Discover Seward: Trails, Golf and Local History

Seward offers several reasons to stay: the Plum Creek Trail, golf, art collections and a historic business district. It is also home to an Independence Day celebration that has been held since 1868. If you are looking for a hotel in Seward, first decide which of these interests will shape your trip. Outdoor activities, golf, art and history each offer a different focus for your plans.

Trails and walks

The Plum Creek Trail is 2.7 miles long, paved with concrete and designed for walking and cycling. It runs through the eastern part of Seward. Its length, surface and route provide a clear framework for choosing a route; walking and cycling are both possible on this named trail. Trail access points are near the Plum Creek Sports Complex on Karol Kay Boulevard and near the Water Treatment Facility on South Columbia Avenue.

The Garden Area is located at the entrance to the Plum Creek Trail. Its features include an accessible walkway, two gazebos, park benches, a drinking fountain and two stone water features. The gazebos and benches offer places to take a break; the accessible walkway is another feature of this garden area. Seward’s municipal park system also includes walking trails. You can also walk dogs along the Big Blue River in a park in Seward.

Golf as a trip focus

The Seward Community Golf Course is a nine-hole grass golf course with four sets of tees. The course also has a practice green and a driving range that visitors can use. This means the golf offering includes both a round of golf and places to practice. Its focus differs from that of the Plum Creek Trail: walking and cycling take center stage on the trail, while this is a golf course with its own practice facilities. If golf is important to your trip, the number of holes, sets of tees and practice areas give you a clear overview of the course.

Local history and a tradition of celebration

The Seward County Courthouse Square Historic District is a business district dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries. At its center is a three-story limestone courthouse built from 1904 to 1906. This gives the district’s historical significance a tangible connection to a specific building and its construction dates.

Seward has held its Independence Day celebration since 1868. Two designations followed: in 1973, the city was named Nebraska’s “Fourth of July City”; in 1979, it became the “National Fourth of July City – Small Town U.S.A.” The dates mark different things: 1868 signifies the start of the celebration tradition, while 1973 and 1979 mark later honors. If you would like to plan your trip around the celebration, check the dates for the year you plan to travel.

Art and collections

The Marxhausen Gallery of Art promotes cultural experiences through exhibitions of works recognized regionally and nationally. It also houses the Koenig and Wake–Wiegmann collections, with more than 300 contemporary prints and works on paper. Artists represented include Chuck Close, Elizabeth Murray and Robert Rauschenberg, who are recognized nationally and internationally.

The Bartels Museum offers a different thematic focus: it houses more than 75 exhibits featuring minerals, agate, fossils and rocks. Seward therefore brings different cultural subjects together — contemporary art on paper on one hand, and mineral and geological specimens on the other.

For the broader travel overview: Seward County.