When you’re driving across the American heartland, it’s easy to get caught up in the rhythm of the open road. Our recent trip to North Platte, Nebraska, was meant to be a weekend of unique adventure, anchored by one very specific and very Nebraskan activity: tanking. What we got was a journey with unexpected twists, from historical ruts carved into a hillside to a mini-golf course that felt like a secret garden.
Our journey began with a scenic drive that took us through eastern Colorado, bypassing the Interstate, so we can start to unwind and feel relaxed with less people on this stretch of the road. And it was working, we passed so few cars having the road to ourselves, agreeing we made the right choice, practically doubling travel time for this solitude. (You can read about that here)
Lunch, however, was a different story. We had planned a quick stop at a brewery in Sterling, Colorado, but our experience at Parts and Labor Brewing Company was, frankly, one of the worst we’ve had. We don’t like complaining but, sometimes it just happens. We continued our journey on backroads.
We stopped at the Nebraska the Good Life Welcome sign for a quick picture, and continued to Ash Hollow State Park. At Windlass Hill, we climbed a short but surprisingly steep paved path to the top of a bluff. From there, we could see the deep ruts left by thousands of wagons that were journeying west on the Oregon trail. Due to the steepness of the terrain, the wagons slid down the hill with their wheels locked. It was a powerful reminder of the challenges faced by pioneers and settlers looking to start a new life hoping for economic opportunities from farming to looking for gold and things in between. It was a good time in our trip to stretch our legs, and read and see this important part of history. With it being about 98 degrees, we didn’t linger too long, and headed out for the remaining 90 minutes to North Platte.
We had dinner at ApeShip Brewing. The decorations and unique feel of the place was exactly like we were looking for, at atmosphere of relaxing and welcoming. We had a hunch the food was mostly pre-packaged, except for the BBQ stuff, but we were hungry and there weren’t many places in town we were anxious to try. The nachos were surprisingly good and hit the spot after a long day of driving.
Trains, Tanks, and a Mini-Golf
The next day was all about experiencing what North Platte is known for. We started our day by embracing the city’s railroad history at the Golden Spike Tower. We watched a ten-minute video that explained the history of the massive Bailey Yard, the largest rail classification yard in the world, and then headed up to the observation deck. Standing there, mesmerized by the sheer scale and complexity of the tracks, was incredible. It’s hard to imagine how the whole facility works so seamlessly. For folks that like free souvenirs, their entrance pass is punched train like ticket.
Afterward, we stopped at the Cody Park Railroad Museum, where we got to go inside a few old rail cars, which was a fun, hands-on experience. On display is the only Challenger 3900 steam locomotive in the world (left). Justin enjoyed sitting in the engineer’s seat and looking at that dashboard, and we walked through cars that had train memorabilia, a mail car, and a caboose. The other train (on right) you were able to see more of the engines, gears, and the insides of the train. After spending time looking at both trains, we went into the old Hershey train station (Hershey is about 15 miles west of North Platte) that they converted into the visitor center/museum. It is a small building more more artifacts. But the weather started to take a turn with lightning followed by some rain so we headed to the car. We were probably here for 30 minutes.
Then it was time for the main event: Tanking. This unique Nebraska pastime involves floating down a river in a large, circular livestock tank, and it was the primary reason for our trip. It was exactly the kind of quirky, relaxing, and memorable adventure we were looking for. We purchased the tour from Dusty Trails, who picked us up, supplied us with the tank, oars, and life jackets. The weather cleared up and we had a relaxing float down the river. You can read and watch a video of that here.
After the tanking, we decided to get a beer and lunch, and headed to Pal’s Brewing Company. We sat outside under the covered patio enjoying the fresh air and reflecting on the full morning of activities. We shared an appetizer of chips and queso and a small pizza, we didn’t want to fill up too much since we’d be having dinner in about 4 hours. Pal’s also had a good atmosphere, it wasn’t downtown so there was both a good size indoor and outdoor area, with a stage and grass area too for events. The waitress was friendly and attentive.
After a quick nap, we decided it would be fun to play a round of mini-golf at Crystal Cave & Falls Adventure Mini Golf. We got there just moments after another group, so we weren’t as spread out as we would’ve liked, but the 20 hole course itself was a pleasant surprise. They tout being the only botanical garden with mini-golf. The owner clearly takes pride in the grounds—the greens looked new and the brickwork had been redone, the plants and flowers were nice, and the sound of the small waterfalls made the area feel relaxing. It was still about 97 degrees and not much shelter or shadows, and so we sweat a little in our dinner attire. The rest of the area included two short Go-Karts tracks (got a $1 off coupon with golf receipt) and 2 water slides (not open when we were there).
