Roller Coasters in Nebraska

Oof, there are hardly any roller coasters in Nebraska! There are only two, they’re both kiddie coasters, and one of them is only open during the county fair. Let’s take a look.

Click on the ride name for a video of each coaster. (They aren’t POV’s but I found the best I could!) Ride all the roller coasters in Nebraska from your couch!

Fun-Plex

The only roller coaster in Nebraska that is open all summer is the Go-Gater, a kiddie coaster at Fun-Plex in Omaha. They used to have a bigger one, the (maybe inappropriately named) Big Ohhh!, but it closed in 2017.

Fun-Plex seems to be mostly a water park with a few “dry” rides to one side. Those include go-karts, bumper cars, bumper boats, an old-style Rock-O-Plane, tilt-a-whirl, and a small Ferris wheel and carousel. There are three more rides for little kids besides the coaster: a train, planes, and cars. I’ll talk more about the water park side below.

General admission for Fun-Plex is $35, or $30 for ages 9 and under and 65 and above. Ages 2 and under are free. Admission includes all water slides and amusement rides. There’s no option to do one side or the other or to ride individual attractions.

Saunders County Fair

The only other roller coaster in Nebraska is another kiddie coaster at the Saunders County Fair, about an hour east of Omaha. This one is called Safari and features your standard undulating oval track. The fair lasts only a week each summer. This year, it was July 28-August 4. It doesn’t look like a big fair with lots of rides, but there seem to be a few spinners and kid’s rides. You can see more information here, which indicates the rides might be available outside of the fair dates.

Water Parks in Nebraska

While there aren’t very many roller coasters, there are at least a few small water parks in Nebraska. Most of these are city pools with anywhere from 1-6 slides.

• The Fun-Plex in Omaha is the biggest water park in Nebraska, with 6 slides, 2 separate kids’ areas, a wave pool, and a lazy river. The $35 admission also covers several amusement rides and go-kart tracks.
• Island Oasis Water Park, operated by the city of Grand Island, has 6 water slides, a wave pool, a lazy river, a sand volleyball court, some water obstacles and games, and a big concessions area. Admisison is $9 and under, $30 for a family with up to 4 kids.

• Pawnee Plunge by the City of Columbus has 4 slides and a FlowRider – the only one in Nebraska! They also have a diving board, a higher diving platform, a small lazy river, a splash area, and a play ship for toddlers. Admission is $10 for everyone age 4 and over, though it looks like you can get in for as little as $4 after 6:30 pm during the week. The FlowRider costs an extra $3.
• The Aquacourt in Hastings has 3 slides, a kids’ splash tower, a wave pool. lazy river, a log roll, and some diving boards. Prices are $8 and under.

• Here’s one that’s not a city pool – the Eugene T. Mahoney State Park in Ashland has an aquatic center located between some cabins and campgrounds. It features 2 big slides, a diving pool, a play tower, and a wave pool. Price is $10 and under.
• Splash Station in Freemont has 2-3 slides (“Hydro-Storm” sounds like a slide, right?) plus a splash pad, water walk, and a zero-entry pool. Admission is $7 and under.
• AquaVenture, operated by the city of Norfolk, has 2 slides, a wave pool, a kids’ splash tower, a water walk, and some other geysers and dump buckets. It costs $7 and under for a day pass, or $35 for up to six people.
• Star City Shores Aquatic Center in Lincoln has 2 slides, a kid’s play structure, and a zero-entry pool with lanes at one end. Daily admission is $6.25 and under.

• The Valentine Municipal city pool has at least 1 slide and a lily pad walk in the pool. Looks like it hasn’t been open for a bit – prices were $3 back in 2021.
• The Beatrice Big Blue Water Park is basically a city pool with 2 small slides and only costs $6 and under to visit.
• It’s not a water park, but Cody Go Karts in North Platte has 3 slides, but there’s no information on pricing.

• Twin Rivers Water Park in Plattsmouth has 1ish slides, and a zero-entry pool with a 12-foot deep diving area. (Though with a name like Twin Rivers, you’d think they’d have at least one lazy river!) Daily fees are $5.25 and under.
• The Falls City Aquatic Center has a lap pool, diving pool, and at least 2 slides, a water walk, and a spray area. Admission is $4 and under.
• The Lexington Family Aquatic Center has 1 slide, though it looks pretty small, plus a splash pad and a zero-entry pool. Prices are $3.25 and under.

Did I miss anything? Have you been to any of these parks? What are you looking forward to doing this year? Let me know in the comments below!