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Homeschool Discounts in Nebraska

Big-ticket Nebraska museums and attractions with homeschool discount days — typically 30–50% off for kids, sometimes free.

Updated June 2026 · 17 confirmed programs · 2 call-to-confirm

Omaha may be the best homeschool field-trip city in the Midwest. The Henry Doorly Zoo — routinely ranked America's #1 zoo, with a $33.95 summer gate price — names homeschools right in its field-trip FAQ and admits students for $9.50 with a free chaperone per five kids. The Durham Museum and Lauritzen Gardens go further still: both give homeschool groups of ten or more students completely free admission, sponsors picking up the tab, and the always-free Joslyn Art Museum runs four free drop-in Homeschool Days a year with gallery stations and art-making.

The deals keep coming outside the metro. Stuhr Museum's living-history structured classes — washboard laundry, tipi raising, handcart pulls — run $8 a person against an $18 gate, the I-80-spanning Archway drops to $5 for school tours, and the Hastings Museum bundles admission, an educator-led program, and a planetarium show into one $5 ticket. Add Arbor Day Farm's interpreter-led Tree Adventure tours, Raising Nebraska's $2 ag programs, and the entirely free Homestead National Historical Park, and Nebraska earns its place among the strongest homeschool states we've mapped.

Confirmed homeschool pricing

Published price on the venue's own homeschool page — most under $20 per child.

Year-round
Daily
Reserve before your visit
$9.50
per kid · adult free

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium

Omaha · Reservation required in advance

America's most-decorated zoo — Desert Dome, Lied Jungle, Kingdoms of the Night — admits homeschool groups at the same $9.50 student rate as any school. Ten students is the only bar to clear, and a co-op easily fills it. Two-hour Field Study workshops aligned to Nebraska science standards can be added for grades K-12.

Regular admission: $33.95 adults / $25.95 children 3–11 (summer) — Up to 63% off the kids' summer gate price
Homeschool page at omahazoo.com →
Year-round
Daily
School-year field trips
Free
per kid · adult free

The Durham Museum

Omaha

Omaha's Smithsonian-affiliated history museum inside the grand Union Station offers homeschool groups a completely free field trip — twelve tour themes from the 1890s schoolroom to Lewis & Clark, with pre- and post-visit resources for all of them. The train cars, streetcar, and penny-candy store make it an easy all-ages win.

Regular admission: $15 adults / $8 children 3–12 — 100% off for students
Homeschool page at durhammuseum.org →
Year-round
By reservation
Book 2+ weeks ahead
Free
per kid · adult free

Lauritzen Gardens

Omaha

Omaha's 100-acre botanical garden — soaring conservatory palms, Victorian gardens, bird sanctuary — sponsors free field trips for homeschool groups by name, the same deal accredited schools get. Standards-aligned themed tours change with the seasons, and spring trips can hit the Arbor Day Festival's hands-on conservation stations.

Regular admission: $18 adults / $11 children 3–12 — 100% off for students and required staff
Homeschool page at lauritzengardens.org →
When
4 dates a year
Oct 29, Dec 10, Feb 25, Apr 22
Free
per kid

Joslyn Art Museum

Omaha · All ages, family format

Nebraska's flagship art museum — newly restored and permanently free — runs dedicated Homeschool Days each semester: families rotate at their own pace through gallery experiences, art-making stations, and community-partner activities. Guided school tours can also be requested for the school year starting each August.

Regular admission: Free (general admission)
Homeschool page at joslyn.org →
Year-round
Tue–Fri
From 9:30 am, by booking
$10
per kid · adult free

Omaha Children's Museum

Omaha · Preschool–3rd grade · Book 2+ weeks ahead

Two hours of hands-on STEAM play — science center, art studio, imagination playground — at a $10 group rate for early-elementary ages. Learning Labs like Bubble-ology and FUN-damentals of Flight bolt a guided workshop onto the play time during the school year.

Regular admission: $17 adults & children — 41% off general admission
Homeschool page at ocm.org →
Year-round
Daily
10am–12pm or 12pm–2pm slots
$10
per kid · adult $10

Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum

Ashland

An SR-71 Blackbird, a B-52, and two hangars of Cold War aircraft anchor Nebraska's best STEM field trip, midway between Omaha and Lincoln. The educator-led mission adds an interactive classroom session that reinforces flight and space science concepts for any grade band.

Regular admission: $18 adults / $10 children 4–12 — 44% off adult admission
Homeschool page at sacmuseum.org →
Year-round
Mon, Wed–Fri
2-hour visits
$10
per kid · adult $5

Lincoln Children's Museum

Lincoln

Three floors of climb-on, build-it, burn-energy exhibits in downtown Lincoln, with homeschools welcomed by name in the field-trip policy. The $5 adult rate is one of the better chaperone deals anywhere — under half the regular caretaker price.