Dinner was at The Cedar Room, touted as one of the top restaurants in the area. We had reservations on a Friday in August, but the place was not too full so it probably didn’t matter. The meal was nothing special. My fish special was decent but lacked any memorable flavor, and Justin’s steak was a bit chewier than he would have wanted. We were also surprised that the entrees only came with one side—either a vegetable or a starch, but not both.
Instead of staying for dessert, we walked to the end of the street for Double Dips. I got a small chocolate chip cup and Justin ordered a chocolate milkshake, and they were the perfect cold end to our evening. It was a simple, delicious way to finish the night on a high note.
The following morning, we decided we had seen what we came for and were ready to head home, and were thankfully able to cancel our additional hotel night. We didn’t want to rush and opted to take a different scenic route back home, stopping first in Paxton at Ole’s for breakfast and to see their big game on the walls. I was pleasantly surprised this restaurant still offered an extremely reasonably priced meal! When is the last time our breakfast was under $25 for two people? Sure the potatoes could have used a little more flavor, but I still left full. After we ate we walked around the main restaurant area looking at their collection. I personally don’t know how I feel about these trophies, but it was still interesting to see some animals. This reminded me of the Buckhorn Exchange in Denver.
Our 1 day in North Platte / 52 hours away was enough to forget about work, recharge, enjoy each other’s company while doing a few new things. The long scenic way made us feel so far away.
You can watch the scenic drives here.
When creating this itinerary, I visited the Visit North Platte website which offered so many ideas, it was a great starting point. We considered driving the interstate, but ultimately back roads won which added a little more time to our travels, along with a time zone change. While looking at our route on a map, I also looked what was along the way focusing on historical areas or parks.
The itinerary focused on the North Platte area but it was 97-99 when we were there in mid-August, and honestly some of the maybe itinerary items were there just because we were there, not necessarily because we wanted to do/see it, so we left a day early. We felt like we got enough out of the short trip.
| Estimated | Actual | |
| Thursday | Drive ~3 hours to Ash Hollow State Park Ash Hollow State Historical Park: Windlass Hill Cody Park Railroad Museum Golden Spike Tower Pals Brewing Company | 9 AM Drive Scenic Way (2 hrs 40 min) 12 PM Lunch in Sterling at Parts & Labor Brewing Company $42.45 1:30 PM Drive Scenic Way to Windlass Hill (1 hr 30 min) 3 PM Climb Windlass Hill 3:45 PM Finish drive to North Platte (1 hr 25 min) Check into hotel $312.59 (2 nights) Drink & Dinner at ApeShip Brewing $58.06 |
| Friday | Lincoln County Historical Museum Tanking with Dusty Trails Brewery? Nap? Lunch? Crystal Cave & Falls Adventure Mini Golf Feather River Vineyard or Old Depot Vineyard & Winery Peg Leg Brewing Double Dips Ice Creamery Pals Brewery | 9:15 AM Golden Spike Tower AAA $10×2 10:15 AM Cody Park Railroad Museum $free 11:30 – 1:30 Tanking $112 2 PM Lunch at Pals Brewery $54.12 Nap 5 PM Crystal Cave & Falls Adventure Mini Golf $20 6:30 PM Dinner at Cedar Room $78.91 7:30 PM Ice Cream at Double Dips $12.27 |
| Saturday | J: Golf Prairie Arts Center Buffalo Bill State Historical Park Grain Bin Antique Town APEShip Brewing Brigham’s Taproom | Check out of hotel Breakfast at Ole’s Big Game Steakhouse and Lounge in Paxton $24 Drive backroads until Strasburg (4 hrs 15 min) then freeway for 30 minutes Home at 2 PM MT Gas: a little over one tank, about $25 |
| Sunday | Drive Back. 1 hr 30 minutes. Stop in Julesburg — Pony Express Stuff: Old Ford Garage, Fort Sedgwick Museum, Pony Express Monument Drive 2hrs 45 minutes back home | N/A |
Since this trip was drivable, the hotel reasonable, and the excursions were minimal, our total spending was $759.40
This is an honest, independent review. No compensation, free product, or special treatment was received in exchange for this opinion. All thoughts expressed are based on personal experience