Grand Island, Nebraska
Population: 790
Located in Hall County
Grand Island, NebraskaFast paced outdoor activities, quiet nature walks or indoor entertainment are all available to you and your friends throughout the city and surrounding Grand Island area. To create anew. To give new life. To restore or refresh. Dictionary definitions support the theory that recreation is important to our overall well-being. Rest and relaxation allow us to "recharge our batteries", so that we may approach the business of living with enthusiasm and energy. How we choose to spend our leisure depends on our interests and abilities, and the opportunities available to us. Fortunately for Grand Islanders, our opportunities are many and varied, including activities that are oriented toward sports, nature and the arts. Facilities, instruction and organized competition exist for athletes and spectators of all persuasions. Golfers can enjoy a public, municipal or private 18-hole course, as well as a public 9-hole course. Fans of tennis can enjoy three indoor and 18 outdoor courts, and racquetball courts are available year-round. Two bowling alleys and a roller skating rink present even more options for the sports-minded person who wants physical activity and a chance to socialize. Grand Island's Department of Parks and Recreation, YMCA, YWCA along with other organizations offer classes in aerobics, martial arts, dance, and gymnastics, to name a few. Nineteen lighted diamonds provide exercise and fun for more than 5,000 baseball and softball players each year, while hundreds of boys and girls participate in soccer leagues. Although Grand Island may be miles from any ocean, it has not shortage of aquatic recreation. Choices include Island Oasis Water Park, with its wave pool and "Lazy River", and four giant slides; Mormon Island State Recreation Area, featuring a sandy beach, non-power boating and wind surfing; the outdoor, city-operated Lincoln Pool; and the Olympic size indoor pool at the YMCA. L.E. Ray Lake is also a popular city owned "swimming hole". Few amusements are as exciting as horse racing, and Grand Island's Fonner Park attracts more that a quarter of a million people to its 5/8-mile track every February through May to view live racing of world-class thoroughbreds. Home of the VanBerg Family Racing Collection and the Nebraska Racing Hall of Fame, Fonner Park simulcasts year round from Churchill Downs, Belmont and other top tracks throughout the nation. The Hall County Livestock Improvement Association uses income from pari-mutuel wagering to host dog, horse and livestock shows, conventions, concerts and additional events in Fonner Park's two largest arenas. The Hall County Fair (the state's largest) takes place here as well. Other pastimes tend to be quieter, more solitary, or chosen by people who take great pleasure in the natural world. For this personality type, Grand Island and its environs are a virtual gold mine. Besides picnic grounds and campsites, city parks consisting of 400 acres contain fifteen miles of hiking and biking trails. You can sail the region's lakes or head instead to the serene and scenic Platte River to canoe, fish or observe waterfowl. Additionally, in-season hunting is permitted on numerous parcels of federal, state and private land. The city's Grand Isle Heritage Zoo guarantees visitors and "up close and personal" look at approximately 100 species of wildlife. During the warmer months, the Endangered Rails Zoo Choo Express carries passengers from habitat to habitat on the compound's seven and a half acres. In winter, guest can attend special programs and tours led by an education curator. Whether thy are of tender years or simply young at heart, some 50,000 animal lovers flock to the Heritage Zoo every year. One of the nicest things about Grand Island is the availability of cultural entertainment opportunities. Grand Island's Little Theatre draws from local talent to put on comedies, dramas and musicals, while the Grand Island Concert Association offers a seasonal schedule of performances by musicians from around the world. You can listen to civic bands and choral groups or unwind at any of seven first-run movie theaters. People who enjoy literature and want to locate information can find both a the city library, with its collection of 400,000-plus volumes. Here in the Heartland, rest and relaxation are a natural and necessary part of life. If you need to recharge your batteries, you won't find a better place in which to do it. Many people choose to retire in Grand Island because of its safe streets, low cost of living, close-at-hand amenities and the fact that our city has many facilities and programs in place which to meet the special health-care needs of senior citizens. Those who are still relatively independent but don't want to live alone can reside in one of two assisted living facilities, or take advantage of a county-funded retirement center that coordinates recreation, nutrition and transportation for seniors. Studies suggest that stress has a direct and negative effect on our immune system, memory and general physical condition. If such is the case, it would be difficult to find a better reason to be in Grand Island, where long lines, traffic congestion and high prices are conspicuously absent; where people make eye contact and exchange smiles; where summer evenings can still be spent on a blanket in the park, listening to a free concert. It's not hard to understand why Grand Island has three times been named an All-American City. The question is, why wouldn't anyone want to be in Grand Island -- at peace, and at home, in the heartland?
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