Whether you live in Nebraska or you’re driving up from a big city like Denver for a change of pace, Chadron is an ideal place for a weekend getaway that’s both packed with history and close to nature. From its classic Western main street to its proximity to Great Plains beauty, there’s a lot to discover in this lovely small town.
A weekend trip to Chadron is like a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure story – you can decide whether you want to be a homesteader or a city slicker.
If you want to rough it, check out Chadron State Park; if you’re feeling the latter, choose Olde Main Street Inn.
Consider the natural beauty of Chadron State Park.
Although there’s plenty of great camping to be done at Chadron State Park, you don’t have to be an expert survivalist to stay here. The lodging runs the gamut from primitive campsites to RV hookups to 22 fully furnished cabins.
If you’d rather stay in town, check out the Olde Main Street Inn.
If the Old-with-an-E didn’t already tip you off, this place has been around for over a century and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. That means it’s seen some things – including two friendly ghosts who kick around the guestrooms and saloon.
Even if you’re roughing it in on the campgrounds, you’re probably not going to want to subsist on a can of beans cooked over a fire for every meal.
Head into town and grab a bite at one of these local restaurants.
When you’re on vacation, there’s nothing better than a utility spot that you can hit over and over again for whatever you need.
That’s exactly what Bean Broker Coffee House & Pub is good for. Originally home to a turn-of-the-century bank, the charming dark brick building is just as perfect for early morning coffee and breakfast sandwiches as it is for happy hour cocktails.
You aren’t really getting the small-town experience if you’re not eating where the locals eat, and The Ridge is where the locals eat.
It’s where you’ll find cheap drink specials, chicken fried steak, and football playing on the TV. You won’t get the white tablecloth treatment at a place with a mechanical donkey ride, but you might have some pretty darn good onion rings.
If we were in the business of coming up with municipal slogans, we might pitch something like this for Chadron: “Meet Us At the Corner of History & Nature.” Or, “Chadron: You Bring The Cowboy Boots, We’ll Take Care of The Rest.”
We’re clearly not in that line of work, but you get the idea.
The best thing to do in Chadron is to spend time outside in one of the gorgeous nearby nature preserves.
The Nebraska National Forest is 222 square miles of entertainment. Hiking, camping, mountain biking, hunting, horseback riding – if it’s something you can do outside, you can do it here surrounded by the type of unreal beauty you can usually only find on an HD screensaver.
Just east of the town, the Museum of the Fur Trade is a must-see for any history buffs.
Located on the site of the historic James Bordeaux Trading Post, this museum has over 6,000 artifacts from frontier-era America. Come here to learn more about one of the continent’s first economies.
Take a self-guided walking tour of the Chadron Downtown Historical District.
From a Victorian Era hotel to a Prairie School theater and 1950s storefronts, you can explore the visual evolution of America without sitting down to watch a 12-hour Ken Burns documentary.
Between the national and state parks and historic downtown, you’re sure to have a memorable stay in Chadron. Have you been before? Leave a comment with any must-visit spots you’d add to the list!
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