FREE Event in Theatre
2025-01-12 13:00 - 13:45 (America/Chicago) | Hastings Museum
Where: Here at the Museum
When: Sunday, JAN 12, 1-1:45 p.m.
New photos from the James Webb Space Telescope! Kirk Rosberg, the Museum’s Planetarium Coordinator, will take us through new images from the telescope projected on on our super screen. Don’t miss it! First come, first seated. No tickets needed. No RSVP required. FREE! Join us! (And help us spread the word!)

Cocktails with the Curators
2025-01-23 19:00 - 22:00 | Hastings Museum
Doors & Cash Bar open at 6p | Stations start at 7p
Enjoy drinks, snacks, and fun stories about our collection and exhibits. Meet our curators and get their behind-the-scenes secrets! Tickets to this 21+ event are just $15 plus tax for Members. Tickets for all others are $20. That includes admission and snacks. A cash bar will be available. Here’s a preview of what the evening will hold:

Station 1: Get an inside look at how we clean our dioramas!
Station 2: Enter an attempted-murder mystery story from the late 1800s in downtown Hastings.
Intermission, enjoy our newest Tactile Exhibit & load up on snacks.
Station 3: See artifacts from an Ingleside dentist and hear his story. (Let’s just say dental tools improved over the years.)
Station 4: Learn how museums decide when, where, and why they’ll part with items. Sometimes animal specimens are just no longer useful to our collection, and occasionally we have to make room for new stuff. Learn the rules! (There are SO MANY rules)

Don’t miss this ALL NEW Cocktails with the Curators. Admission and snacks included. Cash bar is available. Get your tickets today!

This event has limited attendance, so no more than 20 people are with each curator at a time.
Get Tickets

Dirty Things Tours: 6 & 8 pm
2025-02-13 18:00 - 18:45 | Hastings Museum
Dirty Things Tours
Has it been awhile since you’ve been out for a night of fun? Don’t answer that. There’s no need to air your dirty laundry here. These 45-minute tours cover a variety of topics that are all dirty in one way or another. Sometimes dirty means grimy or gross, other times dirty means … well, you know (wink wink).
We will talk dirty, tell dirty jokes, and *gasp* even say a dirty word. But don’t worry, nothing racier than an R-rated movie. These tours are for those who are at least 18 years old. We’ve done all the dirty work to arrange a great night out.

If you’ve had fun on one of these tours before, join us again! Our 2025 Dirty Things Tour features ALL NEW topics! Don’t give us that dirty look: these tours are perfect for Valentine’s Day–or a Galentine’s celebration. We encourage you to pre-purchase tickets. Walk-ins welcome only if space allows. For a good time call (402) 461-2399.

Space is limited, register today!
45-Minute TOUR TICKETS:
Members $5 | Non-Members $10 +tax
Get TicketsThursday, FEB 13 – 6p or 8p
Friday, FEB 14 – 6p or 8p
Saturday, FEB 15 – 4p or 6p

Dirty Things Tours: 6 & 8 pm
2025-02-14 18:00 - 18:45, 2025-02-15 16:00 - 16:45 | Hastings Museum
Dirty Things Tours
Has it been awhile since you’ve been out for a night of fun? Don’t answer that. There’s no need to air your dirty laundry here. These 45-minute tours cover a variety of topics that are all dirty in one way or another. Sometimes dirty means grimy or gross, other times dirty means … well, you know (wink wink).
We will talk dirty, tell dirty jokes, and *gasp* even say a dirty word. But don’t worry, nothing racier than an R-rated movie. These tours are for those who are at least 18 years old. We’ve done all the dirty work to arrange a great night out.

If you’ve had fun on one of these tours before, join us again! Our 2025 Dirty Things Tour features ALL NEW topics! Don’t give us that dirty look: these tours are perfect for Valentine’s Day–or a Galentine’s celebration. We encourage you to pre-purchase tickets. Walk-ins welcome only if space allows. For a good time call (402) 461-2399.

