Antelope Park is the park that holds Lincoln’s childhood memories. Ninety-three acres along Antelope Creek, unofficially split into North, Triangle, and South sections, and it contains an absurd amount of the city: the Sunken Gardens, the Lincoln Children’s Zoo, the Veterans Memorial Garden, the Hamann Rose Garden, the city’s largest playground, a golf course, ball fields, and the Shildneck Bandshell. The Billy Wolff and Rock Island trails run right through it.
Generations of Lincoln kids learned to ride bikes here, went to day camp here, had birthday parties at the shelters here. The playground got a major refresh with a 2021 toddler structure, a fire-truck climb, and a big sandbox — it’s the destination playground parents drive across town for.
Open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, and it’s all free. Pair it with the zoo or the Sunken Gardens and you’ve filled a day without spending a dime on admission. Shelters are rentable for events; restrooms stay open during park hours year-round.