Mahoney Activity Center: The Perfect Day Outing From Omaha Or Lincoln

It’s pretty clear by now how much we love Mahoney State Park from our other posts.  Not only is it just a short drive from both Lincoln and Nebraska, but it’s actually rated as one of the top state parks by ReserveAmerica.  And for good reason!

We talk about the endless things to do at Mahoney over on our Everything You Need To Know About Mahoney post.  Just a few of the things you can find on that post are

• Mahoney State Park Cabin Prices
• Horseback Riding Costs
• Mahoney Waterpark and pool info
• A full list of everything there is to do at the state park

Read The Ultimate Guide to Mahoney Here

But today, I wanted to dive in deeper to the Activity Center at Mahoney.

^Planning a Trip To The Mahoney State Park Activity Center? Pin This For Later!^

This place just keeps getting more and more awesome and if you have kids, or are even looking for a great day date idea, this is the perfect place to consider.

There are three main sections of the activity center

1. The new Venture Climb Rock Climbing Walls
2. The Massively Huge Indoor Playground and
3. The seasonal outdoor Ice Skating Rink.

Costs and Admissions

Park Pass

In order to enter Mahoney State Park, you’ll need a valid Nebraska State Park Permit.  You can either get a day pass or an annual permit.
Read The Ultimate Guide to Nebraska State Park Permits Here For Exact Costs and Details

Activity Costs

Each section of the activity center has it’s own costs, meaning you pay separately for each activity you choose to do (see individual sections below for exact costs) or you can choose the Combo Admission.

Combo Admission: Best Bang For Your Buck

If you are planning on using more than one of the activity center’s features, it’s a pretty good deal to just do the combo admission.  This gets you into ALL THREE activities (when the rink is open).

Cost: $12 for anyone over 2 (does not include skate rental).  Considering the rock wall alone is $11, this is a pretty great deal!

Mahoney State Park Activity Center Hours

Note: All three activities have the same opening times.  However, the outdoor ice skating rink is seasonal (Nov-early March)

Winter Hours (September- May)

Monday, Thursday and Friday:4 p.m- 8 p.m
Saturday:11 a.m.- 8 p.m
Sunday:11 a.m- 6 p.m
Tuesdays and Wednesdays CLOSED

Summer Hours

Monday and Friday: 4pm-8pm
Thursday: 11am-8pm
Saturday: 11am-8pm
Sunday: 11am-6pm
Tuesday/Wednesday: Closed

Mahoney State Park Address and Location

28500 West Park Hwy, Ashland, NE 68003.  This is just about 30 minutes from Lincoln and only 45 (give or take) from Omaha, making it a great day trip from either city.

Contact Information

Calling is, by far, the easiest way to get information for the activity center.
Phone Number: (402) 944-2523.  Dial extension 7122 for a direct line to the activity center

Rules For Activity Center

• All children under 13 MUST have an accompanying adult
• Socks are required in the play feature
  Tip: Adults, have a pair in your bag as well, in case you need to go in, or if you have toddlers and will be inside, as you are required to have socks as well)
• No outside food or beverage (more on this below)

Venture Climb

I am SO stoked about this climbing wall!

I’m a sucker for adventurous activities and can already see a full date day with the hubby in the future paired with the GoApe Zipline Course, horseback riding and maybe even a campfire to end the day!

Considering I’ve only done a few climbing adventures in my life, to say I’m a novice in rock climbing is an understatement (I’m pretty sure the last time I did something like that was back at the Gretna 4-H camp when I was a kid!).

Lucky for me, the Mahoney Rock Wall actually caters to both beginner and advanced climbers so everyone can have fun.

We have a full article on the Rock Wall at Mahoney that you can check out here. 

Mahoney Rock Climbing Cost and Admission

Adults and Children Over 13: $11
Children (12 and under): $10

Ages and Restrictions

• Children 13 and Under must have an accompanying (paid) adult
• Must be 19+ to sign the waiver
  – Youth 18 and under are required to have a parent/ guardian sign

Mahoney Indoor Playground

The MASSIVE Mahoney State Park Playground is seriously amazing, if not potentially covered in germs (hey what indoor play feature isn’t) but again, awesome!

We have an entire post just about Mahoney’s Indoor Playground, including all the rules, things to know before going and more.  If you are planning on heading to the play zone, make sure you read the tips, as there are quite a few insider things to know before going!

Cost and Admission

• $2 Per Person Entering Facility (including all adults)
• Under 2 is Free

Ages and Restrictions

• There are no age limits or minimums.

