Dinner and theater packages are available. The 70-foot Walter Scott Jr. Observation Tower near Riverview Lodge reaches above the treetops to provide a grand view of the Platte River channels, floodplain and wooded bluffs. For a closeup look, many park visitors take horseback trail rides originating at the John Wayne Riding Stables or hike along nature trails under the canopy of the native bur oak forest covering the bluffs. In the park's interior, trails along the beautifully landscaped Ruth Giger Memorial Waterway pass near a gazebo and the James Family Conservatory. The conservatory has a butterfly garden, educational displays of native Nebraska plants and aquatic resources and a working greenhouse where plants are grown for the park and other Commission areas.
Guests are welcome to visit the greenhouse when horticulturists are working.
The system of trails connects the waterway to the conservatory, Owen Marina Lake and the parking lot west of the pool and tennis courts. From November through March, the Activity Center and Ice Skating Pavilion offers skating. Refrigeration units maintain an ice skating surface even in mild weather. Skates are available for rent at the pavilion. In other months, it can be rented as a picnic shelter for large groups.