Washington County Historical Museum

My son and I love this museum! Very affordable and educational! We learned the history of Fort Calhoun starting from way before it was a town. Plenty of hands on items like dinosaur bones, old banking items (the building used to be a bank) and a dressing up area where you can dress like a soldier.The museum has been around since 1937. I can't believe it's not more well known!I still have to explore the website to learn even more. (wcnemuseum.org)

A stop at the Washington County Museum in Fort Calhoun was on the 2021 Nebraska Passport destination list. Having been to Fort Calhoun many times to devour onion rings at the Rustic, we were surprised that we did not even know where the museum was located but our trusty Google Map parked us at the front door for what we thought would be a 10-15 minute stop. We ended up thoroughly enjoying a 90-minute jump back to the early days of Washington County. Each city had an individual exhibit from the earliest days to present day highlighting important individuals, businesses and historic events. What surprised us was the quality and professional presentation of the exhibits. A historic bank area is incorporated into the space that included a number of activities for children. Admission was $3 for adults and with it we received a wooden nickle that could be used at other businesses in town for special deals such as an appetizer at the Longhorn or a BOGO at Scooters. Parking was free and easy, the attendant who greeted us was friendly and helpful and the exhibits were informative and interesting. We were pleasantly surprised by our visit to the Washington County Museum and would not hesitate to recommend it to others.