lawrence magazine / summer 2021
Resources Stop at or connect in advance with the Kearney Visitors Bureau, 1007 2nd Avenue, for maps, trail maps, brochures and helpful guidance in selecting restaurants and choosing activities. visitkearney.org The Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary is an essential stop for current crane data, info on other birds, ecosystem conservation, naturalist talks and hiking. It is also the only place to book tours to their riverfront blinds. Book in advance as they fill fast. rowe.audubon.org
The Junk Jaunt If you want to travel before next spring’s migration season, consider September 25–27, as Kearney takes part in the Junk Jaunt, a massive garage sale and antique extravaganza, over multiple counties and routes in Nebraska. Go to junkjaunt.com for info. This is always a wild and exciting event—sure to be more so this year as it returns from its pandemic break.
As someone who has had little interest in automobiles, I was enthralled by the Classic Car Collection, where I saw the exact model of Buick my parents had in the 1950s, as well as over 200 other cars. The G.W. Frank Museum of History and Culture is a Romanesque mansion that was an opulent residence, sanitarium and then tuberculosis hospital before becoming a museum. It covers the history and culture of central Nebraska through the lives of industrialists, factory workers, servants, doctors, nurses and patients. For Children The Kearney Area Children’s Museum could occupy a half-day, with 24 interactive learning experiences that really looked more like play to me. A quick stop at the small Nebraska Firefighters Museum and Education Center could be a highlight for the kid who loves fire engines and firefighter history. Another worthwhile historical stop is the Trails and Rails Museum, an outdoor assortment of historic structures that include an 1871 schoolhouse, 1903 fire engine, depot, blacksmith shop, 1870 log cabin and more. It is safe and contained, allowing kids to explore on their own. Where to Eat I found several great dining options in Kearney, from breakfast at The Breakfast Cart, to a lazy lunch on the outside deck at Cunningham’s Journal on the Lake (and also Cunningham’s Journal downtown in the old newspaper building), fabulous Thai at Suwannee Thai Cuisine, and the bold Everest Fusion Indian and Nepalese. There are several family-owned Mexican places as well. But when it came to our last night, we were drawn back to the Alley Rose. We asked the waitress for a recommendation. “We’ve had the same prime rib recipe for 30 years,” she said. Since we were in beef country, and since they’d already blown us away with the mussels, we decided to go carnivore. We split a “small order.” It was plenty to share—and the juiciest prime rib I have ever eaten. Outside, with the Cranes Kearney has a network of hiking and biking trails and a river trail for kayaking. In addition, the Ft. Kearney State Historical Park and State Recreation Area has good camping, a small beach and lake, and a viewing bridge to see cranes at sunset. Words cannot convey the visceral experience, the transient connection to something natural and magnificent, that compels thousands upon thousands of people to return to Nebraska to watch a half-million birds with six-foot wingspans do what they have been doing for millennia. This is travel that feeds the soul.
There is much to enjoy in a short trip to Kearney. But a visit during migration season is always a rewarding experience.
PHOTOGRAPH Shutterstock
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