Take a Look at the History of Nebraska at the Hastings Museum

Recently, I have the opportunity to visit the Hastings Museum for the first time. This museum, located in Hastings, Nebraska on the corner of Burlington Avenue and 14^th Street appears to be no more than a small museum that wouldn't hold many attractions. Don't let its size and appearance fool you; the Hastings Museum is full of historical attractions and displays.

Upon climbing the stairs to the main entrance, I was greeted by a beautiful water fountain that has the statues of Cranes, which is a bird that is famous in Nebraska. People are known to travel to Nebraska just to see the Cranes.

When I entered the museum, it didn't look like much at first. The first thing I saw was a small counter that is the admissions desk. It was shortly after I got to the counter that I noticed that this was also the admissions desk for the Lied Super Screen/ IMAX theater. This theater is handicap accessible so that everyone can enjoy the shows. The screen in the theater is 5 stories tall and 70 feet wide and has 6 channel digital surround sound. In Hastings, Nebraska, it is the best theater to go to . The downside to this theater is that it is not one that consistently plays new release movies as most theaters do. Instead, this theater is more likely to show educational films. They do, however; throw in the occasional newer release movie.

The Hastings Museum if known for bringing natural and cultural history to life in its many displays. When you enter in to the museum, beyond the admissions desk, the first thing you will notice is that there is a room full of animal displays. There are many, many displays all around the room with different animals, many of them being animals that are found in Nebraska.

To one end of this room, is the Planetarium. It is not a huge planetarium, but it is of ample size and it has newer dome technology that enables us to see the film on a huge dome screen. When I went, we saw a short, 25 minute film about black holes. My children had never experienced a planetarium before, so it was all new and exciting to them.

In another, smaller room on this floor of the museum, there is an area where children can learn through play. This is called the discovery room, and it enables children to learn a little about how to it was to gather water and the importance of ground water in the Central Plains. This hands-on discovery center was my kids' favorite area of the entire museum.

Coming out of the discovery room, there was an area that help old pictures of Hastings, Nebraska past. Here, a lot of history is on display about the town of Hastings itself. I was intrigued with all of the pictures and how many of the buildings are still standing today and really haven't changed at all.

On the upper level of the Hastings Museum, there were displays of fossils from Mammoths, displays of every type of bird that can be found in Nebraska, and even display cases of snakes, lizards, and rocks. On this level, my children found what was called a black light room where they were able to look at different rocks that seem to glow fluorescent colors under a black light. In this area of the museum, there were also many very old artifacts such as an old Pony Express carriage, and a display of the first dentistry tools. There was so much in this area, it took me a good hour or more just to look at it.

In the basement of the Hastings Museum, there were more old horse-drawn carriages, an old hearse, old cars and trucks, and even an old fire truck from the town of Hastings along with equipment that was once used to help fight fires.

The most popular attraction; the one many people go to the Hastings Museum to see, is also in the basement. It is the Kool-Aid display. Walking through this display, I learned a lot about the history of Kool-Aid and its inventor, Edwin Perkins. At the end of this display, there stands a giant Kool-Aid Man in a display case that is motion sensitive and will yell the well-known, "Oh, yeah!" as you walk by it.

Overall, I was very pleased with my visit to the Hastings Museum. The day I went, admission to the museum was free, however; even when it is not free, it is still very reasonable. It costs only $7.00 for those 13 and up, $6.00 for senior citizens 60 and up, and $5.00 for children under the age of 13. If one wanted to also enjoy the Lied Super Screen theater, the prices would be $12.50 for those 13 and up, $10.50 for seniors 60 and up, and $8.50 for those under 13. Of course, you can always just go to the theater and skip the museum for $7.50 for those 13 and up, $6.50 for seniors 60 and up, and $5.50 for those under 13.

For those who may be traveling in the Hastings, Nebraska area and are looking for something to do with the entire family, I would recommend stopping in to visit the Hastings Museum.