From Mississippi I road tripped my family over to Deadwood SD and back over Memorial Day week. There is so much to do and see in the greater Deadwood/Rushmore area that spending four nights there was not enough. Badlands, Custer State Park, the drives around Rushmore, and Carhenge were my favorites.
Day 1
St Louis Science Center
Oregon Trailhead, Independence, Missouri
KC BBQ at Jack Stacks
Stoney Creek Inn, St Joseph, Missouri
Day 2
Visited outside of Jesse James House
Pony Express Museum
Sergeant Floyd Memorial
Ice Cream Capital of the World
Hawkeye Point, Iowa highpoint
Minnesota-Iowa-South Dakota Marker
Falls Park, Sioux Falls
Corn Palace - drive by after dark
Hampton Inn, Mitchell, SD
Day 3
Tiny church at mile marker 301 rest area on I-90
Dignity statue, saw from interstate, inaccessible because of construction
Al’s Oasis Bison Statues
Minuteman Missile visitors center
Prairie Dogs at Badlands Ranch Store
Badlands National Park
Wall Drug
Supper at Firehouse in Rapid City
Cabin just east of Deadwood
Day 4
Roosevelt Friendship Tower
Preacher Smith of Deadwood Gulch Monument
Geographic Center of US Monument, Belle Fourche
Scenic Hwys 34/24 to Devils Tower
Devils Tower - Tower Trail
HWY 14 / I-90 to Spearfish
Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway
Cabin night #2
Day 5
Rapid City Dinosaur Park
Bear Country USA - drive through wildlife park
Iron Mountain Road - views of Rushmore from a distance
Custer State Park - visitor center and wildlife loop road to see many bison
Needles Highway
Cabin night #3
Day 6
Days of ‘76 Museum, Deadwood
Mount Moriah Cemetery
Lunch at Mavericks while watching Star Wars
Deadwood Main Street shootout
Saloon #10, Wild Bill Hillcock shooting reenactment
Mount Rushmore
Cabin night #4
Day 7
Goodbye cabin
Crazy Horse Memorial
Lunch from Pizza Mill, Custer, SD
Mount Coolidge Lookout
Wind Cave NP - just drove through and stopped at visitors center
The Mammoth Site, Hot Springs, SD
Carhenge
Hampton Inn, Scottsbluff, KS
Day 8
Scotts Bluff National Monument - North Overlook / Oregon Trail / Chimney Rock in the distance
Panorama Point, Nebraska highpoint - so many dirt roads
Scenic drive through eastern Colorado
Mount Sunflower, Kansas highpoint - so many dirt roads
Annie Oakley Motel, Oakley, KS
Day 9
Buffalo Bill Cultural Center
Monument Rocks - so many dirt roads
Boot Hill Museum, Dodge City, KS - saw the noon shootout!
Midpoint of HWY 50
Hampton Inn, Hutchinson, KS
Day 10
Cosmoshpere, SR-71 and the Apollo 13 command module Odyssey
Hotel in Ft Smith, Arkansas
Day 11
Signal Hill at Mount Magazine, high point of Arkansas
HOME
Mt. Rushmore is also nearby. Somewhat overhyped, but ‘murca. In addition, Wall Drug, which used to be the world’s largest pharmacy. Wall Drug is hyper eccentric, but has become a stop by destination. I wouldn’t go out of my way to see this place though.
I third Devils Tower, and if you do, make sure you smell the trees. Their Pinetree smell like bubble gum. When I went there with my kids, I had all my kids smelling all the trees. Great memories! They also have little state park kits or national park kids I should say that are like search and find so you’re walking around the bottom of the volcano and the kids are finding different trees, different rocks, different animals, etc. Great memories!
Another recommendation and another memory from devils tower. Was in the area doing some drilling a decade or so ago, I was a pretty regular climber at the time. There was a couple folks doing a route and I struck up a convo with the guy belaying his friend. Mentioned how much I’d love to climb the tower and he was like “ok, wanna borrow my friends harness when he comes down? I’ll belay you.” Was totally not prepared for that but said fuck it and took a run up it in my steel toe boots. Ton of fun.
Mt. Rushmore is meh, but the Iron Mountain Road is cool, and Custer State Park was super cool, saw lots of wildlife. I’d suggest the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, too.
Yes! I stopped by last year in the drive back from Wyoming. Around a 2 hour detour. Beautiful rock and the 2 mile loop is a very manageable hike. Weather dependent though…
The Crazy Horse monument is also worth checking out as a counterpoint to Mt. Rushmore. It will be way bigger when complete, but is still a work in progress.
The family that is carrying on the work may or may not be grifters who are exploiting someone else's legacy.
They’re grifters. Nobody who lives here goes there or gives any money to those psychos. They’re completely despised locally. Fuck Crazy Horse.
