This state park, located between Omaha and Lincoln, is THE PLACE for family fun in Nebraska! It reminds me of a resort like Smugglers Notch in Vermont because they have something for everyone in the family to enjoy. The entire park is a big loop, with a paved biking and walking path that is separate from the road. For accommodations, there are two campgrounds, a lodge with a restaurant, and 57 cabins. We stayed in the Little Creek Campground (site #48), which had a playground, basketball courts, an athletic field, and a big open lawn adjacent to the campsite where the boys could run and play.

This park has so many activities, that with only two nights there was no way to do everything. Here’s how we spent our time:

Family Aquatic Center

We’ve been to a few state parks with pools, but Eugene T. Mahoney State Park has an entire mini water park! There’s a wave pool, three water slides for older kids, and a water playground for the little ones. For only $10 for adults and $8 for kids, this place was a steal. Our family had hours of fun! Liam is the timid one, but he tried both the big water slides and ended up loving them. It was fun watching Jack and Liam slide down, get off and run right back up to go again. There’s also plenty of lounge chairs and space for families to spread out. A great way to spend a hot Nebraska afternoon!

Go Apes Ropes Course

Jack is my daredevil, and he’s always looking for new ways to get an adrenaline rush. When I saw that Eugene Mahoney State Park had an adventure course up in the trees with obstacles and ziplines, I knew we had to try it! We booked first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds, and it was perfect. The sun was shining, the bugs were biting, and my boy and I worked our way through a fairly challenging ropes course. The ziplines were the highlight! I have a sneaking suspicion that this won’t be the last adventure course that Jack drags me to. Lucky for him, I don’t mind!

The Marina

It’s not my favorite way to spend an hour, but the boys couldn’t resist the shiny, sparkly paddle boats at the marina. Luckily the lake (actually more of a pond) was small so the boys could paddle themselves. The marina also has a small store with an ice cream and snack shop, along with an arts and crafts center where kids of all ages can paint ceramics or stamp leather. We also saw families fishing off of the bridge here. As I mentioned before, there’s something for everyone here!

Thank you Nebraska!

Eugene Mahoney State Park was a great stop over for us on the way further west. I can easily imagine spending an entire week here with the family and not running out of things to do. We didn’t have time to check out the rock climbing wall in the indoor recreation center, see a show at the theater, ride bikes along the path, or book a trail ride from the stables. This leaves us with plenty of reasons to come back!