We came for a field trip, and the staff seemed completely annoyed by the kids the whole time. They…read morewere trying to act like their teachers, instead of making things fun. I'm just saying, those people that work there should NOT be working with children.

The Edgerton Explorit Center is a stop on the 2023 Passport program and that is what brought us to…read moreAurora. Easy parking, great outdoor landscaping and a warm welcome was a great way to start our visit. Gift shop items were displayed in the lobby area and had a STEAM (science/technology/engineering/arts/math) focus. We toured the Doc Edgerton displays and activities (one was not working) that had interactive pieces. The central area would appeal to children of all ages with learn thru play components making bubbles, building blocks, pattern connections, memory sequence competitions and more. One of the stations was missing pieces but worker bees were swarming and resetting stations on our visit. Admission was $10 and you could spend 3-4 hours and keep busy. We did not make it down to the lower level. Restrooms needed attention, but we stopped during a busy time so that may have contributed. If you are looking for a fun place to spend a day immersed in learning and exploring with your children, this would be a great stop.

Pretty good at showing what early settler life in the area was like in a variety of ways. The…read moremuseum exhibits -- in two separate buildings -- are slightly dated collections of objects and info about aspects of typical life. Then the Railroad Town gives depth to that experience, with relocated historic buildings staffed with living history. Considering the size of the town and daily operations, it makes sense that every building can't always be staffed -- and if they were, it'd sure take a long time to get through. The main exhibit building itself is a bit ridiculously grand: why is it surrounded by a moat and have fountains in the middle? That design would make more sense for an art museum maybe.

A huge amount of buildings and cool old things to see and touch! Our three and five year old…read moreenjoyed it and we stopped for lunch at the cafe which was very tasty. A worthwhile visit for sure! Friendly and fun workers there as well.

I'll admit that the only thing about this museum that I experience was the basement, which to most…read morepeople is the most interesting part. What I'm talking about is the history of Kool Aid! Kool Aid is a brand we don't hear very much about anymore, unless we're talking about cults. But the town of Hastings does take pride that the founder of Kool Aid is from there. There is a huge detailed display about the evolution of Kool Aid, and its very cool to learn about. Remember the Kool Aid toys and collectibles we all grew up with, regardless of generation? They're all there. And you can also watch a montage of classic Kool Aid commercials while there. There's a statue of the Kool Aid Man outside the museum as well. I feel really bad that I didn't check out other parts of the museum (I think there are 3 floors...) as it talks about the natural history as well as the agriculture and cultural part of the town. But maybe for another time....

OK, this museum is a lot of fun. There is a lot to do for families of all ages and groups of all…read moresizes. We got there and came in and we're looking at the animal exhibits when someone mentioned that a planetarium show was about to start about black holes, so we went inside and my cousin and I both adults and three young children under 10 took our seats and really enjoyed the approximately 20 minute presentation on black holes, looking up at the ceiling in the projection and it was a lot of fun. There are multiple types of exhibits in the museum, including a really cool area celebrating Kool-Aid. Because apparently Kool-Aid was invented in Hastings, Nebraska. Who knew?! There is a antique car exhibit in the basement area as well and a Lego section that is interactive, and the whole experience was really nice. The bathrooms near the Lego exhibit were clean. We used the elevator to go between floors because my cousin has lots of small children in a rolling stroller/cart, and there's a little gift shop with fun things to view and purchase and I would definitely recommend if you're in the Hastings area. You spend some time here..

What an amazing haven of automotive history! So many interesting cars to see and take me back to…read moremy high school days when I first fell in love with Corvairs. They even have an Air B&B that's really nice. I'm told that they are just beginning and have plans to make this a world-class venue with all kinds of interactive exhibits. I know this will be a destination I will visit often.

If one enjoys the game of baseball and history this is a great little side trip. The gentleman…read morerunning the museum has great knowledge of Nebraska baseball history of those who played MLB and the Hall Of Fame. All Nebraskans should see this piece of Americana. Seven MLB Hall Of Famers is unbelievable for a state. Lots of interesting facts and memorabilia to see. If in Grand Island area take the drive to St Paul to visit the museum you will not be disappointed.

It is a wonderful place to visit. Please do not close. We loved every inch of it and bought many…read moregreat marbles.

If you're looking for interesting Americana, this is the place. Lee spent his life traveling the…read moreworld gathering all types of Marbles... antique, hand blown, glow in the dark, etc. Michael was very helpful explaining all the differences & backgrounds. We were glad we stopped!

