Arbor Lodge State Historical Park - Nebraska City, Nebraska - State Park and Mansion

Arbor Lodge State Historical Park is located at 2nd Avenue in Nebraska City, Nebraska. The park grounds are open all year round from dawn to dusk and the mansion is open from late April to late October, although between Thanksgiving and Christmas the mansion is again open to visitors to show how it is festively decorated as part of a 12 rooms of Christmas celebration. A current Nebraska Park Entry Permit is required for vehicles in the park.

The park is 72 acres of wooded rolling hills featuring 250 varieties of trees and shrubs, an Italian terraced garden, a whispering bench and a tree trail. The tree trail is approximately one and a half miles long and runs through the original arboretum area planted by the Morton family, who owned the estate from when it was built in the 19th century. Trees are labeled for ease of identification as visitors walk along the wood-chipped path and rest on the cool shaded benches.

The 52-room Arbor Lodge mansion was the home of J. Sterling Morton, who amongst other things was the U.S Secretary of Agriculture and was the founder of Arbor Day, which was made a legal holiday by the Nebraska Legislature in 1885 and is now celebrated in every state and 12 other countries. Built in 1855 as a four-room frame house the mansion has increased in size over time. Visitors will be able to see the authentic furnishings in the rooms, and there are displays which depict how Morton and his family lived and worked.

The carriage house was built in 1901 to house the Morton's coaches, carriages and horses and still stands today for visitors to view. Displayed here are a Stanhope phaeton, a Vail phaeton, a rockaway, a sidebar runabout, the traditional surrey, and a Brougham used by President Grover Cleveland. A short stroll through the grounds takes visitors to a formal rose garden and arboretum, and here they can also take a picnic.

The Italian terraced garden features a curved wall guiding people to the rose garden, where they will also see a sundial and pergola. In the east part of the park is Monument Square with a bronze statue of J. Sterling Morton erected in 1905 and dedicated by President Cleveland, which stands behind a smaller statue of the Greek goddess Daphne. There is a log cabin situated close to the statues, which was built in 1890 as a memorial to the old settlers, whilst Pine Grove provides a cool shady area for visitors and is carpeted with pine needles.

Anyone looking to stay and/or dine in or around the area will find several hotels and restaurants nearby. Accommodation includes Whispering Pines Bed and Breakfast, Arbor Day Farm Lied Conference Center, Lied Lodge & Conference Center and Days Inn all within a mile and half of the park. A couple of dining options are open less than a mile away such as The Pantry of Chris's Cuisine and Lil' Dickies.