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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Hershey
Hershey, Nebraska
Skip Hershey as a base: it is a 665-person I-80 exit town. Stop 1–2 hours for the crane fields in March, or sleep in North Platte 11 mi east.
Hershey is a village of about 665 people on Interstate 80 in Lincoln County, Nebraska, midway between North Platte and Sutherland in the Platte River valley. There is no hotel strip and almost no sightseeing: the reason to pull off Exit 164 is the spring sandhill crane migration on the river bottoms and corn fields, plus a 24-hour truck-stop cafe. Treat it as a 1–2 hour stop on a road trip, not a destination, and sleep in North Platte.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Hershey, Nebraska
- Best months
- Mid-March–early April for the crane migration; late August for the Fall Festival
- Avoid
- Dec–Feb (cold, ice, nothing running); July–Aug heat and storm season
- Stay
- 0–1 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $60–90 excl. bed · Mid $90–150 excl. bed · High $150+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Lincoln County Sheriff (non-emergency) 308-532-5600 · North Platte/Lincoln County CVB 308-532-4729
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee at the truck stop | $2–4 |
| Breakfast plate, 24-hour truck-stop cafe | $10–16 |
| Steakhouse dinner | $18–35 |
| Draught beer at a local bar | $4–7 |
| Gallon of gas on I-80 | $3.00–3.80 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | $10–25 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- LBF · North Platte Regional Airport
- About 15 mi east; connecting flights from Denver. Most travellers drive in on I-80 instead.
Typical fares
- I-80 Exit 164 → North Platte
- about 11 mi, 15 min by car
- I-80 Exit 164 → Sutherland
- about 6 mi, 8 min by car
- Hershey → Kearney on I-80
- about 1 h 15 min by car
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
A car is the practical choice: I-80 runs east–west through Exit 164, and US 30 (the Lincoln Highway Scenic Byway) parallels it through town. The village core is small enough to walk once you have parked. There is no local bus or taxi service; fuel, food and restrooms are at the interchange.
See and do
Known for
- Sandhill crane migration, mid-March to early April
- I-80 Exit 164 truck stop
- Hershey Fall Festival in August
- Lincoln Highway Scenic Byway (US 30)
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| North Platte | I-80 east to the North Platte exits, about 15 min | About 20 min |
| Sutherland | I-80 west, about 8 min | About 10 min |
| Brady | I-80 east, about 25 min | About 30 min |
| Kearney | I-80 east, about 1 h 15 min | About 1.5 h |
| Wallace | US 30 and county roads southwest, about 45 min | About 50 min |
| McCook | US 83 south then US 6/34 west, about 2 h | About 2 h |
Sleep
- North Platte (11 mi east)
- The real bed base: over 1,500 rooms, chain motels at the I-80 exits, restaurants open late.
- Sutherland (6 mi west)
- Small option: the Park Motel has roughly 20 rooms. Book ahead in crane season.
- Jay-Jayz Campground, Exit 164
- The only place to sleep in Hershey itself: an RV and tent campground at the interchange. Check season and hookups before you rely on it.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the interstate? | Where is the interstate? |
| Is this road public? | Is this road public? |
| Can I park here? | Can I park here? |
| How far to North Platte? | How far to North Platte? |
| Is the cafe open 24 hours? | Is the cafe open 24 hours? |
| Thank you | Thank you |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Crane viewing is from public roads only: pull fully off the gravel, stay out of fields and do not cross fences onto private land.
- Gravel roads north of town turn to mud after rain or snow melt; check conditions before driving them in a low-clearance car.
- Cell coverage is thin outside the I-80 corridor.
- Winter brings ice, blowing snow and occasional I-80 closures; spring brings severe thunderstorms and hail.
- Food and fuel options are limited after dark: the truck-stop cafe is the reliable 24-hour stop.
Very low crime in a 665-person farm town; the real risks are the interstate, gravel-road mud, winter ice and spring storms. Lock the car, watch for farm equipment on US 30, and call 911 anywhere in the county.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Hershey yet. Suggested stay: 0–1 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Sandhill crane migration, mid-March to early April
- I-80 Exit 164 truck stop
- Hershey Fall Festival in August
- Lincoln Highway Scenic Byway (US 30)
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Nebraska Tourism Commission: visitnebraska.com/
- Nebraska Game and Parks Commission — sandhill crane migration: outdoornebraska.gov/
- North Platte Regional Airport (LBF): www.northplatteairport.com/
- Wikivoyage: Hershey (Nebraska), revision 4051197 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4051197
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
HersheyHershey, Nebraska
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Lincoln County Sheriff (non-emergency)308-532-5600
- North Platte/Lincoln County CVB308-532-4729
No consulates in Hershey or North Platte; your embassy is in Washington, DC, with the nearest consulates-general in Denver or Chicago. Check your own country's list before you travel.
Print this card: cell coverage is thin outside the I-80 corridor.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/hershey-nebraska). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.