homestead | NE | Find park

A historic cabin stands next to a concrete path that leads to a plow shaped visitor center

The Palmer Epard Cabin and Heritage Center at Sunset

An original one-room schoolhouse, the Freeman School preserves educational history and allows for visitors of all ages to walk into history.

The tallgrass prairie is yellow with goldenrod in full bloom.

The overlook from the picnic area at the Heritage Center showcases the beauty of the tallgrass prairie in late summer.

The Homestead Heritage Center on the tallgrass prairie

Thousands of visitors stop to view the oldest restored tallgrass prairie in the National Park Service from the Heritage Center back patio.

The tallgrass prairie spans to the Heritage Center on the horizon.

The oldest restored tallgrass prairie in the NPS spans to the Heritage Center.

The Homestead Education Center holds historic farm implements from the vast archives and collections of the Monument.

The historic homestead cabin that can be found on the America the Beautiful Homestead Quarter, this cabin has been preserved in it's original condition for visitors to enter and see the inside of a historic structure.

Physical Address:

8523 West State Highway 4

Beatrice, NE 68310

Mailing Address:

8523 West State Highway 4

Beatrice, NE 68310

contact-details

Phone Number: 4022233514 Voice

Email Address: home_information@nps.gov
Description: General mailbox for the public to contact the park.

Fees

Entrance Fees

Entrance Passes

The Homestead Act of 1862 transformed the world. Millions were invited to file claims including families, women, immigrants, and formerly enslaved people. Over 10 percent of the United States was homesteaded! The land, long inhabited by indigenous cultures, changed forever. Homesteaders created settlements and farms, drove industrial advancement, and built our nation chasing the American Dream.

park designation:National Historical Park

Directions:

The park is 4 miles west of Beatrice on State Highway 4. From the U.S. 77 and U.S. 136 intersection in downtown Beatrice take U.S. 136 approximately 1.2 miles west. Turn right onto Nebraska Highway 4 and follow the signs. After the road has curved west and you have traveled 4 miles, you will enter Homestead National Historical Park and see signs for the different buildings at the park.

For detailed directions, please visit this link.

Directions

Operating Hours:

Trails and Grounds

Trails and park grounds are open from sunrise to sunset. Picnic areas are available at the Education Center and Heritage Center. There are a total of 3.0 miles of trails through the tallgrass prairie and woodland.

Weather Information:

Homestead NHP's weather can vary quite a bit, even in a single day. In the summer, average daytime highs can exceed 80°F (27°C), only to drop 20 or more degrees when a thunderstorm rolls through. Winter lows fluctuate day to day and year to year, but average lows were measured at about 16°F (-9°C) for January and February over a 20-year period. Wind is common throughout the year.