Family Activities

The 2025 Central States VHF Society Conference is pleased to offer the following family activities and tours during the event.

Thursday, July 24

Our family program begins Thursday evening with a private tour and dining experience at the Museum of American Speed.  We will have the run of the place from 5pm til 10pm.  And enjoy a buffet dinner starting at 7pm. 

Thursday nite activities will continue at the hotel in the "Hospitality suite"

Friday, July 25

Our family members load into an air-conditioned bus at 9:00 for a visit to the Sunken Gardens. 

The only Nebraska garden to be listed in the “300 Best Gardens to Visit in the United States and Canada” by National Geographic’s "Guide to Public Gardens",

Visitors can tiptoe through the tulips every spring, and watch the thousands of annuals and perennials bloom all summer long. The art installations, varied combinations of trees, shrubs, and perennials provide especially quiet and peaceful points of interest throughout the winter season. 

The 2025 theme is "Enchanted Ocean"

Guests are invited to leave behind the prairie landscape and immerse themselves in a fantastical world beneath the waves. White, lavender, and shades of blue represent the varying depths of the sea, while pops of yellow, orange, and pink introduce vibrant beaches.

From there you will continue to "Billy's" for a self-payed Lunch stop. 

Named after William Jennings Bryan, the elegant "Noble-Dawes House" located near the Nebraska State Capital Building was built in 1887. The Chautauqua Bar and the dining rooms named for William Jennings Bryan, Charles Dawes and George W. Norris give a fascinating glimpse into a grand era in U.S. History. 

The day will end with a tour at "Capital Winery" for a "Grape to Glass Tour and Tasting"

Finally the group will join in a guided tour of the vineyard, production room, cellar, and the University of Nebraska’s research tunnel. Discover how they get the grapes from the vineyard to your glass during this tasting and tour.  You get up close views of the vineyard and learn about the different grape varieties that grow on the property.   Then gather in the production room where the “Magic in the Cellar” takes place. All may take a peek in the cellar where the wines are stored to age until they are brought to the tasting room.   

Saturday, July 26

Our family members embark on an air-conditioned bus at 9:00 AM to visit and tour of the State Capitol. 

You may start by taking a self-guided walking tour using the perimeter sidewalks to explore the exterior Art and symbolisms depicted thruout the walls of the Capitol building.  You will also have the opportunity to  thake one of the hourly guided tours of the interio of the Capitol and enjoy many of the murals and paintings.   Weather permiting, you can take an elevator ride to the observation deck which provides a great view of the city of Licoln and the surrounding country side.

Afterwards you will proceed to "Gateway Mall" for the rest of the afternoon.  There you will be able to find many choices for a lunch break and shopping.