Free shipping on all orders over $75🎄

Vacationing with two children adds a certain element of difficulty. When wanting to get away, it takes more planning and preparation than it used to. Length of time to destination, places to eat and kid friendly things to do are all factors when deciding on a place to visit.

So when asked if my family wanted to spend a weekend in Grand Island, Nebraska, we jumped on it. Of course we would!

We live in Valentine, Nebraska so Grand Island is about 3.5 hours away, which when you live in Valentine, 3.5 hours is a simple hop, skip and a jump! I had been to GI several times, but never had a chance to see everything the city has to offer. There are so many great things to do and see. We have young children ages 2 (Brooklyn) and 4 months (Audrey), so it’s often difficult to find kid friendly attractions. Thankfully, Grand Island has a wide variety of activities for young families to enjoy. Here’s a look at some of the stops on our trip.

Visit Grand Island - Our Weekend Getaway!   www.herviewfromhome.com

First stop, Sin City Grill for Breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially if your French toast is crusted with captain crunch. YUM! Everything we ordered was wonderful. My husband had the biscuits and gravy and I had the kielbasa omelet and my 2-year-old was super excited about the French toast!

Visit Grand Island - Our Weekend Getaway! www.herviewfromhome.com

After eating our fill, we made our way over to the Outdoor Learning Center. This was a great stop. It gave my 2-year-old a chance to run around and my Ag teacher husband was in heaven when Brooklyn said, “switch grass and daisies!” 

Ahhh so cute!

The Outdoor Learning Center is strategically placed right in the middle of the Nebraska State Fair grounds. There were slides, tunnels, flowers, a gazebo, and lots of other outdoor activities. They even had various vegetables growing. A great learning opportunity for your little ones!

Visit Grand Island - Our Weekend Getaway!   www.herviewfromhome.com

Starting them young, just setting her up to win state in Range Judging some day! 

My girls had so much fun at the Outdoor Learning Center that before we even left the parking lot, they both fell asleep! Sleeping children means it’s time for mama to shop.

Visit Grand Island - Our Weekend Getaway! www.herviewfromhome.com

My husband dropped me off downtown for a little “me time.”  As I walked down the street, I felt a sense of serenity and calmness. I’m a big city girl at heart, even though my home now resides in Valentine. I have a love and appreciation for both large and small communities and I felt that combination in Grand Island, especially downtown.

My first stop brought me to Sprites and Sprouts, a children’s second hand store. They just moved to a new location and have numerous items available. Parents, this is a good stop for you! Next up? Strut Boutique. Their entrance is gorgeous and inviting, which made it easy for me to walk through their doors. They have everything from game day gear, to business casual and even children’s clothing. I could have spent hours in this one. (Maybe I did!) 

Before I could stop anywhere else, I got a call that the girls were up. But next time I am in town, I will make sure to stop by Prodigy and Kindred.

Mom got her shopping fix, kids got their naps, so now it’s time to eat. Our lunch stop was at Wave Pizza Company. Wow, they have excellent pizza! This is definitely more of a bar atmosphere but we were here early enough that it was okay taking the little ones with us. 

Once we had our fill, we headed to Stuhr Museum. This place is 200 acres in total! I was very excited to check this out, as it was my first time to visit and they did not disappoint. We started our tour in the main Stuhr building, and later we returned for All Hallows Eve, the museums special Halloween event that takes place outside throughout the museum grounds.

Visit Grand Island - Our Weekend Getaway!   www.herviewfromhome.com

As you enter, the most adorable ducks greet you! My 2-year-old was fascinated with them. The whole building is surrounded by a moat, which gives it such a grand feeling. As you walk in, you’ll definitely notice the beautiful white marble. You’ll find gorgeous artwork throughout the main area and off to the side we discovered a room full of 60s décor. Fans of the hit show, Mad Men, will love this room! As you make your way upstairs, we were greeted by various relics that are similar to those found or used in Nebraska’s prairie communities.

Visit Grand Island - Our Weekend Getaway!   www.herviewfromhome.com

This quilt was made out of scraps, nothing went to waste. I am going to have to try this someday, definitely an added challenge.

Again, this is a must stop when we travel to the area again.

