Nebraska Destinations: Sandhill Crane Migration, Grand Island
Grand Island is a little less than 3 hour drive from Omaha located right along the interstate.
Trip Details
- What: Crane Migration; Grand Island, NE
- Dates: Friday, March 23 - Saturday, March 24
- Cost: About $100/per person
- Distance from Omaha: About 150 Miles; 2.5 hours.
My memories of Grand Island are mostly from visiting childhood friends, school field trips to the Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer, and waving at the town as we sped along towards Colorado.
There's a lot more to Nebraska than the "big city" of Omaha or football in Lincoln. To be fair, Grand Island is the next largest draw in Nebraska, and I should divert off I-80 a bit more, but I've never seen the Sandhill Crane Migration and this season seemed like a good opportunity.
The Sandhill Crane Migration is one of those natural wonders of the world drawing global attention. If tourists from Japan are going to visit, I figured a native Nebraskan shouldn't have any excuses.
So I talked my friend Jerrica into a visit one weekend, Friday, March 23 - Saturday, March 24. I researched the trip, made a tentative itinerary, and booked a hotel. Other than flight times, I believe in holding plans loosely; if things change, so much the better.
Stuhr Museum
We arrived in Grand Island early afternoon in the afternoon before the cranes were heading to the Platte River for the night, so we stopped into Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer first. The Stuhr Museum is a living history museum which in this case means they have reproductions of a railroad pioneer town, farmhouse, working ranch and other buildings with volunteer actors who live life just as if they lived in that time period.
I love living history museums. I don't know why. Something about seeing another way of life maybe. My dad's family were all farmer's along the eastern edge of Nebraska and dad used to read us the Little House on the Prairie books so maybe this museum just reminds me of what my family could have been like. Either way it is a fun place and worth seeing what it took to make the Midwest grow.
But as I've gone and built up living history museums in your mind, the living history portion of the Stuhr Museum wasn't open for the season when we visited. There were a couple indoor exhibits to interact with and you could drive through the town and see what the buildings are like. (I think the solider in the last photo looks like Shia LaBeouf.)
Crane Trust
We finished at Stuhr Museum and headed to the Crane Trust. Through my research they seemed to be the destination for all information on the crane migration. They have a building located near the Platte River where the cranes roost at night. They host tours in the evening and the morning to see the cranes, but we didn't plan early enough because both the evening and morning tour were full, but we did make it a point to ask. The staff is very helpful and friendly. I'm sure they get asked the same question 8000 times a day during the season. It has the welcoming nature of a small town venture. There's a concessions area in the back of the building complete with grandmas and grandpas baking some of those treats you'd expect from a small town like homemade cinnamon rolls, pie, soup, chili. We weren't hungry enough to eat, but definitely tempted.
The staff gave us a map of good viewing spots and told us a bit about the surrounding grounds. We hiked around part of the property - it was pretty much a big field with a few trails with one leading down to a small tributary of the river. There were newborn calves and the momma cows on the property too, but we didn't see the bison that are also supposed to be wandering around.
Disappointed about missing out on the tour but armed with our map, we headed out to see what we came to see. During the day the cranes eat the leftover corn or grain in the farmers' fields and around dusk head to the Platte River for the night. As dawn breaks the cranes head back to the fields. Dawn and dusk are the times you want to go out to see because the cranes flock in big groups filling the sky making lots of noise.
On Friday evening, we took the dirt backroads and saw the cranes in the fields as they were preparing to head back to the river. I wondered if the tourists annoy the people who live out there, because there were quite a few cars stopped along the roads watching. We saw what we could before it got too dark and started raining and made sure we knew where we were coming the next morning.
The next morning we were up before the sun. Driving more backroads in the dark. It's always interesting driving in the dark in a place you've never been before having no idea what the drop off next to the road is like. I should do that more often.
We found the lookout area next to the bridge; we were one of the first cars there, but it wasn't like that for long. So many people showed up in the cold to watch the birds wake up and fly off. We could hear the birds before we could see them. It was overcast so it took awhile before it was bright enough to see what was going on. As the sky became clearer, the birds start to leave in groups of 20-50 to fly to the fields. So many birds.
This trip was a good experience for the next time I decide to photograph wildlife. I did not have the right camera gear and the light was not great in the morning or evening. So I need to plan for at least two days of dusk shooting and dawn shooting, and make sure we're wearing the appropriate clothing. It was chilly to the point of not feeling fingers which makes photography difficult.
But now Jerrica and I can say we've seen the Great Crane Migration in our home state.
Food
The city of Grand Island has put an emphasis on reinvigorating the downtown area calling it the Railside district. I have a love of old things finding a new use again, so I made it a point to find food options in that part of town.
Kinkaider Brewing Company Website
We had dinner at Kinkaider Brewing Company, and for parts of western Nebraska that's a name that means something. It didn't to me, but it was a popular spot on that rainy, chilly Friday night. I don't like the taste of any form of alcohol, but I respect the craft that goes into it and love that breweries build community and ownership in a town. (I like the morning versions of breweries aka coffee shops.) Jerrica got a jalapeño beer, and said it wasn't quite what she expected but enjoyed it. I don't really remember what I ate, so I'm going to say that the atmosphere for me was more memorable than the food.
But really why I wanted to go the Railside district is that I discovered there was a restaurant/coffee shop/bar named Chocolate Bar. If you put "chocolate" in the name of your restaurant, it has to be something special right? We ended up getting dessert there Friday night and breakfast on Saturday morning before we left town. They use Intelligentsia coffee beans which was a name that did mean something to me when I lived in LA. I'd go back for breakfast and coffee before I'd go back for dessert. It's fun to see things you wouldn't expect in places you wouldn't expect. Nice job Grand Island.
Hotel
I picked up this habit from my parents, almost every time we rent a hotel, we make a point to stay in a Holiday Inn Express. The experience is consistent no matter what part of the country you're staying in. Familiar bedding, pillows, and breakfast. We left too early and didn't make it back in time before breakfast was over. The front desk manager was wonderful. Very helpful and friendly. Gave us tips and offered coupons if we missed the free breakfast.
If you made it to the end of this post, congratulations!
If you're interested in travel suggestions or help planning a next off-the-beaten-path excursion, contact me! I'd love to help!
Carolyn is a thinker doing her best to be a doer.
She works with brands and individuals to create story driven experiences to engage the world.
In less metaphorical language, she helps build logos, websites, videos, content and spaces that engage the right audience.
