Things to do in Scottsbluff
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Scottsbluff
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Green prairie, wildflowers, migrating birds and warm hiking, with thunderstorm and hail vigilance.
Peak season: every event and facility open, the lake at its best, plus heat, storms and full hotels.
September is arguably the best month: harvest light, cooler air, Five Rocks events and the Monument Marathon.
Worst for a first visit: bitter wind, icy highways, shorter hours and dormant lake and golf.
What's on
- Sugar Valley Rally early June
A long running vintage car rally and tour based in Scottsbluff.
- Bands on Broadway Thursday evenings, June to early August
Free downtown concerts at the 18th Street Plaza, the best weekly night in town.
- Oregon Trail Days second weekend of July
Four days of parades, concerts, crafts and a chili cook off in Gering, running since 1921.
- Scotts Bluff County Fair late July to early August
Rodeo, concerts, carnival, tractor pulls and livestock at the fairgrounds in Mitchell.
- Old West Balloon Fest mid August
Dozens of balloons launch at dawn against the bluffs, with an evening glow.
- Horizon Music Festival Labor Day weekend
Late summer music festival at Five Rocks Amphitheater in Gering.
- The Heirloom Market mid September
A vintage and handmade market weekend at Five Rocks Amphitheater.
- Platte Valley Companies Monument Marathon late September
Marathon and half marathon in monument country, starting near Five Rocks.
Best things to do in Scottsbluff
Scotts Bluff National Monument
An 800 foot bluff landmark on the Oregon Trail, with a summit road, three tunnels and views to Chimney Rock.
Legacy of the Plains Museum
A large, polished museum of trail, farm and immigrant life in the North Platte valley, in the monument shadow.
Chimney Rock National Historic Site
The most famous landmark of the westward trails, a thin spire best paired with Scotts Bluff in one trail day.
Riverside Discovery Center
A small, affordable zoo with big cats, chimps and a summer splash pad, ideal for a family second morning.
Midwest Theater
A restored 1946 movie palace on Broadway still screening films and hosting live shows at community prices.
West Nebraska Arts Center
Rotating gallery exhibitions plus theatre, music and classes, a few blocks from Broadway in a historic building.
18th Street Plaza
Downtown gathering space on Broadway, home to the free Bands on Broadway concerts on summer Thursday evenings.
Five Rocks Amphitheater
A 1500 seat outdoor amphitheatre ringed by five rock formations, hosting concerts and markets in season.
Where to stay in Scottsbluff
Highway 26 / east Scottsbluff hotel row
first visits, families and late arrivals
The town best reviewed chain hotels cluster here, clean and well lit, five minutes by car from downtown.
Gering
monument mornings and small town quiet
Five minutes from the monument and Legacy museum, on the same side of the river as Monument Shadows golf.
Downtown Scottsbluff / Broadway
character and walking to dinner
A handful of historic building suites by the theatre, brewery and plaza, with off peak quiet as the trade.
Think twice about
- East Overland motel strip, Scottsbluff
Ageing budget motels with the town weakest room reviews, plus truck and industrial traffic. Savings are small versus Gering independents.
Best restaurants in Scottsbluff
The Tangled Tumbleweed
A speakeasy style tapas and wine lounge downtown, the closest thing Scottsbluff has to a date night splurge.
Flyover Brewing Company
An aviation themed brewpub on Broadway with house beers, wood fired pizza and wings, and live music.
Union Bar and Grill
A neighbourhood bar in Gering hiding serious steaks, prime rib nights and a famed half pound burger.
Backaracks
A big sports bar and grill whose kitchen cooks steaks like a steakhouse, built for group tables.
Rosita's
The scratch cooking Mexican institution, famous for puffy tacos, green chile and the Pancho, at old era prices.
Taco de Oro
The other Mexican institution, a fast casual room for smothered enchiladas and beloved breakfast burritos.
El Molcajete Restaurant
The deepest traditional Mexican menu in town, from menudo to chilaquiles, and cash or check only.
