Since moving to Nebraska people have said "Visit Arbor Day Farm" and we finally went last week. It is fantastic! Arbor Day Tree Farm is made up of different areas. We went to Tree Adventure.
Driving and Parking:
Arbor Day Farm is about an hour Southeast of Lincoln. You hop on NE-2 East and drive for about 45 miles before exiting to Nebraska City where Arbor Day Farm is located. The parking lot is adjacent to the farm and easily accessible. Parking is free.
Cost:
The cost to enter Arbor Day Farm is $7 for adults, $5 for children (3-12) and under 3 is FREE. We paid $17 to enter the facility. They take credit cards (including AMEX).
Attractions:
I adore this place! We went on a beautiful, crisp fall day. It was lovely to spend a day outside, exploring with friends. There are two outdoor classrooms, a 2/3 mile walking trail where you will find bridges, streams, tree houses and nature all around.
First, we headed to one of two outdoor classrooms. You could easily spend 1-2 hours just playing in this area. There are giant xylophones, hammocks, building materials and fun climbing structures. If you go with toddlers, you really don't need to leave this area.
After spending 1.5 hours in this area, we started walking on the trail. Before we could begin our walk we stopped off at a climbing spider web (similar to the one at the Lincoln Children's Zoo) and tight rope walking area. This was a big hit among all kids. I wish I had room for one in my backyard. They could have spent hours practicing their tight rope walking skills.
The big tree house is amazing and so much fun to explore. It made me want to go home and watch "Swiss Family Robinson." Arbor Day Farm: Tree Adventure isn't just for children, adults love it too. It is exhilarating to spend a day outdoors exploring all around you.
Everyone's favorite part of the day was our walk and finding all the surprises around each corner whether that was a wooden bridge, a trickling stream or wooden statues peaking out among the trees. We spent 2.5 hour walking the 2/3 mile trail. I would not recommend taking a stroller. There are several steep inclines and stairs at certain points that would make a stroller very difficult, even a jogging stroller, to manage. I wore my baby in a carrier.
At the end of our day, we collapsed into chairs at one of the outdoor classrooms and ate our packed lunch. It was a wonderful day and everyone (including me) was tired by the end.
Food and Drink:
There aren't a lot of food options at Tree Adventure so bring your own food and snacks to eat along the way. We left our picnic basket in the car and retrieved it after our walk. We brought along a few snacks to eat on the hike and I'm glad that we did because we were out on the trail much longer than I had anticipated.
Overall:
We had a fantastic time. I would highly recommend good walking shoes, water bottles and snacks. The best part of the trip was watching my kids playing in nature. One of the boys in our group of friends said, "This is way better than video games" and that was when I knew that that were having a great time. They could have spent hours just splashing in the stream. It is a great place to disconnect from technology and connect with your family and friends.
