well.
For four years, my husband and I (and eventually our oldest) lived in Hickman. Both of these park areas were two of my favorite places to go out that direction.
I did not make it quite as often to Connestoga State Recreation Area simply because it was not an ideal place to chase a toddler. But this is a very peaceful park because it only allows canoeing and kayaking as it is a “no wake” zone. The feature image of this post was taken at Connestoga.
My neighbor, Madileine and I often would walk down to Hickman Main Park. They were improving the park trails right around the time that we were moving. This is lovely park with great playgrounds. My sons have played baseball there, and the ballfields are also in great shape. The only drawback? The park is located on low ground. If there has been quite a bit of rain, you might want to postpone your visit.
Other Places Across Nebraska
Frontier Region
Hastings: The Brickyard (This is one of our favorites – check out our experience)
Johnson Lake State Recreation Area
Windmill State Recreation Area
Lewis and Clark Region
Wakefield: Graves Park
Metro Region
Ta-Ha-Zouke Park – Elkhorn/Omaha (Note: This includes a fun place to skate)
Panhandle Region
Alliance Central Park Fountain
Toadstool Geologic Park (HIGHLY recommended – see why!)
Pioneer Region
Indian Cave State Park (Another place we have enjoyed!)
Prairie Lakes Region
Indianola: Pawnee Women’s Grave
Swanson Reservoir State Recreation Area
Sandhills Region
Cottonwood Lake State Recreation Area
Sherman Reservoir State Recreation Area
Smith Falls State Recreation Area (This is one of my favorite areas to explore)
Sometimes they have a traveling post that goes across the state, but I think they are not doing that this year due to the quarantine. Have you been to any of these parks? Which one is your favorite place to visit?
Author: neodyssey
My name is Gretchen Garrison. I started this blog about Nebraska in 2013. So far, I have written three books about Nebraska and Lincoln.
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