Location: Beatrice
Top Things to do in Beatrice
Top 6 Things to do in Beatrice, United States
Beatrice (/biˈætrɪs/ bee-AT-riss) is a city in and the county seat of Gage County, Nebraska. Its population was 12,459 at the 2010 census. It is located 40 miles (64 km) south of Lincoln on the Big Blue River. It is surrounded by agricultural country.
Restaurants in Beatrice
1. Homestead National Monument of America
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 158 reviews
The homestead site of Daniel Freeman, America's first claimant of the 160 acres of free land granted to those willing to help settle the west.
Reviewed By OutAndIn2014 - Austin, Texas
We wound up here during the Great American Solar Eclipse—we and about 50,000 other people. Yikes! This is the type of national park that most travelers might miss, but if you enjoy learning about early American settlers in the Midwest, it’s definitely worth a stop.
Homestead National Monument of America, part of the National Park System, commemorates passage of the Homestead Act of 1862, which allowed any qualified person to claim up to 160 acres of federally owned land in exchange for five years of residence and the cultivation and improvement of the property. The Act eventually transferred 270,000,000 acres from public to private ownership. Don’t you wish you’d had a chance to get 160 acres for free?
This park is five miles west of the small town of Beatrice (pronounced Be-át-triss), Gage County, Nebraska on a site that includes some of the first acres successfully claimed under the Homestead Act.
There are a number of improvements to this park.
Homestead Heritage Center and Education Center
The Homestead Heritage Center, dedicated in 2007, contains exhibits that illustrate the effect the Homestead Act had on immigration, agriculture, native tribes, the tall-grass prairie ecosystem, and federal land policy. According to the park literature, the building’s roofline resembles a “single bottom plow moving through the sod,” and the parking lot measures exactly one acre. A separate Education Center features science and social science presentations that can be shared through distance learning with classrooms anywhere in the United.
Tallgrass Prairie
This is really cool. The park includes 100 acres of tall-grass prairie restored to be like the ecosystem that once covered the central plains. This restoration has been managed by the National Park Service for more than 60 years and is the oldest in the National Park System. The park maintains about 2.7 miles of hiking trails through the prairie and woodland surrounding a creek named “Cub Creek.”
Freeman School
The Freeman School, built of foot-thick red brick with carved limestone lintels, was the longest continuously used one-room school in Nebraska history (1872–1967). The school also served as a Lutheran church, a polling place for Blakely Township, and a community center for debates, clubs, and box socials. The National Park Service has restored the school to look as it did during the 1870s.
Park History
Daniel Freeman (1826–1908), a native of Ohio, filed the first homestead claim in the Brownville, Nebraska land office on January 1, 1863. By the mid-1880s, Freeman also claimed to have been the first homesteader in the nation. Freeman eventually amassed more than 1,000 acres and became a prominent citizen of Gage County. As early as 1884, he first proposed the idea of memorializing himself as the earliest homesteader, and this park is located on some of Freeman’s land holdings.
If you’re up this way, do stop by this gem of American History.
2. Chautauqua Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 12 reviews
Reviewed By Janet C - Beatrice
Chautauqua Park, located on the south side of the Big Blue River in Beatrice, NE is the site of the historic Chautauqua "Tabernacle" that is a great covered picnic area available for large and small groups. The hiking trail through Beatrice has its "trailhead" here. You will find playground equipment for children. The paved camping pads are shaded for your camper or tent camping, and the price is very reasonable for overnight camping. The large trees and green grass make it a great place to spend an afternoon, a day or overnight.
3. Beatrice Mary Family YMCA
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 8 reviews
Reviewed By Janet C - Beatrice
The Beatrice Mary Family YMCA has friendly employees who will help you with whatever your needs are. There are activities and care for small children. There are aquatics classes for all skill levels - beginner to senior citizen needing arthritic exercises. A personalized health and training plan can be devised. The membership is reasonable, and scholarships are available for those in need.
4. Cedar Creek Pottery
Overall Ratings
5 based on 1 reviews
Pottery Studio/gallery, salt glazed stoneware, hand made unique pieces in varying sizes, styles, and prices. Gifts for any and all budgets, pottery lovers will love this studio!
Reviewed By Ashliesue - Nebraska
Cedar Creek Pottery was put on the 2017 Nebraska Passport so I went to check it out with my mother-in-law. It's in an old church about a half mile south off the highway (this is not how we got there, our GPS decided to take...MoreWe're glad you had a great time! Sorry about the address confusion, we are fixing our listings all over the web the best we can to keep that from happening in the future. We can't wait to see you again!
5. Bigg's
Overall Ratings
3 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By Justin G - Fort Dodge, Iowa
Small bar with friendly staff and some decent beer choices. Not much to look at but hence the dive bar connotation. Good and simple.
6. Rolla-Rena Skate Center
Founded in 1972, Rolla-Rena Skate Center of Beatrice, NE is an indoor quad and inline skating rink and open year round. We have a 60' X 140' polyurethane floor. A concession stand selling pizza, pop, candy, cotton candy, nachos and popcorn among others. We have a small video game area including the very popular Air Hockey. Great family fun for all ages.
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