Regular admission: $16.95 youth / $13.95 adults — Roughly 40–65% off gate prices
Homeschool page at lincolnchildrensmuseum.org →
Year-round
Daily
Seasonal hours
$10
per kid · adult $10

Lincoln Children's Zoo

Lincoln

Four hundred animals in a compact, kid-scaled zoo rated among the nation's best for children — and the 12-person group minimum is co-op-friendly. One organizer pays for the group and everyone saves; pay individually and regular rates apply, so coordinate ahead.

Regular admission: $16.95 adults / $14.95 children 2–12 — Up to 41% off adult admission
Homeschool page at lincolnzoo.org →
Year-round
School year
By reservation
$8.50
per kid · adult free

Morrill Hall (University of Nebraska State Museum)

Lincoln

Elephant Hall's mammoth parade and four floors of fossils make Morrill Hall Nebraska's natural-history anchor. Field-trip programs — Dinosaurs, Nebraska Ecology, People of the Buffalo — are standards-aligned and taught by museum educators, with a donor-funded free-admission scholarship currently running for the Sixth Mass Extinction program.

Regular admission: $13 adults 12+ / $7.50 children 3–11
Homeschool page at museum.unl.edu →
Recurring
Sept–May
2026–27 classes posted
$8
per kid · adult $8

Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer

Grand Island

The 200-acre living-history museum drops to $8 a person for hands-on structured classes that put kids inside 1890s prairie life instead of behind glass. Fall, winter, and spring sessions for Pre-K through 8th grade are already posted through May 2027, and field-trip scholarships exist for eligible groups.

Regular admission: $18 adults / $12 children 5–12 — Over 50% off adult admission
Homeschool page at stuhrmuseum.org →
Year-round
By reservation
2-hour programs
$2+
per kid

Raising Nebraska

Grand Island · Pre-K–12, mixed-age friendly

Nebraska Extension's interactive agriculture center at Fonner Park lists homeschool groups as a named audience and prices its educator-led, hands-on programs from just $2 a head. The walkable state map and AgriHouse exhibits are free anytime the building is open.

Regular admission: Free (exhibit hall)
Homeschool page at raisingnebraska.net →
Year-round
By reservation
Books 3–6 months out
$9
per kid · adult free

Edgerton Explorit Center

Aurora

Nebraska's hands-on science center — named for Doc Edgerton, the MIT strobe-photography pioneer from Aurora — packs demonstrations, labs, and a mini-golf-equipped science zone into a $9 group visit. It books far ahead for spring; reserve early.

Regular admission: $14.95 per person — 40% off regular admission
Homeschool page at edgerton.org →
Year-round
By reservation
Tours 1.25–2 hours
$5
per kid · adult $5

The Archway

Kearney

The museum that arches over Interstate 80 walks students through 180 years of Great Platte River Road history — Oregon Trail, Pony Express, Lincoln Highway — with an immersive audio tour. At $5 flat for everyone in the group, it's one of Nebraska's best-value guided field trips.

Regular admission: $15 adults / $7 youth 6–12 — 67% off adult admission
Homeschool page at archway.org →
Recurring
School year
Reservations required
$5
per kid

Hastings Museum

Hastings

The largest municipal museum between Chicago and Denver folds its Kool-Aid history classes, Pawnee life programs, and sea-monster fossil labs into one $5 ticket that includes the planetarium. Programs align to Nebraska standards from kindergarten Animal Survival up through Grade 5 ecosystems.

Regular admission: $9 adults / $7 children 3–12
Homeschool page at hastingsmuseum.org →
Year-round
By reservation
90-minute programs
$4
per kid

Prairie Loft Center

Hastings · Pre-K–adult

Central Nebraska's only farm-based outdoor education center turns 73 acres of barns, gardens, and prairie into a $4 classroom — pollinator hikes, food-web scavenger hunts, farm history in the original 1900s barns. All-ages themed trips suit mixed-age homeschool crews especially well.

Regular admission: Free during community events
Homeschool page at prairieloft.org →
Year-round
By reservation
Groups of 15+
$10
per kid · adult $12

Arbor Day Farm

Nebraska City

The birthplace-of-Arbor-Day farm wraps its 11-treehouse Treetop Village, orchards, and forest trails into interpreter-led group tours that cost less than regular admission for adults — and add a free hour of guided nature education. Fifteen people is co-op-sized, not school-sized.

Regular admission: $15 adults / $12 children 3–12
Homeschool page at arbordayfarm.org →
Year-round
Daily
Free ranger programs
Free
per kid

Homestead National Historical Park

Beatrice

The first homestead claimed under the 1862 Homestead Act is now a free national park with an award-winning Heritage Center, restored tallgrass prairie, and the 1872 Freeman School one-room schoolhouse. Hands-on field trips for 'school and community groups' cost nothing — the homeschool-specific value is the ranger time and curriculum.