We made the mistake of attending the archway museum before coming to Hastings museum, expecting to…read morehave the same experience. It ended up being not nearly as exciting, however, there is soooo much to look at, it would definitely take at least 4 hours to look at every single item. The museum itself definitely needs a major update. I felt like I was back in public elementary school in the early 90s all over again. The musty smell, the chipped floors, the open storage areas for the public to see...ahhh nostalgia! It was not a busy day so it was a little ominous. There was a handful of teenagers creepily/obnoxiously running through the hallways screaming very loud while playing hide and seek. The parents ignored their screams while staring at the gun collections. Coincidence? I think not. The kool-aid exhibit was pretty cool. Definitely educational, and like the other review said, it would have been nice to try some, especially considering it's so cheap and easy to make. One thing that was super upsetting is that we asked for military tickets. I showed my ID and I didn't check the receipt until after we left and the lady only gave us 1 military ticket even though there was 2 of us that are both military. I guess she assumed that my partner didn't look military, or maybe I should have specifically said both of us are, but I usually never have to do that at other places so that added to the lack of excitement for this place. This museum was recommended from a lot of fellow travelers, and I would not recommend going out of the way unless you really need something to do on a rainy day. If you have children that you don't like to keep an eye on and let them roam unsupervised and crazy, this is a fantastic place for your family!! I also saw they have movie showings and a planetarium which may be some extra fun if you have time.

Driving from Portland, OR to Ann Arbor, MI -alone- is a helluva chore. I started losing it in…read moreNebraska. Nebraska is a LONG state and it takes all day to get through it on I-80. Fortunately, just about the time I was starting to hallucinate, I saw a roadside sign that announced "Kool-Aid Museum, Next Exit". I'm so there. Actually, this is the Hastings Museum "of Natural and Cultural History", but i'm sure the museum's marketing guy understood that nobody is gonna pull off the highway to spend the day learning about the great cultural history of Hastings, Nebraska, so it's better known as the Kool-Aid museum. The Kool-Aid exhibits (yeah, plural) take up good portion of the lower level in the museum, and have GREAT catchy names like, "Kool-Aid Days", the "History of Kool-Aid" and of course, who could forget, "Kool-Aid, Discover the Dream!" (i'm not just makin this stuff up!) Kool-Aid was invented in Hastings by some guy named Ed Perkins. For $6 it's worth your time and money, especially if you need a break from behind the wheel to regain your sanity. Did I mention that Nebraska is a LONG state? Not much to see out the window, either. That same $6 gets you into the rest of the museum as well, but be forewarned, the other exhibits have names like, "Festival of Trees" and "Groundwater Discovery Adventure" and "People of the Plains States" No really, you can't make this stuff up. Take a pass on the "Coin Room" too. If i were to go again (and I won't), I'd go the first weekend of August to coincide with the annual Kool-Aid festival and parade (http://www.kool-aiddays.com) where it's free all-you-can-drink Kool-Aid. Smuggle in a pint of Seagram's gin and it could make a lovely summer afternoon. I gave this place 2-stars because it was sorta fun and it was the perfect break I needed from the road. I woulda given it 3-stars if they would have actually SERVED ME SOME DAMN KOOL-AID while I was there. When I asked where I could get some Kool-Aid, I was told, "oh it makes a mess and stains the floor". Pffft. No wonder Ed Perkins moved the Kool-Aid HQ to Chicago.

On Sat May 16th your 55 grain 223 ammo destroyed on of my rifles at Volusia Top Gun in Daytona…read moreBeach FL. They're one of your largest customers in Central FL. They shipped my rifle to you. It was evaluated by a gentleman named Matt Ritchie. He confirmed it was your ammo that was in my gun but then refused to do the right thing and replace my gun because he fired more ammo through the gun without issue. Read that again, your employee admitted it was your ammo but refused to replace my rifle. The range manager at Volusia Top Gun was the person shooting the gun when your round fluttered down the range and blue smoke came out of every opening in my gun. The owner of Volusia Top Gun can confirm that I go through many thousands of rounds of Hornady ammo every year. I'm currently sitting on a large stockpile of your ammo. I would appreciate somebody from Hornady reaching out to me and offering to do the right thing.

Hornady Mfg/ammo co. sent me a letter that literally promotes price-jacking by their vendors as a…read moreway to curtail frenzied ammo buying/hoarding. So basically, Hornady's answer to the ammo shortage, is to make their ammo so expensive that, average American patriots can't afford to buy it, leaving it all to the wealthiest people who don't blink an eye at their obscene and exploitive pricing!...Corporate America: Continuing its traitorous march.