Note: Tots 3 and under have a few things to romp around in, but may find a lot of the features just slightly too hard to be independent at (so be ready to do some climbing yourself with them!)
Kids 4- Pre Teens have an absolute blast (and can play and run off energy for HOURS!)

Ice Skating Rink

Who doesn’t love an outdoor ice skating rink, especially around the holidays!?  Mahoney ices up the adjacent pavilion to the activity center each winter to make for a really unique ice skating experience!

Tip: Since you’ll be there during the winter, check out the Winterfest activities throughout the state parks.

Bonus Tip: Especially around the holidays, the rink can get PACKED.  Avoid the crowds and go after the holidays.  Weather permitting, it is open until early March.

Here’s one visitor’s glance into the rink

Costs and Admission

Entrance

Adult and Youth (13+): $2
Children (3-12): $3
2 and Under: Free

Skate Rental:

In addition to the admission, if you need skates, it’s an additional $3.

Things To Know

• Skate rental sizes available in Toddler 9 through Adult 15
• If you are going during peak times (November-December/ Weekends), I HIGHLY advise you to call ahead and ask about availability on skates, as they only have a limited supply.
• Skates are NOT included in the combo deal.

Other Mahoney Activity Center Information

Concession Stand

There is a pretty extensive concession stand with plenty of food options that you would expect at a concession stand, and actually at surprisingly fair prices.  You’ll find food like:

• Valentino’s Pizza slices and whole pizzas
• Hot Dogs and Chili Dogs
• Nachos
• Popcorn
• Chips
• Cookies
• Pop and water
• Slushies
• Coffee and tea
• Gatorade
• More

No Outside Food Or Drinks

Considering you have the potential to be at the activity center all day, I really am not a fan of this rule.

Luckily, in the summers, you can just pop outside for a quick picnic, but during the cold, winter months, having a PB&J in the snow with your toddler isn’t exactly most people’s idea of fun!

(While I truly am not one for rule breaking, let’s just put it this way, I won’t tell if I see you sneak your kid a granola bar if you don’t say anything about my yogurt.)

Mahoney State Park Birthday Parties

If you play your cards right, you can have a relatively cheap and really fun kid’s birthday party at the activity center!
Depending on the size of the party, you can choose to just pay the individual prices of admission.

Or, you can book an actual birthday party package which includes:

• Entrance to the play zone
• Reserved Section for 90 Minutes
• 1 Ice Cream Cup per paid participant
• Birthday cake plates, napkins, party hats, and utensils provided
• 1 T-shirt for the birthday girl/boy

When you book a party, you can also choose to purchase a “Meal Deal”

Option 1: $18
6 Nachos
1 Pitcher of Pop

Option 2: $23
6 Hotdogs
6 Bags of Chips
1 Pitcher of Pop

Things to Know About Mahoney Activity Center Birthday Parties:

Since no outside food or drinks can be brought in, you may only bring in cake if you purchase the party package.
No ice cream, other food and pinatas are allowed

Birthday Party Costs

$60 For First 10 People
Note: Participants/ People include everyone- not just the children.  Therefore, any attending adults are included in the total headcount.

$3 for any additional attendees after first 10
No more than 30 people per party.  If you have a larger group, you can do a whole facility rental (see next section)

Honestly, in today’s world, 60 bucks for a kids birthday party is a pretty good steal!

Mahoney Activity Center Group Rentals

If you have a group larger than 30 people, I can’t imagine the fun waiting to be had in renting out the whole play zone and/or ice rink and having it ALL TO OURSELVES!

Cost for Group Mahoney Group Rentals

Rental of ONE Activity (Indoor Playground OR Ice Rink): $250 for 2 hours.  $95 per hour for additional time
Combo Rental (Playground AND Ice Rink): $400 for 2 hours.  $95 per hour for additional time

Things To Know:

• $100 Non Refundable Deposit is required
• Ice rink is only available seasonally
• Costs DO include skate rentals if doing the ice rink
• Concessions are closed during group rentals unless agreed upon in advance
• Minimum of $75 must be spent in order to open concessions
• No Catering

Available Times For Group Rentals

Sunday: 6:30pm-8:30pm
Mondays and Fridays: 9:30am-3:30pm
Thursdays: 9:30am-3:30pm (winter only)
Saturdays: 8:30pm-10:30pm
Tuesdays and Wednesdays: NOT AVAILABLE