Top 10

Things to Do
at Stuhr Museum 
This Winter

Winter is a special time of year at Stuhr Museum – the halls are decked with holiday cheer, the 200+ acre grounds glisten in the snow, and families and friends come together to enjoy each other’s company and make memories together. It’s a busy time for many, so we’ve made up a list of our top 10 favorite things happening this winter at Stuhr Museum so you don’t miss out on the fun!

1. Get your Nebraska Holiday Passport Stamped

There are so many great things happening across the state this holiday season, and we are proud to be included in the inaugural Nebraska Holiday Passport. The passport features 20 great stops across the state and runs from November 19, 2022 – January 1, 2023. Passporters simply need to present their passport during business hours (9 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily) to receive a stamp. Don’t have a passport yet? We’ve got some on hand or you can request one online to be mailed to you. Stamps can also be given during our Christmas Past & Present event, the pinnacle of the holiday season at Stuhr Museum.

Admission to Stuhr Museum is $14 for adults, $13 for seniors, $12 for youth ages 6-12, and free for youth ages 5 & under. Stuhr Museum and Hastings Museum members also get in free. Those wishing only to receive a passport stamp and not visit the museum do not need to pay admission.

Please note, Stuhr Museum will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day & New Year’s Day. We will also close at 3 p.m. on the day prior to each of these holidays. Any additional closures due to inclement weather will be announced on our website and reported in local weather closings lists.

2. Skate at the Glaciarium

Stuhr Museum’s Glaciarium has returned for another great season of seasonal skating fun, and you won’t want to miss out on this experience! The Glaciarium features a synthetic ice surface and gets its name from the very first artificial ice skating rink opened in London way back in the year 1841 under the same name. Ice skating was a popular winter pastime in the era we portray at Stuhr Museum, and we’re so excited to be able to offer this fun winter activity to our community and visitors!

Skating hours are on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, however we will open up additional skating times during school breaks. Skating fees (includes skate rental and one hour on the rink) are $12 for non-members or $8 for members. For more information, check out the Glaciarium page.

3. Explore the Stuhr Building

The Leo B. Stuhr Building is open every day, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. for visitors to explore! We have a number of permanent exhibits on the second floor ranging from the Overland Trails to Hall County’s sugar beet industry, communications, and more! We offer a variety of highlight tours on Monday through Friday for visitors to learn a little bit more about history with one of our knowledgeable staff members. On Tuesdays, we offer an extra-special behind-the-scenes tour of our Collections Building, which houses thousands of artifacts in a humidity and climate-controlled environment. This tour requires an additional ticket for $6 per person, available for purchase in advance or on the day of the tour at the Gift Shop.

4. Revel in The Legacy of Nebraska

In addition to the historic artifacts on exhibit year-round, the Stuhr Building is also home to rotating exhibits. On the first floor, visitors will find The Legacy of Nebraska, an art exhibit featuring paintings by Nebraska-born artist Todd Williams. The paintings in this exhibit depict scenes from throughout Nebraska’s history, originally completed for Nebraska’s Sesquicentennial Celebration in 2017. Selected paintings are on exhibit in The Legacy of Nebraska from November 12, 2022 – January 22, 2023.

5. Experience Christmas Past & Present

Christmas Past & Present is the pinnacle of the holiday season at Stuhr Museum. Visitors to this special event will enjoy a lantern-lit stroll through historic sites, including the 1860s Road Ranche, 1890s Railroad Town, and 1910s Cleary Farm. Your senses will be full of holiday cheer, as sights, sounds and smells of the season will be found throughout the entire event. Modern Christmas celebrations can be found in the Leo B. Stuhr Building, including the Fantasy of Trees exhibit.

Christmas Past & Present 2022
Member’s Night: Friday, December 2
Saturday, December 3, 6-9 p.m.
Sunday, December 4, 12-5 p.m.
Friday, December 9, 6-9 p.m.
Saturday, December 10, 6-9 p.m.
For more information about this event, visit our Christmas Past & Present page.

6. Take in the Fantasy of Trees

The Fantasy of Trees is an annual exhibit of Christmas trees decorated by area businesses and organizations full of holiday cheer! This year’s exhibit will feature over 50 trees with a variety of themes, ranging from traditional to modern, pop culture, recycled items, and more. The Fantasy of Trees runs from November 26, 2022 – January 3, 2023.

7. Enjoy a tasty treat in the Stuhr Bistro

Located in the Stuhr Building, the Stuhr Bistro is open every day, providing visitors with tasty treats, savory sandwiches and wraps, steaming soups, and more! (We’d give you a recommendation to try, but we can’t decide what our favorite dish is!)

8. Find the perfect gift at the Prairie Treasures Gift Shop

Located in the Stuhr Building, the Prairie Treasures Gift Shop features unique souvenirs and gift items that you can’t find just anywhere in town! Books for kids and adults, stuffed animals, jewelry, keychains, toys, and more will give you plenty to choose from to find a gift for that hard-to-please person in your life (or yourself… we won’t tell!)

9. Ring in the New Year with Stuhr Kids

Hey kids, we know how hard it is to stay up all the way til midnight, so we created a special event just for you! Join us on December 31st from 11-12:30 for Noon Year’s Eve! We’ll have a number of stations set up throughout the Stuhr Building with crafts and activities, ending with a ball drop at 12 o’clock… noon! Tickets for this event are $3 in addition to daily admission.

 

10. Attend Stuhr-pendous Saturdays Programs

We are so excited to announce a new series of programming on Saturdays starting in January 2023! Stuhr-pendous Saturdays will feature a wide variety of topics and range from hands-on activities to speakers for kids, adults, and families. Learn more about Stuhr Museum’s archives and collections, spinning wheels, paper marbling, presidential history, and more! We’re finalizing the details now and will have the final schedule up soon.