The next stop for our family of 4 included an adventure through All Hallows Eve. We adorned our girls in their Halloween costumes and made our way to the entrance. We arrived early, but the lines had already begun to form. Note for next year, be sure to arrive with plenty of time to spare. This is a popular event!

Visit Grand Island - Our Weekend Getaway! www.herviewfromhome.com

Visit Grand Island - Our Weekend Getaway!   www.herviewfromhome.com

As you make your way down the scenic paths, it opens to Railroad Town. There was a newspaper, a woodworking shop, blacksmith, a school and everything else you would find in a town from the past. It gives you a sense of a simpler time. I will definitely bring my girls back when they are older, so they can appreciate the history of this state and the people who lived here. 

Visit Grand Island - Our Weekend Getaway! www.herviewfromhome.com

I just loved Railroad Town. I could have walked around all day!

I enjoyed walking through and admiring the exquisite buildings, and stopping to peek into a couple of the them. During the summer, the museum has interpreters dressed in authentic pioneer clothing going about their daily lives. Plan to spend your entire day at the museum when you visit, or at least half of the day. There’s just so much to see and do!

Visit Grand Island - Our Weekend Getaway! www.herviewfromhome.com

At this point we were exhausted! Time to head out and back to bed at our hotel!

Visit Grand Island - Our Weekend Getaway!   www.herviewfromhome.com

The next day we started with a hearty breakfast at Perkins. Before we headed out of town, we stopped to check out Kids Kingdom, pretty much an ultimate playground. Brooklyn did not want to leave!

Visit Grand Island - Our Weekend Getaway!   www.herviewfromhome.com

We had such a great time on our mini vacation to Grand Island. If you are looking for somewhere to get away for the weekend or longer, this is a great place to go! Be sure to stop by the Grand Island Visitors Bureau to get more travel information.

Note:  Check out the upcoming holiday events at the Stuhr Museum! For a full list of details, log on to their website at StuhrMuseum.org. You’ll want to check out the Christmas Past & Present event!

*Special thanks to Holiday Inn Grand Island – Midtown for their accommodations.

Visit Grand Island - Our Weekend Getaway! www.herviewfromhome.com

So God Made a Mother book by Leslie Means

If you liked this, you'll love our new book, SO GOD MADE A MOTHER available now!

Order Now

Jennie Nollette

I am an Omaha native now living in the beautiful town of Valentine, Nebraska. If you haven’t visited you must! It is a gorgeous town that boosts its natural beauty. I am also a wife and mother of two beautiful little girls, living the daily struggle of balancing all life has to offer. My greatest joy is getting to spend time with my family, whether it's cooking, dancing or traveling, we do our best to take it all in and enjoy every moment.

Your Husband Needs Friendship Too

In: Faith, Friendship, Marriage
3 men smiling outside

As the clock inches closer to 7:00 on a Monday evening, I pull out whatever dessert I had prepared that week and set it out on the kitchen counter. This particular week it’s a trifle, but other weeks it may be brownies, pound cake, or cookies of some kind. My eyes do one last sweep to make sure there isn’t a tripping hazard disguised as a dog toy on the floor and that the leftover dinner is put away. Then, my kids and I make ourselves scarce. Sometimes that involves library runs or gym visits, but it mostly looks like...

Keep Reading

Memories are What Matter—Watch the Chevy Holiday Ad Making Us Cry

In: Living
Chevy holiday ad

I don’t know about you, but the older I get the more I find that this time of year feels fragile. I love the holidays, don’t get me wrong. But these days I recognize a comingling of joy and sadness that envelopes so many during this season. It’s a giant heap of emotion as we sort through the good, the bad, the happy, and the sad of the past year and try to make sense of where we are right here, right now, in this moment of time. So when I saw Chevrolet’s new seasonal ad last night, I was...

Keep Reading

This Is Why Moms Ask for Experience Gifts

In: Faith, Living, Motherhood
Mother and young daughter under Christmas lights wearing red sweaters

When a mama asks for experience gifts for her kids for Christmas, please don’t take it as she’s ungrateful or a Scrooge. She appreciates the love her children get, she really does. But she’s tired. She’s tired of the endless number of toys that sit in the bottom of a toy bin and never see the light of day. She’s tired of tripping over the hundreds of LEGOs and reminding her son to pick them up so the baby doesn’t find them and choke. She’s tired of having four Elsa dolls (we have baby Elsa, Barbie Elsa, a mini Elsa,...

