As far back as the 1870's, Ogallala was a booming, bustling community.
Designated as Nebraska's "Cowboy Capital" by the Nebraska State Historical Society, the town and surrounding area are still busy with an array of attractions for both the community and visitor alike. ​

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LOCAL ATTRACTIONS

Ogallala

• Ogallala's Front Street is a western and historical attraction that is designed to replicate the Trail Drive era. The cast of the Crystal Palace Revue - comprised of high school and college students - present a family show each night during the summer season at Nebraska's longest running summer theater. Besides the Crystal Palace Revue, Front Street is a restaurant and bar serving real buffalo burgers and steak. The venue also has a free western museum and other memorabilia. 
• Kenfield Brother's Petrified Wood Gallery is one of Keith County's treasures. The Gallery is a museum of natural history specializing in ancient woods.
• Boot Hill, Ogallala's first cemetery, is now a historic park and is also a tombstone history of Ogallala.
• Ogallala's Mansion on the Hill, built of brick kilned in Ogallala in 1887, is now operated as a Victorian period residence. It is owned and maintained by the Keith County Historical Society.

Surrounding Communities​

• Ole's Big Game Steakhouse & Lounge is Nebraska's best-known watering hole, which features memorabilia and more than 200 trophy heads of North American and African Big Game.
  
• The Little Catholic-Protestant Church at Keystone is a monument to religious harmony. It was built in 1908 in a pioneer town too small for two churches. It has a Roman Catholic altar at one end and a Protestant altar at the other end. Reversible pews can face either altar.

Lake McConaughy and Lake Ogallala

• Lake McConaughy and Lake Ogallala rank as the number two tourist destination in Nebraska and as the number three spot for bird watching in the nation. More than 320 species of birds have been identified on or near the shores.
• Lake McConaughy Visitor and Water Interpretive Center is Nebraska's first water museum. The center includes a 50-seat theater, the Cabela's Aquarium, and the interpretive center focusing on the cultural, natural and economic importance of the Platte River system to Nebraska and the region.
• The Eagle Viewing facility of Central Nebraska Public Power & Irrigation District is open from January through early March when bald eagles congregate in large numbers below Kingsley Dam on Lake Ogallala.

Recreational Activities and Amenities

• Keith County hosts an annual county fair and rodeo, as well as annual festivals including Brule Arts in the Park, Brule Days, the Paxton Labor Day Celebration, Ogallala Indian Summer Rendezvous, and Kites and Castles at Lake McConaughy.
• In addition to nine parks covering 50 acres with 10 ball fields (seven lighted), six tennis courts and four parks with playground equipment, recreational activities in Keith County include a bike path, Cornhusker Lanes Bowling Alley, the Goodall Recreation Center, the Prairie Theater, and the Kathleen Lute Public Library (new in 2020!).
• Keith County has two golf courses: Crandall Creek Golf Club, an 18-hole course south of Ogallala, and Bayside Golf, a challenging 18-hole course at Lake McConaughy, which features a log cabin clubhouse and Lake views. 
• There is a public outdoor swimming pool and an indoor pool in Ogallala at Goodall Recreation Center, as well as an outdoor pool in Paxton. A new, accessible splash pad recreation area will open in Ogallala in 2021.