Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.
How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire
about 1 month ago
Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese
about 1 month ago
My rendition of frog legs, popping mushroom curry, pad prik khing with salted egg yolk, and sweet khanom thuai.
Recreating My Favorite Meal From Thailand
about 1 month ago
Inside London’s Gorgeously Curated ‘Art Restaurants’
about 1 month ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Nebraska Hastings The Hastings Museum Kool-Aid Exhibit
Gastro Obscura

The Hastings Museum Kool-Aid Exhibit

The home for all things Kool-Aid offers everything except a chance to actually enjoy the drink.

Hastings, Nebraska

Added By
William Amyot
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Kool-Aid Museum, Hastings, Nebraska.   Amy Meredith/CC BY-ND 2.0
Kool-Aid Museum, Hastings, Nebraska.   Amy Meredith/CC BY-ND 2.0
Kool-Aid Museum, Hastings, Nebraska.   Amy Meredith/CC BY-ND 2.0
Kool-Aid Museum, Hastings, Nebraska.   Amy Meredith/CC BY-ND 2.0
Kool-Aid Museum, Hastings, Nebraska.   Amy Meredith/CC BY-ND 2.0
  SemiruralYeti / Atlas Obscura User
  SemiruralYeti / Atlas Obscura User
  SemiruralYeti / Atlas Obscura User
  ski queen / Atlas Obscura User
Name change   ski queen / Atlas Obscura User
  ski queen / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Hastings, Nebraska is where Edwin Perkins invented Kool-Aid. To honor his delicious invention, the local museum has dedicated half of a floor to the drink’s history. Kool-Aid: Discover the Dream is a nostalgic and comprehensive collection of all things Kool-Aid. The only thing missing is a chance to actually imbibe the drink itself.

Kool-Aid’s precursor was Fruit Smack, a flavored syrup. Perkins, tired of how easily the glass bottles containing the syrup leaked and broke, decided to ditch the watery aspect of the sweet mixture and instead create packets of powder. He was inspired by Jell-O. Perkins debuted the drink, which was originally called Fruit-Ade, in 1927.

The Kool-Aid exhibit at the Hastings Museum of of Natural and Cultural History is full of information about the drink’s beginnings and various marketing strategies. It includes old packaging and advertisements, as well as discontinued Kool-Aid related products like bubble gum and sherbet packets. Visitors follow a fiber optic ‘river’ of the drink that flows throughout the museum’s lower level. People can even catch a glimpse of the original Kool-Aid Man suit, though they shouldn't expect it to burst through any walls.

Related Tags

Museums And Collections Museums Food Museums History Pop Culture Collections

Community Contributors

Added By

wramyot

Edited By

Kerry Wolfe, ski queen, SemiruralYeti

  • Kerry Wolfe
  • ski queen
  • SemiruralYeti

Published

July 17, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/11493
  • http://kool-aiddays.com/hastings-museum/#sthash.QOHVccnN.dpbs
  • http://www.visithastingsnebraska.com/things-to-do.html?&ddid=360
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hastings_Museum
The Hastings Museum Kool-Aid Exhibit
1330 N Burlington Ave.
Hastings, Nebraska
United States
40.600334, -98.391885
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Bigfoot Crossroads of America

Hastings, Nebraska

miles away

Harvard Jail House

Harvard, Nebraska

miles away

Fred's Flying Circus

Grand Island, Nebraska

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Hastings

Hastings

Nebraska

Places 2

Nearby Places

Bigfoot Crossroads of America

Hastings, Nebraska

miles away

Harvard Jail House

Harvard, Nebraska

miles away

Fred's Flying Circus

Grand Island, Nebraska

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Hastings

Hastings

Nebraska

Places 2

Related Stories and Lists

The Ultimate Guide to the World's Food Museums

List

By Sam O'Brien

Related Places

  • The Gurkenmuseum.

    Lübbenau/Spreewald, Germany

    Gurkenmuseum (Cucumber Museum)

    A museum honoring Germany’s cucumber mecca offers a great dill of gherkin history.

  • The Moxie Bottle House is the centerpiece of the Matthews Museum’s Moxie collection

    Union, Maine

    Moxie Bottle House

    They call buildings like this "mimetic architecture," but nothing has ever mimicked the taste of Moxie.

  • Every tour begins in the basement, featuring a bar decorated in Russian vodka labels.

    Staten Island, New York

    Booze History Museum

    Crammed into several rooms of a Staten Island home, this museum is a vodka-soaked paean to the pleasures of drinking.

  • The American Museum of Cutlery.

    Cattaraugus, New York

    American Museum of Cutlery

    This edgy museum will whet your appetite for the industrial history of Western New York.

  • Tobacco boxes

    Mexico City, Mexico

    Franz Mayer Museum Silver Collection

    A shining treasure trove of fine Mexican silver dating back to the 15th century.

  • The entrance to the Northampton Museum.

    Northampton, England

    Northampton Museum and Gallery

    The museum houses one of the world's largest shoe collections, boasting over 12,000 pairs.

  • Barcelona, Spain

    Museu Frederic Marès

    An eclectic collection of thousands of items owned by the sculptor Frederic Marès.

  • Elvis Presley collection.

    Roscoe, Illinois

    Historic Auto Attractions

    This deceivingly ordinary warehouse hides an enormous collection of pop culture treasures.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.