I don't always have a good explanation for how I end up in places like this, but I ended up here…read moreand that's what really matters. It's the first pony express station/office or whatever. So I'm wondering when the first letter got dropped off where was it going to go. To the 2nd pony express location? Who knows? I did not find out the answer to that on my visit here. I pulled up and the place was closed. But 2 super cool little old ladies were stopping by to unlock it because one had locked her keys inside. As a result of their kindness I was given a brief tour of the inside of the place. It's like a lot of old buildings. Storied, rustic, low ceilings and basically made entirely of wood. Some brochures, some gift shop items (I got a magnet woop), and something tells me that there's never a long line to get in. It's not far from the interstate, and it's kind of situated in a calm and relaxing park so I mean, yeah...all good things. Stop by if you're passing through. Get a magnet. That's what I did. You should do it too.

Very interesting! I learned so much about the Pony Express & what those young riders went through…read moreto get mail delivered. The woman inside was friendly, helpful & very knowledgeable. Well worth the stop.

Three words......."take the tour." Having Doris tell the stories of early Cozad and the journals…read moreand art of Robert Henri (Cozad) was well worth the $10 admission. The museum rooms and furnishings had excellent narrative but Doris was the story teller for us on our tour. Pointing out highlights and their relationship to Robert Henri and the facts behind the family name change. The gallery includes many original paintings and sketches and is carefully locked and supervised. This museum was a hidden gem that we missed on our last Nebraska Passport visit to Cozad. Although the tour put us behind on our trek across western Nebraska, you won't find us complaining. If in Cozad, or even remotely close by, three words.......go meet Doris!

We were visiting North Platte on the way to Denver and checked Yelp, TA, and Atlas Obscura for…read morethings to do and see and this place had some great reviews and comments. Plenty of parking, and a little bit off the main drag, so it was not too crowded. The girl at the front desk was very helpful and took the AAA discount. When I went to purchase some gifts there was a YELP Discount offer which she had not seen that before, she ended up giving it to us, but I think she didn't know how to ring it up in her system. I should have brought my camera, but at least I got some pictures with my cell phone. Some great views of the trains nearby and the surrounding area. There is a lot of information about trains, history, WWII, and the area. A neat place to visit in North Platte for sure. There is a fee to get in but you get to see everything inside and you can take an elevator to go to 2 different observation levels, which have a lot more information and history, and offer 2 different vantage points. There is also a train car outside on the ground level, as wells as a small wooden train, and a bunch of state flags with some interesting facts on the base of each flag.

Everyone at this tower was super friendly. All of the employees were nice and informative about…read moreeverything there. We only paid $10 for our ticket to go up the tower and it was a very pretty view. They told us that we could come back all day with the ticket so if we wanted to get food and come back and picnic there we could! The view from the tower was really nice and the tickets they gave us was like a train ticket so it's really cute. A very good stop!

Ok. Where to begin. Dont ask why i went through here. No korean or asian has any business in…read morecentral nebraska lol. My journey through Nebraska was unpleasant. The glares, stumbles and terrible hospitality. When i reached here i expected to be treated like trash since everyone else did so. The museum had two curators and the older one warmed up after an hour. The younger was supeer nice and i wanted to hug her and say thank you. Almost made my grown ass cry. The museum has all the old shabangs. Mostly of prairie life from the settlers' perspective. Limited artifacts from native tribes. They had makeshift pharmacies, schools, bars, etc and a photo exhibit from over 100 years ago with the original gear used. Looking at the prints, the quality from the famous photographer (Mr. Solomon Butcher) was perfect. We couldnt keep up with homeboy's skills with all our technology. The craziest exhibit was the historical society. They have names of every damn man and women in Custer County!!! If your white with ancestral roots from this region, this center will most likely have documents, possibly original documents like homestead title deeds, marriage certs, birth records (remember no hospitals), school records and sooooo much more. When i visited there were random people, old people, lookinf for their great grannies!!! That puts it at close to post civil war era! Crazy stuff folks... I tried talking to locals but thhey werent having yet. I spoke with two people here, both work here. Polite and knowledgable. Amazing. Broken bow is fairly large with couple other museums like the Creation Geology nearby. Check it out! I wanted to go to cemetary (common for historians) but construction made it inconvenient. Wanna know how old school broken bow is??? They paved the roads on the main drag where u park to walk here... in Summer of 2016.

From the owner: Experience history in Custer County, Nebraskaread more

So I have a thing for roadside oddities and while driving through brown flat Nebraska I spotted…read morethis blinking helicopter off the side of the highway that appears to be on the grounds of the Heartland Museum. I am no military history expert or super fan but we stop in mainly for a bathroom break. I tell you what, I am a big fan now. The very friendly lady at the front desk greeted me and asked me to sign the guestbook. She explained that it was free admission and they take donations. I asked about the "fall from saigon" (it looks like the last scene from Ms. Saigon) exhibit outside and they encouraged us to drive right on their grass to get to it (it was a half mile away, and it was a hot day). Even better as I walked through the museum they encouraged me to touch things. Like missiles. I guess I am too used to the formality of Smithsonian Institutions. When they found out we also had our dog with us, they encouraged us to bring her in, even though I warned them that she was in a wheelchair and part Tasmanian devil in it. They didn't care. I would say this place is a good stop on a road trip. My one regret is not having cash on me for the donation.

Great place to stop off 80 if you need a place to stretch your legs rest your eyes and still learn…read moreso much about our history! They have very cool things in here and recommend the stop. We were there around noon to 1

I'd heard about this museum and its exhibit of early Japanese settlers so I had to come. Luckily…read morefor me, I was able to visit on the morning of their annual all you can eat pancake feed! Besides lots of pancakes there was a guy dressed up like Buffalo Bill to welcome me at the door. There were lots of great exhibits. One of the highlights of North Platte was documented in the display of the North Platte Canteen, which served troop trains passing through during World War II, offering soldiers a brief pit stop to relax and enjoy some company along with cakes, sandwiches, cookies on their way to war. Of course, my interest was in the Japanese exhibit and I loved the touch screen monitor that showed the different families that had lived in the area, as well as the displays showing the early farmers and railroad workers. Later in the afternoon, I met with Jim Griffin, the museum director. Jim shared some fascinating photos of the Ice House, that many Japanese men worked at in the early 1900's. The workers cut huge slabs of ice from lakes, and transported the ice slabs to the giant ice house to be stored for later use when the railroad shipped fruit and other perishable goods by rail. Fascinating stuff! If you are in the area and get a chance, stop by, there is so much to see at this museum!

this place smell really bad. do no recommend going here. if you do bring a mask. the things there…read morelook like plastic, and not like the real things.

This is a cool little museum. I say little only because their are just 2 Locomotives and a few rail…read morecars. But with that being said ..DONT miss this museum. The steam locomotive is AWESOME and the depot has a lot of neat things to see. Great staff as well. Located in the back of a city park which is also worth seeing.

Amazing trains - absolutely huge!! Stopped here with the family on a road trip. Kids played on the…read moreplayground at the park just north of this museum and then we came and looked at the trains. The person in the museum was very knowledgeable about trains in the area. Will stop again.