Regular admission: Free
Homeschool page at nps.gov →

Worth calling about

These venues run homeschool programs but don't publish pricing online. Call before you go.

Recurring
2nd Wednesdays
9 am–noon, monthly themes
Call
no public price

Nebraska History Museum Homeschool Days

Lincoln

The state historical society's downtown Lincoln museum launched monthly Homeschool Days after a surge of homeschool field-trip requests — each second Wednesday brings a themed morning (Wild Weather, Notable Nebraskans, Military Heroes) built just for homeschool students and parents. School groups get free admission.

Regular admission: $5 adults 19+ / $3 children 5–18
How to reach them: Register online for each month's session — any fee shows at registration. Questions: HN.MuseumEducation@nebraska.gov.
Homeschool page at history.nebraska.gov →
Recurring
Tue & Thu
Weekly themes, fall schedule posted
Call
no public price

Acorn Academy at Fontenelle Forest

Bellevue · 6+

One of the nation's largest private nature centers invites homeschool students 6+ to standalone Tuesday/Thursday nature classes — salamanders, beavers, weather, bats — each week a fresh topic, so families can attend single sessions without committing to a series. The fall 2026 theme calendar is already posted.

How to reach them: Registration is by month with per-session themes; pricing isn't posted publicly and members get a discount. Call (402) 731-3140 or email info@fontenelleforest.org.
Homeschool page at fontenelleforest.org →

Plus more free and cheap educational outings in Nebraska

Already on DiscoverCheapUS — free and low-cost Nebraska attractions homeschool families plan whole field-trip days around.

Omaha

5 free or cheap
  • Joslyn Art MuseumFree
  • Lauritzen Gardens$18 adults / $11 children 3–12 / Free age 2 & under
  • Durham Museum$15 adults / $8 children 3–12 / Free age 2 & under
  • St. Cecilia CathedralFree
  • Hot Shops Art CenterFree
See all Omaha attractions →

Lincoln

8 free or cheap
  • Nebraska State CapitolFree
  • Sunken GardensFree
  • Pioneers Park Nature CenterFree (suggested donation $3/person)
  • Sheldon Museum of ArtFree
  • Historic Haymarket DistrictFree
  • Nebraska History Museum$5 adults 19+ / $3 children 5–18 / Free under 5
  • Morrill Hall (Nebraska State Museum)$13 adults 12+ / $7.50 children 3–11 / Free under 3
  • International Quilt Museum$10 adults / $4 children 5–18 / Free under 5
See all Lincoln attractions →

Grand Island

5 free or cheap
  • Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer$18 adults / $12 children 5–12 / Free under 5
  • Crane Trust Nature & Visitor CenterFree (paid crane viewing tours available in March)
  • Raising NebraskaFree
  • Railside Sculpture WalkFree
  • Edgerton Explorit Center$14.95 adults & children 2+ / Free under 2 / $11.95 seniors 60+
See all Grand Island attractions →

Kearney

6 free or cheap
  • The Archway$15 adults / $7 youth 6–12 / Free 5 & under
  • Museum of Nebraska Art (MONA)Free
  • Fort Kearny State Historical Park$7/vehicle daily (NE plates) / $14 out-of-state
  • Sandhill Crane Viewing at Fort Kearny BridgeFree
  • Kearney Area Children's Museum$11 children 1–13 / $10 adults / Free under 1
  • Trails & Rails MuseumSmall admission fee (call to confirm)
See all Kearney attractions →

Hastings

5 free or cheap
  • Hastings Museum$9 adults / $7 children 3–12
  • Children's Museum of Central Nebraska$7.50 per person (adults & children)
  • Prairie Loft CenterFree community events / Programs from $4
  • Jackson Dinsdale Art CenterFree
  • Downtown Bronzes & Murals WalkFree
See all Hastings attractions →

Nebraska City

6 free or cheap
  • Tree Adventure at Arbor Day Farm$15 adults / $12 children 3–12 / Free 2 & under
  • Arbor Lodge State Historical Park$9 adults / $7 children 3–12 mansion tour / Free 2 & under
  • Missouri River Basin Lewis & Clark Visitor Center$10 adults / $7 students 6–18 / Free 5 & under
  • Kregel Windmill Factory Museum$8 adults / $5 students / Free 4 & under
  • Kimmel Orchard & VineyardFree / U-pick admission extra in season
  • Wildwood Historic Center$5 adults / $2 children 12 & under / Garden free
See all Nebraska City attractions →

Ashland

3 free or cheap
  • Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum$18 adults / $10 children 4–12 / Free 3 & under
  • Lee G. Simmons Wildlife Safari Park$14 adults / $12 children 3–11 / Free 2 & under
  • Willow Point Gallery & MuseumFree
See all Ashland attractions →

See all 56 Nebraska attractions on the directory →