Space is limited, register today!
45-Minute TOUR TICKETS:
Members $5 | Non-Members $10 +tax
Get TicketsThursday, FEB 13 – 6p or 8p
Friday, FEB 14 – 6p or 8p
Saturday, FEB 15 – 6p 0r 8p

Astral Adventures Family Program
2025-03-01 09:30 - 12:00 | Hastings Museum
Where: Here at the Museum
When: Saturday, March 1, 9:30-Noon
Tickets: Members $4 | Non-Members $4 + Museum Admission
Embark on a journey through space as we delve into the adventures of space through hands-on activities. Students will learn about the James Webb Space Telescope and what it is doing in space. Use your creative minds to create a rocket, planet and galaxy. Perfect for curious minds, this class will expose students to the mysteries of Space adventure and help them understand our amazing universe.
Join us for an amazing day at the museum and an unforgettable adventure among the stars!
NOTE: If your child has any dietary restrictions, please let us know beforehand, as food will be served. Also, please be advised, we will do our best to contain the mess, we will be working with materials that may not wash out of clothing well.

Tickets On Sale Now!
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Art After Dark: Paint with Beer
2025-03-08 18:00 - 21:00 | Hastings Museum
Unleash your inner artist with a creative twist! Explore the fusion of art and beer in this fun and unique class where participants paint using beer as their medium. Whether you’re a beer enthusiast or just curious, you’ll savor this one-of-a-kind experience that blends craft and creativity. Tickets to this 21+ event are $15 for Members. Tickets for non-members $20. First Street Brewing will provide a cash bar.

The guest instructor for this program will be Christine Brown, Director of Learning and Engagement at the Museum of Nebraska Art.

Space is limited. Get your tickets today!
Here is an example of painting with beer:
Get Tickets

Observe the Moon
2025-03-11 20:30 - 21:45 | Brickyard Park
Observe the Moon
with the Museum’s telescope
Join the Museum at Brickyard Park to observe the nearly full Moon starting at 8:30 pm. Planetarium Coordinator Kirk Rosberg will be on hand to answer your astronomy questions. Bring a lawn chair if you plan to stay the whole time. Members of the public are welcome to also bring binoculars.
This event is weather/clouds permitting! If it is too cloudy, the event will not be rescheduled.

Live Sky Tonight
2025-03-25 20:45 - 21:30 | Brickyard Park
Live Sky Tonight
at Brickyard Park
Join the Museum at Brickyard Park to observe the night sky starting at 8:45 pm. Learn the constellations and bright stars under the actual night sky. We will have a green laser pointer with us so everyone can see exactly what star or constellation is being discussed. Planetarium Coordinator Kirk Rosberg will be on hand to answer your astronomy questions. Bring a lawn chair if you plan to stay the whole time.
This event is weather/clouds permitting! If it is too cloudy, the event will not be rescheduled.

Adams County Morning Cruise
2025-03-29 08:30 - 12:00 | Hastings Museum
On the road again! East Adams County Bus Tour
MORNING: Adams County Cruise
8:30 a.m. – Noon

AFTERNOON: Adams County Cruise
1:00 – 4:30 p.m.

Join us March 29 (same tour offered twice this day!)
Members: $35; Non-Members: $50
Hop on our bus for a 3 1/2-hour tour around “east side” of Adams County. Let our tour guides bring history to life in a fun way with trivia and light-hearted reenactments. We’ll stop at historic landmarks, villages past and present, and little places you’ve probably never heard of. You’re welcome to bring your own snacks and beverages, but alcohol is not allowed.*

The tour starts and ends at the Hastings Museum. Unfortunately, the bus is not wheelchair accessible. We will be getting on and off the bus at various locations, some of which will be gravel and other uneven surfaces. Don’t worry, there will be a bathroom stop along the way (we’ve got small bladders too). And if you are looking at the graphic and wondering: YES! We’ll be riding on a school bus! We’re rolling old school!

*Please Note: Unlike our tour of Southwest Adams County which debuted in 2023, this tour is NOT on a party bus and will not allow alcohol. The good news? It is no longer a 21+ tour. While the beverages and tour stops are different, the tour itself will have the same fun vibe! We thank you for your understanding.
Get Your TicketsHighlights of this ALL NEW TOUR include:

Antioch School
Blue Valley Cemetery
First Homesteads in the County
Ingleside
Pauline
Towns you’ve never heard of!

