Hastings: The Gem of the Plains
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5/29/2008
Hastings is home to Hastings College, one of the nation's leading liberal arts colleges; the Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History and the Lied Super Screen Theatre -- showing films daily on a screen that's five stories tall and 70 feet wide; the annual Cottonwood Festival; Kool-Aid Days; a bustling downtown shopping area; and much more.
Hastings abounds in recreational opportunities, too, from our three golf courses (including a PGA certified course), to our 18 parks, ten tennis courts, a miniature golf course, public go-kart track, midget car race track, and geocache sites.
Hastings is also one of the most convenient places for birders from around the world to take in the spectacle of the annual migration of cranes and waterfowl as they make stopovers along the Platte River and in the Rainwater Basin. For hunters, the Hastings area provides a world-class upland game bird hunting experience.
The cultural scene in Hastings is vibrant. View the constellations at Sachtleben Observatory or see the stars at Hastings Museum's J.M. McDonald Planetarium. Or view local art at several art galleries.
Live performances are offered by Hastings Community Theatre, Hastings Symphony, The Listening Room, Chorus of the Plains, and Hastings College.
Especially for kids: The Children's Museum of Central Nebraska, Hastings Aquacourt Waterpark, YMCA.
Points of interest: Chautauqua Pavilion, Fisher Fountain, WWII Naval Ammunition Depot, Historic District.
Kathryn | Hastings, NE