Visitor & Travel Categories
Business & Economic Categories
Ashland is a Saunders County city of about 3,100 people, founded in 1870 at a natural low-water limestone ford across Salt Creek that had long been used by travelers on the Oxbow Trail, a branch of the Oregon Trail that carried thousands of pioneers west through the 1840s and 1850s. The town takes its name from Ashland, the Kentucky estate of statesman Henry Clay.
Sitting midway between Omaha and Lincoln just off Interstate 80, Ashland is close to two of Nebraska’s best-known attractions: the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum, home to Cold War-era aircraft including a B-52 Stratofortress and an SR-71 Blackbird, and Eugene T. Mahoney State Park, one of the state’s largest recreation areas. Ashland Brewing Company anchors a small, walkable downtown, and Camp Ashland, a Nebraska Army National Guard training center, sits along the Platte River south of town. Ashland is the hometown of NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson and Jeff Raikes, former CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Adjacent Counties
- Dodge County (north)
- Douglas County (east)
- Sarpy County (east)
- Cass County (southeast)
- Lancaster County (south)
- Butler County (west)
Nearby Towns
Points of Interest
Ashland sits between two of Nebraska’s best-known attractions and anchors a walkable historic downtown along Silver Street.
Major Attractions
- Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum — Cold War-era military aviation and space history in two hangars just off Interstate 80, including a B-52 Stratofortress and an SR-71 Blackbird.
- Eugene T. Mahoney State Park — one of Nebraska’s largest state parks, with lodging, an aquatic center, and Platte River valley recreation.
- Willow Point Gallery and Museum — a local art gallery and museum in downtown Ashland.
- Ashland Brewing Company — a craft brewery anchoring Ashland’s small, walkable downtown.
- Linoma Lighthouse — a 1939 lighthouse on the Platte River listed on the National Register of Historic Places (private, members-only).
Events
Stir-Up Days (mid-July) — Ashland’s longtime community festival featuring a parade, car show, carnival, street dance, beer garden, and an outdoor movie in the park, organized by the Ashland Chamber of Commerce.
A Saunders County city of about 3,100 people along Interstate 80 between Omaha and Lincoln, home to the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum and Eugene T. Mahoney State Park.
Navigate & Explore Ashland
Get directions to Ashland: Waze → · Google Maps →
Road Conditions: Nebraska 511 — 511.nebraska.gov
Cameras: View Saunders County Cameras →