Built in 1885, the Red Cloud Opera House transports visitors back in time to set the mood, scene, and tone of the 1890s, when Willa Cather and her friends eagerly anticipated the arrival of traveling productions such as The Bohemian Girl and The Mikado. As Cather herself put it, "Only real people speaking the lines can give us that feeling of living along with them, of...

Housed in a 1909 classic revival style brick mansion, the Webster County Historical Museum is a beautiful landmark and an outstanding resource for learning about the area's rich pioneering and agricultural history. The four floors of the museum bring to life the early settlers of Webster County. It is a treasure trove of information about local families living in the Red Cloud and Guide Rock...

This fully restored and modernized 1886 Queen Anne sits in the neighborhood that Red Cloud native Willa Cather referred to as “Quality Street.” The beautifully refurbished original features of the home are showcased in three lovely sitting rooms,, a dining room, a new kitchen, three beautiful...

Our community is proud to have the 3rd best 9-hole public golf course in Nebraska. Designed by the late PGA Tour Pro Harry Obitz in 1988, the course boasts elevated greens for quick play after a hard rain. It has a driving range and putting green and offers cart rental and a full clubhouse bar. The Red Cloud Golf Course is fun for players of all levels. Open year round...

The Willa Cather Memorial Prairie is a botanical treasure consisting of 612 acres of never-been-plowed native prairie. The Willa Cather Foundation is working to return this land to its 19th century conditions, a time before the encroachment of man and foreign plant species.

The importance of the prairie in shaping America's art, history, and culture has been lost to much of the...

The Red Cloud Community Center features a full kitchen, meeting room, exercise room, gymnasium, and multi-purpose room. The building serves as the perfect venue for many community meetings, sporting events, banquets, and receptions. For rental or membership information, contact the Red Cloud city office at 402-746-2215 or go to the Forms and Permits page to print off...

Auld Public Library was contructed in 1917-18 and serves as an excellent representation of Neo-Classical style architecture. The facility was the result of William T. Auld's generous donation to erect the first permanent library for the community. The Library houses over 10,000 volumes as well as videos, DVD movies, and audio books. Wireless internet access is also...

Visitors to Red Cloud are invited to book a stay at the Cather Second Home. Guests may rent the room that was Cather's, or the rooms of her parents and siblings. The entire home may also be rented for family retreats, meetings, and special occasions. The Cather Second Home once provided Cather with a nurturing and encouraging atmosphere in which to work, while Red...

The Childhood Home, the treasure of our restored buildings, contains many family artifacts including furniture, canned goods, prints and artwork, and family photographs and books. Grandma Boak's room is exactly as described in "Old Mrs. Harris." Upstairs, a "story within itself," is young Willa's (and Thea Kronborg's in The Song of the Lark) small attic bedroom; Willa wallpapered...

This building, constructed in 1888 and known as the Garber Bank, was erected by Silas Garber, former Union Army Officer, the founder of Red Cloud (1871), and the fourth governor of Nebraska (1875-1879) who served two terms. Designed in by Lincoln, Nebraska, architects, the Farmers and Merchants Bank retains its Colorado stone façade, its marble steps, and its teller...