Keep Reading

6 Things You Can Do Now to Help Kids Remember Their Grandparents

In: Grief, Living, Loss, Motherhood
Grandfather dances with granddaughter in kitchen

A month ago, my mom unexpectedly passed away. She was a vibrant 62-year-old grandma to my 4-year-old son who regularly exercised and ate healthy. Sure, she had some health scares—breast cancer and two previous brain aneurysms that had been operated on successfully—but we never expected her to never come home after her second surgery on a brain aneurysm. It has been devastating, to say the least, and as I comb through pictures and videos, I have gathered some tips for other parents of young kids to do right now in case the unexpected happens, and you’re left scrambling to never...

Keep Reading

When You Need a Friend, Be a Friend

In: Friendship, Living
Two friends having coffee

We have all seen them—the posts about the door always open, the coffee always on, telling us someone is always there when we need support. I have lived with depression my entire life. From being a nervous child with a couple of ticks to a middle-aged woman with recurrent major depressive and generalized Anxiety disorder diagnoses. Antidepressants, therapy, writing, and friends are my treatments. The first three are easy, my doctor prescribes antidepressants, I make appointments with a therapist, and I write when I feel the need. RELATED: Happy People Can Be Depressed, Too The fourth is hard. As I...

Keep Reading

When You Just Don’t Feel Like Christmas

In: Faith, Living
Woman sad looking out a winter window

It’s hard to admit, but some years I have to force myself to decorate for Christmas. Some years the lights look a little dimmer. The garlands feel a bit heavier. And the circumstances of life just aren’t wrapped in a big red bow like I so wish they were. Then comparison creeps in like a fake Facebook friend and I just feel like hiding under the covers and skipping it all. Because I know there’s no way to measure up to the perfect life “out there.” And it all just feels heavier than it used to. Though I feel alone,...

Keep Reading

To the Parents Who Coach: Thank You

In: Living, Motherhood
Mother with young son in soccer uniform, color photo

I always planned on being an involved parent, whatever that would mean. Never an athlete, always athletic, I joined the swim team in high school, taught swim lessons for spending money as a college freshman, played intramural soccer at 10 p.m. on weeknights on a college team with a ridiculous name. Later, mama to only one baby, finding extra dollars wherever I could, I coached track. And then, my own babies really started to play sports. I promised myself I would volunteer as possible, but something always stood in the way, and all I could manage was to get my...

Keep Reading

Now That I’m There, 30 Doesn’t Seem That Old

In: Living
Woman holding a sign with the number 30 and chocolates, color photo

I turned 30 this year. The change of a decade has caused me to reflect a lot. This is the first time I’ve hit an age ending in zero and sort of wish I could go back a ways. At 10 and 20 years old I was still eagerly waiting to get older. That desire slowed down and stopped around 25 years old. Still, I haven’t lived my first 30 years with a lot of regrets. I have four little ones who call me mom. Some days they make me feel old. Often they keep me acting young. Dance parties...

Keep Reading

Teachers Carry the Weight of Their Classroom in Their Hearts

In: Living
Stressed teacher sits with hands on temples

I would like to argue there really isn’t anything that hard about the doing of a teacher’s job. Oh, there are overwhelming, too much to do moments. And exhausting moments. And early morning, long day moments. But there isn’t really anything that hard about the doing of a teacher’s work. It’s the being a teacher that’s hard. For in being a teacher, your heart splits open with all the things you cannot fix and all the things you cannot do or cannot do enough of. When your heart aches for a family you barely know and you long to comfort...

Keep Reading

Give Me Friends to Do Everyday Life With

In: Friendship
Two women at a sporting stadium, color photo

She sees me coming. A small wave from her house window and a silent invitation to come on over for our morning coffee. An unsaid invitation to connect with someone who gets the joys and challenges of being a mother. A quick, small, and valued break from life and stress and my house messes has become the perfect way to start the morning. A neighbor who has become a dear friend. Prior to this encounter, alarm clocks were ringing, breakfast was made, backpacks were packed, and shoes were missing. School mornings are rough. Motherhood is rough. The world around us...

Keep Reading