Adams County Afternoon Cruise
2025-03-29 13:00 - 16:30 | Hastings Museum
On the road again! East Adams County Bus Tour

MORNING: Adams County Cruise
1:00 – 4:30 p.m.

Join us March 29 (same tour offered twice this day!)
Members: $35; Non-Members: $50
Hop on our bus for a 3 1/2-hour tour around the “east side” of Adams County. Let our tour guides bring history to life in a fun way with trivia and light-hearted reenactments. We’ll stop at historic landmarks, villages past and present, and little places you’ve probably never heard of. You’re welcome to bring your own snacks and beverages, but alcohol is not allowed.*

The tour starts and ends at the Hastings Museum. Unfortunately, the bus is not wheelchair accessible. We will be getting on and off the bus at various locations, some of which will be gravel and other uneven surfaces. Don’t worry, there will be a bathroom stop along the way (we’ve got small bladders too). And if you are wondering, we’ll be riding on a school bus! We like rollin’ old school!

*Please Note: Unlike our tour of Southwest Adams County which debuted in 2023, this tour is NOT on a party bus and will not allow alcohol. The good news? It is no longer a 21+ tour. While the beverages and tour stops are different, the tour itself will have the same fun vibe! We thank you for your understanding.
Get Your TicketsHighlights of this ALL NEW TOUR include:

Antioch School
Blue Valley Cemetery
First Homesteads in the County
Ingleside
Pauline
Towns you’ve never heard!

The War in Vietnam with David Wells
2025-04-06 14:00 - 15:00 | Hastings Museum, P.O. Box 1286, Hastings, NE, 68902
Humanities Nebraska Speakers: The War in Vietnam with David Wells
April 6th, 2025 @ 2:00 pm | FREE Event
We are thrilled to have Humanities Nebraska back at the Hastings Museum for a special Speaker.

During The War in Vietnam with David Wells, he gives a brief history of the war, explains how we got pulled into it and how it grew from a few military advisers to over 500K American soldiers and 58K deaths. Special attention is given to the 399 Nebraskans on the ‘Wall of Remembrance’ and the 16 from this state still listed as POW/MIA.

This multi-media presentation runs about 40 minutes and includes a special display.

Humanities Nebraska Speakers- The War in Vietnam with David Wells is a FREE event.

Nature After Dark
2025-04-10 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-04-10 19:00 - 20:00 | Hastings Museum
When: Thursday, April 10th
When: 10:00-11:00 am AND 7:00-8:00 pm
Where: Hastings Museum
Price: Members: $5, Non-Members: $10
Join Nature’s Educators to meet real, live animal ambassadors that venture out in the night! Find out what these incredible animals eat, where they live, how they survive, and how we can help them. Bring your cameras and inquiring minds!

Nature’s Educators is a non-profit organization with a mission to inspire individuals to understand, respect, and conserve wildlife through educational programming and experiences.
Purchase tickets for either time offerings. They will be presenting from 10:00-11:00 am and 7:00-8:00 pm.
Get Tickets

Solar Observing- 4/19
2025-04-19 11:00 - 12:00 | Hastings Museum
FREE FUN!

Join us for an opportunity to use our specially equipped telescope and safely look at the sun. Weather permitting, you’ll see the star at the center of our solar system in rich, rewarding detail.

It will take place on the third Saturday of each month from 11:00 am-12:00 pm. No RSVP necessary. Simply check in at the front desk or meet us on our front patio!

Interested in more out of this world fun? Check out the shows in our Planetarium.

Vietnamese New Year: Celebration of Tet
2025-05-03 10:00 - 12:00 | Hastings Museum
When: Saturday, May 3rd
When: 10:00 am-12:00 pm
Where: Hastings Museum
Price: Members: $4, Non-Members: Museum Admission + $4

3,2,1… Happy New Year! Come celebrate the Vietnamese New Years and learn about their national holiday and what it symbolizes to the people of the nation. Come learn about Zodiac animals and learn about the importance of the color red. Come experience Vietnamese culture here at the Hastings Museum.

