Easy walking access onto the salt flats if you want to feel the crunch under your feet.
Nice monument with tributes to the pony express states. It is in front of the Cabela’s parking lot. That is a bit strange but you can use their bathroom. There is a gazebo by a pond (retaining pool) with a picnic table and a sign about the hold rush. Lots of green space. Worth it for the picnic space or bathroom, otherwise Gothenberg is a more historic pony express stop.
Definitely stop here! We have stopped here twice on cross country trips! There is a pony metal cut out and a historic rock plus an original cabin that was part of the pony express. Come when it is open to see the artifacts inside (free) and buy some fun or educational pony express souvenirs. The park has nice green space, bathrooms, picnic tables under a pavilion and a playground too.
Called Quality Inn now.
Excellent stop for kids, adults and dogs!
A wide strip of land at the intersection of two major train tracks with plenty of trains to watch. Seems to be a popular local and visitor spot. Wed-Sat a gift shop is open (and bathrooms) during shop hours. Dogs allowed everywhere! Limited shade but a great spot to eat, train watch and move around a bit. There are wide bricks and a grass section between you and the trains. We visited with a dog, 4 year old and 2 year old and it went well.
Amenities: covered pavilion with 4 picnic tables and benches, other uncovered benches with views of the trains, a water pump (hold handle high and wait), grassy areas, a small gazebo with educational signs, a stationary train to view, a stationary engine (partial?) to climb in, parking.
No fee and friendly regulars.
Great playground stop! Large castle play structure with 2-5 and 5-12 sections, musical instruments, swings and a long, fast zip-line. No shade so best not midday. 2 pavilions close by with a bathroom. There is a water fountain for drinking but it was off when we visited. Dogs are allowed. There is also a skate park, volleyball and a lot of green space. We enjoyed this after the railroad park!
Fun outdoor music play! This is a tucked-away outdoor musical instrument area with a beautiful perennial garden and small boardwalk over a creek that goes to the lake. There is one picnic table. Dogs allowed. Nothing to climb on for kids but they can play the instruments. It is across from the lake. There is a playground just down and across the street as well. The garden is not shaded and was very hot mid-day in August. The playground is also not shaded. There is no parking right at the sound garden but there is a utility company parking lot you could use after hours or a middle school, or walk from the playground parking lot 1/4 mile or less away. It is worth a quick stop if you are driving 131, probably not more than 10-30 min. Unfortunately, no cool ‘sound garden’ sign for pics.
Cute, underwhelming quick stop. On gravel roads that seem like alleys and a vacant lot right off the freeway. The crane is smaller than the cow and bison on the same interstate. It sits in a quiet, small grass are with small flower gardens on the edge of the vacant lot and a corn field. Good for a quick photo, rest in the grass or dog potty spot. There is a playground across the main street as well (too far to walk.) We found a geocache there too! Worth the highway on-off but not going out of your way.
Fun quick stop. My 2 and 4 year old kids loved the huge cow! You can see it in the distance as you drive up and then there is a windy, steep road to get to a parking lot at the base. Probably not goo in bad weather. A steep sidewalk leads to the cow. You can stand under it and touch it. Very cool! There is also a view of the wind farm and a picnic table. Free to enter with an optional donation box at the base. Easy on and off the highway.
This was a fun, short stop. It was right off the highway and only a few hundred feet in, so much quicker to get to than I expected. We saw several prairie dogs from the parking lot. No benches and no shade so we didn’t stay for a picnic but were glad to stop to see the prairie dogs.