We took the kids to This is the Place Heritage Park back in early June and they liked it so much then that we promised them a return visit. That return visit finally came today.
I was busy all morning so I was tired before we left and I didn’t really want to go. Technically the park is closed after Labor Day. What this means is that there is no charge and you can’t go into any of the buildings. Not only that, but there are no people wearing period clothing and telling visitors what life was like 150 years ago.
When we arrived at the park all of my worst fears were realized. It looked like a cross between a ghost town and a desolate wasteland. There were virtually no cars in the parking lot and we had not even come with cousins for the girls to play with – if we had I would have been optimistic (even in a wilderness) that the girls would have a good time.
I was worried that the girls would be bored and that they would be cranky since this cut across nap times. Two hours later, as we left, I had to admit that I was pleasantly surprised. The girls had behaved themselves perfectly while we walked in the nice weather. All they really wanted was to be together as a family. It didn’t hurt that there were still oxen standing around staring back at us, but even without the oxen they acted as if walking across Nebraska would have been fun so long as we did it together.
I doubt they know how long Nebraska is.