Bussell Park is a wooded, serene city park with a variety of amenities for anyone interested in a respite from the hectic pace of life. You can find playground equipment for children, tennis courts, pickleball, basketball courts, baseball fields, sand volleyball courts, camper/RV hook-ups, a 9-hole municipal golf course, a 9-hole disc golf course, a new public swimming pool and splash pad, Aubles Fishing pond and the Aubles Pond Nature Trail. Bussell Park also has full-service restrooms, water and electricity. Bussell Park is located near 24th & G Street. Camper pads are available for RVs and motor homes.

Camper pads are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Contact the Ord City Offices for more information at (308) 728-5791.

Anderson Island is located directly east of Ord on highway 70, on the southeastern edge of the North Loup River. Anderson Island provides access for swimming, canoeing, tubing or relaxing on a sand-bottom river. You can find Anderson Island on a map here. Easily one of the most underrated places to relax in the area. If you have questions about Anderson Island, call the City of Ord at (308) 728-5791.

Fort Hartsuff is found 10 miles Northeast of Ord (outside of Elyria). Fort Hartsuff is a one of America’s only fully restored 1870 plains infantry post. Active during the Plains Indian Wars, Fort Hartsuff served as a vital piece of American Manifest Destiny. A visitors center is open year-round. You can find Fort Hartsuff on a map here. Fort Hartsuff can be found online here or by calling (308) 346-4715. Read up more on Fort Hartsuff at the Nebraska State Historical Society here. If you’re interested in supporting Plains history, visit the Friends of Fort Hartsuff, an advocacy and support group here.

Built in 1915, the Ord Golf Club is a 9-hole municipal golf course that has seen many changes through the years. Originally sand greens, this 2379 yard par 33/36 city park course hosted the 1959 Men’s and 1962 Ladies’ Nebraska State Sand Greens Tournaments. The course was upgraded to grass in 1964. The course has retained many of the original features; large mature trees, elevation changes, with Dane Creek winding through and along five holes for a shot-makers course. The addition of a pond for irrigation gives the player water to negotiate on eight of nine holes.

This course offers the skilled player a true test of shot-making ability, along with the perfect distance for the senior or average golfer to test his or her skills in a beautiful park atmosphere. The Ord Golf Club is a perfect location for corporate, family, or group outings. The Ord Golf Club is owned by the City of Ord. While the course remains open year round, weather permitting the Clubhouse is open from March 1st through December 24th with exceptions made for private parties and meetings.

Ord Township Library is a full-service library that provides free access to WIFI and computer labs, a genealogy department, inter-library loan services and summer programs for children. Contact the library at (308) 728-3012 or email director@ordlibrary.org.

The Calamus Reservoir is located 22 miles northwest of Ord and features more than 5,000 acres of water surrounded by beautiful white sand beaches. The Calamus is the second longest lake in Nebraska, with fishing, boating and water sports, wind-surfing and canoeing. The Calamus State Recreation Area has two modern and two primitive campgrounds. Contact the local park office at (308) 346-5666.

Located 18 miles south of Ord, Davis Creek is a hidden gem in Central Nebraska. Just 5 miles off of Nebraska Hwy 11 through North Loup, Davis Creek is open 24 hours and is a great fishing lake. Fish species include walleye, crappie, yellow perch, channel catfish, and bullhead, with an abundance of prairie wildlife round in the surrounding state wildlife management area. You can learn more about Davis Creek here.

This newly renovated lake on the Cedar River is located 25 miles northeast of Ord on Highway 70 and offers fishing, tanking and fantastic canoeing opportunities.

The Calamus River is a slow, meandering river right in the heart of the Sandhills. That means spring-fed, cool waters great for trout fishing as it gently approaches the Calamus Reservoir through Hannaman Bayou.