One hot Nebraska afternoon, I found myself in Hastings, the official birthplace of Kool-Aid. That’s right… the drink that fueled childhood summers, church basements, and sugar highs across America got its start right here. And Hastings is not shy about celebrating it. They’ve even given the Kool-Aid Man a permanent home (no drywall to smash through, thankfully).
My first stop was the “Original Home of Kool-Aid” building on the edge of downtown. It’s not open to the public, but there’s signage outside explaining its role in history. I may not have been able to go inside, but hey, when you’re standing on the birthplace of cherry-red, tongue-staining greatness, you pay your respects.
Then it was on to the Hastings Museum, where the real Kool-Aid story gets poured out. Out front, there’s a life-sized Kool-Aid Man (perfect for photos), plus his Hollywood handprints… or rather, footprints… on the sidewalk. Apparently, in 2000 he was honored at Grauman’s Chinese Theater. Kraft somehow got the cement slab shipped to Hastings, and after bouncing around a few local stops, it finally landed at the museum. Proof that the Kool-Aid Man’s star power extends beyond busting through kitchen walls.
Down in the museum’s basement is the main attraction: the Kool-Aid exhibit. The original 2002 version is showing its age, but good news… Hastings is unveiling a brand-new exhibit in spring 2026. Still, even this one is pretty kool.
The exhibit begins with a replica of the D.M. Perkins General Store, where Edwin Perkins’ father ran the family business in Hendley, Nebraska. Edwin himself was something of an early wellness entrepreneur.
One of his first hits was “Nix-O-Tine,” a product designed to help people quit tobacco. He later expanded into a line of concentrates under the brand “Onor-Maid,” including something called “Fruit Smack” (which sounds less like a drink and more like a wrestling move, but it sold).
In 1927, Edwin hit the jackpot with a powdered version called Kool-Ade. The original lineup included strawberry, cherry, lemon-lime, grape, orange, and raspberry. Business exploded. By 1929, it was selling nationwide, and Perkins was all-in on Kool-Ade, building a factory right in Hastings.
The company moved to Chicago in 1931, where Perkins built a progressive workplace with air-conditioning and daycare for employees (most of whom were women). In 1934, after the FDA ruled that “ade” was reserved for drinks with actual fruit juice, the spelling was changed to Kool-Aid. Irony: still not a lot of fruit in sight.
Fun fact: the smiling Kool-Aid pitcher we all know was dreamed up in 1954 by an illustrator named Marvin Potts. Then in the 1960s, Kool-Aid went big with TV, radio, and print ads, even getting help from a famous rabbit (no, not the Trix one).
Finally, in 1974, artists Alan Kupchick and Harold Karp gave the pitcher arms and legs, creating the Kool-Aid Man himself. According to a museum chart, the Kool-Aid Man is six feet tall, which feels about right for a giant talking pitcher of sugar water.
The rest of the exhibit is a nostalgia overload: vintage commercials, giveaways, branded swag, and enough Kool-Aid memorabilia to make you want to dust off your mom’s old Tupperware pitcher and stir up a batch. Hastings may be a small town, but thanks to Edwin Perkins, it’s forever the capital of “Oh Yeah!”
Check out some other great stops around Kansas and across the U.S. in our Road Trip section.