Get Tickets

Solar Observing- 5/17
2025-05-17 11:00 - 12:00 | Hastings Museum

Buffalo Bill with Jeff Barnes
2025-05-18 13:30 - 14:30 | Hastings Museum, P.O. Box 1286, Hastings, NE, 68902
Humanities Nebraska Speakers: Buffalo Bill with Jeff Barnes
Sunday, May 18th @ 1:30 pm | FREE Event
We are thrilled to have Humanities Nebraska back at the Hastings Museum for a special Speaker.

William F. Cody was born, raised, and died elsewhere but it was in Nebraska where he made his home and where the celebrity and legend of Buffalo Bill was born.
What happened in the Cornhusker State to create a man who was arguably the world’s first “superstar”? Author Jeff Barnes tells the story of Cody in Nebraska, from his days as an Indian scout, as a hunting guide to the rich and famous, as the creator of “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West,” and his enduring legacy in the state, nation, and world today.

Wild Wonders: Woolly Animals
2025-06-07 14:00 - 16:00 | Hastings Museum
When: Saturday, June 7th
When: 2:00-4:00 pm
Where: Hastings Museum
Price: Members: $4, Non-Members: Museum Admission + $4

Wild Wonders is a nature-based family program that takes place every other month. Each program centers around a hands-on nature topic. This is a great opportunity for ages 5 and up, as well as adults, to learn and explore the natural world around us!

Do you know what materials your clothes are made out of? What do you wear during winter? What about animals? Have you ever been curious what animals do during the extreme heat and cold? Join us on June 7th as we explore the world of wooly animals and how their fur protects them from the elements.
Get Tickets

WWII in Hastings Bus Tour
2025-06-20 08:30 - 10:30 | Hastings Museum
When: June 20th
When: Tour starts 8:30 a.m.
Where: Tour begins and ends at the Hastings Museum
Price: $35 +tax for Museum Members | $50 +tax for Non-Members
Join us for a 2-hour bus tour that highlights the Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD), downtown Hastings, and key housing districts. The tour ticket also includes all-day admission to the Museum, and Theatre admission to D-Day: Normandy 1944, narrated by Tom Brokaw (trailer below). Get a sense of what it was like to live in Hastings during one of its boom periods. The city’s population nearly doubled between 1942 and 1943. Where did they live and work? Come find out!

Get Tickets

Solar Observing- 6/21
2025-06-21 11:00 - 12:00 | Hastings Museum

WWII in Hastings Bus Tour
2025-06-22 13:30 - 15:30 | Hastings Museum
When: June 22, Sunday
When: Tour starts 1:30 p.m.
Where: Tour begins and ends at the Hastings Museum
Price: $35 +tax for Museum Members | $50 +tax for Non-Members
Join us for a 2-hour bus tour that highlights the Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD), downtown Hastings, and key housing districts. The tour ticket also includes all-day admission to the Museum, and Theatre admission to D-Day: Normandy 1944, narrated by Tom Brokaw (trailer below). Get a sense of what it was like to live in Hastings during one of its boom periods. The city’s population nearly doubled between 1942 and 1943. Where did they live and work? Come find out!

Get Tickets

Art After Dark: Clay Sculptures
2025-06-28 18:00 - 21:00 | Hastings Museum
When: Saturday, June 28th
When: 6:00-9:00 pm
Where: Hastings Museum
Price: Members: $15, Non-Members: $20

Join us as clay artist Nancy Fairbanks teaches you how to create a human figure sculpture out of stoneware clay, using your hands and basic tools.
Nancy will discuss proportions of the human figure, as well as how emotion and movement can make for the most interesting art pieces. She will encourage you, the artist, to include your own personality and attitude to create a clay masterpiece.

This event is 21+ with a cash bar.

Get Tickets

Solar Observing- 7/19
2025-07-19 11:00 - 12:00 | Hastings Museum

Flatwater Forum: Breaking the Silence on Intimate Partner Violence in Nebraska
2025-07-24 19:00 - 20:30 | Hastings Museum
Join the Flatwater Free Press and panelists:

Jo Bair, Executive Director of enCourage Advocacy Center
Dr. Laura Logan, Sociology Professor at Hastings College
Amber Harper, Network Service Coordinator at the Nebraska Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence
Raul Arcos Hawkins, Executive Director of the Multicultural Coalition

for this powerful and FREE forum at the Hastings Museum, July 24, 2025, from 7-8:30 PM.

