Local & Area Attractions
Local Attractions
Town Square & Gazebo
Horseshoe Pits
Horseshoe Pits south of the Village Maintenance Shed at 3rd & Pine.
Baseball
Ball Diamonds south of 7th & Pine host games and tournaments all summer long.
Oak Creek Trail
The Oak Creek Trail is on of Nebraska’s most versatile recreational trails. The corridor was once occupied by the Union Pacific Railroad but was taken out of service, using the federal Rail Banking process, in 1993. The trail was opened in 1996. An equestrian trail has since been added through the entire corridor and there are more than 100 registered geocaches hidden along the trail.
The Oak Creek Trail (when starting at Valapraiso end) begins at the trailhead near Highway 79 in Valparaiso (with ample parking for horse trailers) and follows the Bates Branch of Oak Creek out of town for several miles. The trail surface is crushed limestone.
Learn more about Oak Creek Challenge Trail or Geocaching.
Parks
Valparaiso has two very nice parks full of activities and abundant open space to play.
UP or Caboose Park near 4th & Spruce features playground equipment, sand volleyball courts, and picnic tables.
Tornado Park near 6th & Mary Ann has playground equipment, basketball/tennis courts, a picnic shelter, and restrooms.
Gordy’s Golf Course
Located on 27th & Main, this five-hole course consists of four par-3s and one par-4. Tee boxes are marked red, white, blue and black with ball washers, towels and garbage can provided. Boundaries include the field along the North side of the first fairway, the gravel roads west and south, and a wall of 30-foot evergreens to the east.
Area Attractions
Lakes
Branched Oak State Recreation Area
Branched Oak State Recreation Area features the largest lake in eastern Nebraska and has long been a popular spot for fishing, boating, and camping. Approximately 1,800 acres of water, along with well-maintained campsites, two swimming beaches, hiking trails, and an equestrian campground draw visitors from near and far. A marina offers fuel, bait, boat rental, concessions, and a bar and grill.
Wildwood Lake
Wildwood is a 491-acre property including a lake of 103 surface acres. The lake is located two miles north of Branched Oak Lake in northern Lancaster County and is the largest lake in the North Oak Watershed project. There are more than 120 acres of virgin and native grass prairie open for public exploration.
Admission is free and no entry permit is required. Enjoy parking, boat ramp, no wake boating, restrooms, tent camping, fire rings, fishing* and hunting*.
* Nebraska game permits are required for fishing and hunting.
Bohemian Alps
Tucked into the rolling hills of eastern Nebraska is an area affectionately known as the Bohemian Alps. The region got its nickname from early settlers who came from the Czech lands and thought that these hills resembled the ones back home. Today, Nebraska is the state with the highest percentage of residents of Czech ancestry in the country: 5.5 percent. To say that the Bohemian Alps region is still influenced by those previous generations would be a big understatement.
The unnofficial area of the Bohemian Alps is 25 miles north of Lincoln and 25 miles west of Omaha. Fourteen little towns, villages, and unincorporated communities make up the region: Abie, Bruno, Brainard, Dwight, Garland, Linwood, Loma, Malmo, Morse Bluff, Oak Creek, Prague, Touhy, Valparaiso, and Weston.
James Arthur Vineyards
Tucked into the rolling hills of eastern Nebraska is an area affectionately known as the Bohemian Alps. The region got its nickname from early settlers who came from the Czech lands and thought that these hills resembled the ones back home. Today, Nebraska is the state with the highest percentage of residents of Czech ancestry in the country: 5.5 percent. To say that the Bohemian Alps region is still influenced by those previous generations would be a big understatement.
The unnofficial area of the Bohemian Alps is 25 miles north of Lincoln and 25 miles west of Omaha. Fourteen little towns, villages, and unincorporated communities make up the region: Abie, Bruno, Brainard, Dwight, Garland, Linwood, Loma, Malmo, Morse Bluff, Oak Creek, Prague, Touhy, Valparaiso, and Weston.