Tacos Mexico
A food truck graduate serving generously filled tacos, a fresh salsa bar and pineapple agua fresca.
Outdoor things to do in Scottsbluff
Saddle Rock Trail
The monument climb, 1.6 miles from the visitor centre through a sandstone tunnel to the summit loops.
Monument Valley Pathway
A paved river pathway from the monument toward Gering and Scottsbluff for sunrise rides and evening walks.
Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area
Pine clad mesas south of Gering with a nature centre, birding decks, short trails and a shooting sports complex.
Lake Minatare State Recreation Area
A big prairie lake for swimming, boating and fishing, with sandy beaches and a climbable 1930s lighthouse.
Monument Shadows Golf Course
An 18 hole public course at the foot of Scotts Bluff, where locals read putt breaks off the monument itself.
Riverview Golf Course
An older, flatter 18 along the North Platte River, just over 6000 yards with small, quick greens.
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
Fossil hills and a fine Lakota collection 75 miles north, the connoisseur day trip from Scottsbluff.
Fort Laramie National Historic Site
Restored fort buildings on a flat parade ground, the other half of the Oregon Trail story, about an hour away.
Best hotels in Scottsbluff
Hampton Inn & Suites Scottsbluff-Conference Center
The top rated hotel in town, on Highway 26 with a pool and the fullest service Scottsbluff offers.
Cobblestone Hotel & Suites - Gering
Gering best modern small hotel, five minutes from the monument, with a pool and free breakfast.
Powerhouse on Broadway
Studio suites in a historic Broadway building, walkable to the theatre, brewery and plaza.
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Scottsbluff-Gering
The reliable family workhorse of the east hotel row, with spacious suites and a strong breakfast.
Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Scottsbluff
A comfortable Marriott option on Winter Creek Drive with pool and breakfast, strong on points stays.
Monument Inn & Suites
A pet friendly Gering independent near the monument, older rooms traded for position and price.
Circle S Lodge
A small, friendly Gering motel with comfy beds and free pet stays, the cheap tier done right.
Is Scottsbluff expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $75 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $130 a person |
| Splurge | $210 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Five Rocks Amphitheater: a few days ahead
- Monument Shadows Golf Course: a few days ahead
- Powerhouse on Broadway: weeks ahead
- Book the Hampton, Cobblestone or Powerhouse weeks ahead for Oregon Trail Days, County Fair, Balloon Fest and Marathon weekends.
- The Powerhouse on Broadway has only a handful of suites in any week.
- The Tangled Tumbleweed opens only Wednesday to Saturday evenings, so schedule the splurge dinner.
- Book Monument Shadows weekend morning tee times when you book the room.
Is Scottsbluff safe?
- Rattlesnakes are a standing hazard on monument, Chimney Rock and Wildcat Hills trails: stay on path.
- Summer heat reaches the 90s with no shade on sandstone trails: carry water and hike early.
- Afternoon thunderstorms and hail build fast in late spring and summer: be off high ground early.
- Deer on roads at dawn and dusk are the most likely hazard of the trip.
Scottsbluff travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Chimney Rock paid museum is small, charges children and takes no parks pass, so skip the till if time or money is tight.
- The monument and zoo at midday in July: heat, glare and sleeping animals. Go at dawn or late afternoon.
- The East Overland motel strip is false economy, with the worst beds per dollar in town.
- Do not combine Agate, Fort Laramie and Chimney Rock in one day: it becomes 250 miles of driving.
- Carry cash: El Molcajete is cash or check only and Taco de Oro long had a cash only reputation.
Getting around Scottsbluff: public transport and more
- You need a car: the monument, Chimney Rock, Wildcat Hills and Lake Minatare are all drives from every hotel.
- Inside the twin cities, expect flat grids, free parking and five to ten minutes between any two points.
- Scotts Bluff County keeps Mountain Time, not the Central Time of most of Nebraska.
- Fuel up before Agate Fossil Beds, where reliable fuel is dozens of miles away.
Who Scottsbluff suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Scottsbluff your trip
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