Click the link below to RSVP today!

RSVP HERE

Kool-Aid Days 2025: Friday
2025-08-15 09:00 - 20:00 | Hastings Museum
FRIDAY, AUGUST 15TH
9:00 am – 8:00 pm • Museum Open
Everyone is a kid this weekend! Enjoy $7 admission into the museum and experience our many exhibits. See animals species set in their natural habitats, learn the history of the early inhabitants of the Nebraska plains, experience our antique vehicle collection, and discover how Kool-Aid came to be such a success to name a few!
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm • Planetarium Shows
Included in paid museum admission, we will have planetarium shows every hour, on the hour! (1:00, 2:00, & 3:00 pm) Experience one of our entertaining shows and learn about the planets, constellations, cosmos, and beyond!
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm • Kool-Aid Stand (FREE, Limited Flavors)
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm • Yard Games (FREE, Limited Options)
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm • Mini-Golf (FREE, NEW this year!)
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm • Food Truck Friday
New this year! Get a taste of Hastings and the surrounding communities! We will have a variety of local food trucks set up behind the Hastings Museum at Highland Park. A full list of trucks will be announced soon! Purchase a meal or treat and engage in our festivities happening inside and outdoors. We will have a FREE Kool-Aid stand with limited flavors, yard games and more outside for everyone to enjoy. Roaming Greens Mini-Golf Co. will also have a FREE course set up for guests to enjoy!
Catch a show in our theatre on our 65-wide super screen!
Flight of the Butterflies – 2:00 pm (3D)
Animal Kingdom – 4:00 pm
Wild Rescue – 1:00, 3:00 & 5:00 pm
How to Train Your Dragon – 7:00 pm (3D)
View all Hastings Museum Kool-Aid Days activities!Learn more about Kool-Aid Days!

Food Truck Friday
2025-08-15 18:00 - 20:00 | Hastings Museum
FRIDAY, AUGUST 15TH
Join us for Kool-Aid Days at the Hastings Museum on Friday, August 15th from 6:00-8:00 pm for a night filled with food, fun, and festivities!

Get a taste of Hastings and the surrounding communities! We will have a variety of local food trucks set up behind the Hastings Museum at Highland Park. A full list of trucks will be announced soon!

Purchase a meal or treat and engage in our festivities happening inside and outdoors.

We will have a FREE Kool-Aid stand with limited flavors, yard games and more outside for everyone to enjoy. Roaming Greens Mini-Golf Co. will also have a FREE course set up for guests to enjoy!

FOOD TRUCKS:
– Hangries
– MeanBone BBQ & Burgers
– Special Scoops
– DonutNV
– SkRatch Kitchen
View all Hastings Museum Kool-Aid Days activities!Learn more about Kool-Aid Days!

Kool-Aid Days 2025: Saturday
2025-08-16 09:00 - 20:00 | Hastings Museum
SATURDAY, AUGUST 16TH
9:00 am – 8:00 pm • Museum Open
Everyone is a kid this weekend! Enjoy $7 admission into the museum and experience our many exhibits. See animals species set in their natural habitats, learn the history of the early inhabitants of the Nebraska plains, experience our antique vehicle collection, and discover how Kool-Aid came to be such a success to name a few!
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm • Planetarium Shows
Included in paid museum admission, we will have planetarium shows every hour, on the hour! (12:00, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, & 4:00 pm) Experience one of our entertaining shows and learn about the planets, constellations, cosmos, and beyond!
11:00 am – 5:00 pm • Other Activities
Before or after exploring inside of the Hastings Museum, connect with our staff and the Hastings Museum Foundation members outdoors! They will be serving up five Kool-Aid flavors, hosting a variety of yard games including bubble blowing, corn-hole, giant Jenga, Connect 4, and Tetris, and more all for FREE! Roaming Greens Mini-Golf Co.’s course will be set up inside the museum and is included with paid museum admission.
11:00 am – 5:00 pm • Kool-Aid Stand (FREE)
11:00 am – 5:00 pm • Yard Games (FREE, Full Game Options)
11:00 am – 5:00 pm • Mini-Golf (Paid Admission Required, NEW this year!)
Mesmerica Show
Experience this unique immersive music and art cinematic projection show at the Hastings Museum for the first time! Mesmerica is a visual music journey that brings the mesmerizing music of Grammy-nominated composer and percussionist James Hood together with visually-hypnotic, 3D animated art curated from artists around the world. This show is for all ages!
Shows are at 5:30, 6:45, and 8:00 pm! Purchase tickets and learn more HERE!
Catch a show in our theatre on our 65-wide super screen!
Wild Rescue – 11:00 am (3D), 1:00 pm (3D)
Flight of the Butterflies – 12:00 pm (3D)
How to Train Your Dragon – 2:00 pm (3D)
View all Hastings Museum Kool-Aid Days activities!Learn more about Kool-Aid Days!

Kool-Aid Days 2025: Sunday
2025-08-17 10:00 - 18:00 | Hastings Museum
SUNDAY, AUGUST 17TH
10:00 am – 6:00 pm • Museum Open
Everyone is a kid this weekend! Enjoy $7 admission into the museum and experience our many exhibits. See animals species set in their natural habitats, learn the history of the early inhabitants of the Nebraska plains, experience our antique vehicle collection, and discover how Kool-Aid came to be such a success to name a few!
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm • Planetarium Shows
Included in paid museum admission, we will have planetarium shows every hour, on the hour! (12:00, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 & 4:00 pm) Experience one of our entertaining shows and learn about the planets, constellations, cosmos, and beyond!
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm • Become a Kool-Aid Jammer (FREE, NEW this year!)
This year, we’re turning up the volume on family fun! Join us for a FREE station where kids and their family members can craft their own musical instrument from recyclable materials and jam together.
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm • Other Activities
Before or after exploring inside of the Hastings Museum, connect with our staff and the Hastings Museum Foundation members outdoors! They will be serving up five Kool-Aid flavors, hosting a variety of yard games including bubble blowing, corn-hole, giant Jenga, Connect 4, and Tetris, and more all for FREE! Roaming Greens Mini-Golf Co.’s course will be set up inside the museum and is included with paid museum admission.
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm • Kool-Aid Stand (FREE)
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm • Yard Games (FREE, Full Game Options)
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm • Mini-Golf (Paid Admission Required, NEW this year!)
Catch a show in our theatre on our 65-wide super screen!
Wild Rescue – 11:00 am
Flight of the Butterflies – 12:00 pm
Animal Kingdom – 1:00 pm
How to Train Your Dragon – 2:00 pm (3D)
View all Hastings Museum Kool-Aid Days activities!Learn more about Kool-Aid Days!

Wounded Knee & Impact of Northwest Nebraska with Broc Anderson
2025-09-14 14:00 - 15:00 | Hastings Museum, P.O. Box 1286, Hastings, NE, 68902
Humanities Nebraska Speakers: Wounded Knee & Impact of Northwest Nebraska with Broc Anderson
Sunday, September 14th @ 2:00 pm | FREE Event
We are thrilled to have Humanities Nebraska back at the Hastings Museum for a special Speaker.

Northwest Nebraska, from the 1870s to the early twentieth century, had a complex economic and social relationship with the Pine Ridge Reservation. As the United States continued promoting settlement westward, the US military became the main proponents in displacing the Lakota from their land in Nebraska. Along with the droves of miners and merchants to the Black Hills, the additional free land opportunities in northwest Nebraska forcibly relocated the Lakota who continued to struggle to control their way of life. Businessmen from around the country and within the border town communities of Gordon, Rushville, Hay Springs, and Chadron sought the advantages of new economic opportunities being so close to a Native reservation. At the same time, the aggressive assimilation policies and practices of the progressive era were largely taken advantage of by individuals who sought to gain politically and economically in their dealings with the Lakota.

Director of Historic Sites for the Nebraska State Historical Society, Broc Anderson, examines the complex economic and social relationship between Northwest Nebraska and Pine Ridge Reservation from the 1870’s to early 20th Century.

Join us for this informational and impactful presentation!