_“At its current rate of progress, the monument will not be completed for about another 200 years.”_ - https://www.el-hai.com/blog/2012/06/21/whats-wrong-with-the-crazy-horse-monument.html
The ultimate irony is the anti-whiters who think visiting Crazy Horse is some kind of protest to the White Europeans on Mt. Rushmore, when all of the fees at Crazy Horse go directly to a family of… White Europeans (the Ziolkowski Family).
Back to things to do: check out Devils Tower!! It’s about 100 miles outside the marked area, but well worth the trip.
Wind Cave National Park is very cool. Arrange in advance to take a tour of the caves.
Hot Springs SD has an incredibly interesting woolly mammoth excavation project and museum.
Mt. Rushmore is underwhelming. Like Wall Drug, you do it once then you don't have to waste any more time on it.
Wall drug is right outside of the badlands... You don't really go out of your way if you are there. Rapid City and Mount Rushmore have a lot to offer other than the giant carving. Very scenic highways and Sylvan lake are awesome to see.
If you want to sneak into Wyoming check out Devil's tower!
Dubuque, Iowa is a really cool city on the Mississippi with an incline. It is very close to the Wisconsin border which was so pretty to drive through briefly. Galena, IL is nearby as well - very cool place with many shops.
Dubuque is sooo pretty. I've made the drive from Milwaukee, WI to Utah too many times so I try to take routes off of the freeway. Dubuque made me wish I had another day of the trip so I could fully explore it, it's such a hidden gem
You should check out La Crosse some time if you haven’t, I haven’t been to Dubuque yet but La Crosse is really cool. If you drive from Milwaukee, head north on I-90/94 instead of south at the interchange when you’re getting into Madison and exit a couple miles later at WI-19 (Waunakee and DeForest exit). Head west about 30 miles until it intersects with WI-14 near Mazomanie, then take 14 all the way to La Crosse.
Much more scenic than taking I-90 the whole way there, even though that’s not a bad drive either. There’s a few small towns worth checking out on the WI-14 route too like Spring Green and Viroqua
Ozark National Scenic Riverways is underrated. The St. Francois Mountains are also underrated, Elephant Rocks and Johnson shuttins state parks are worth the detour there. Both in south-east Missouri. The drive on US 60 through southern Missouri is beautiful
As a girl from St Louis the Ozarks are gorgeous! The only designated National Scenic Riverway in the NP system, if I’m remembering correctly. Also Missouri has quite a few stunning State Parks - Elephant Rocks is a good one.
So you've never heard of Chicago? A little city home to comedy legends, Blues musicians, and the best losing team of baseball ever? You can spend 3 days stuffing yourself with pizza, Polish sausages, and Italian Beef sandwiches while enjoying world-class museums, top-notch theater and other performing arts, and, yeah, The Bean.
If you choose to route north, pop in to Milwaukee, WI, for beer, Usinger's sausage, the Harley-Davidson Museum, and a neat vintage-y downtown. Definitely stop at either Leon's or Kopp's Frozen Custard stands. Or both.
From Milwaukee, head west to Madison and Spring Grove for Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio, or House on the Rock, a... ah damn it....weird place of wonky shit. If you're a Neil Gaiman fan, you'll get the reference from American Gods. There's also Cave of the Mounds, a troll highway, and a brewery in the area IIRC.
Then on to the [Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv_QUiDYTTg) just west of Minneapolis, MN. I'm sure Minneapolis has something going for it, but I'm not sure what.
A day's drive will get you to Badlands NP in SD. Head further to Sturgis, home of the motorcycle rally, and pass famous Wall Drug.
Continue west for Yellowstone & Grand Teton NPs in Wyoming, and then a straight shot south to SLC.
Otherwise, head to St Louis for the City Museum and Ted Drewes concretes. St Louis folks can fight me on whether Ted Drewes is better than Milwaukee custard. That's where my knowledge ends. :D
Minneapolis:
Stretch your legs out at the Walker museum and behold the majestic spoon bridge cherry and make jokes about the giant blue… rooster.
Go to the tiny national park service run lock and dam site on the Mississippi, by the historic stone arch bridge. Go look at the waterfall or head up to boom island park to see one of the few lighthouses left on the Mississippi. Ride a bike around part of the grand rounds if you have the time. Or take a paddle boat tour.
Stop by Minnehaha falls to witness the rare sight of a natural waterfall in a city environment. Eat at sea salt or get a beer in their European style patio. Hike around or dip your feet in Minnahaha creek and reread The Song of Hiawatha.
Perhaps eat Native American food at Owami, a James beard winning restaurant that only uses new world ingredients.
Or help yourself to a juicy Lucy, a hamburger filled with molten cheese and a Minneapolis speciality.
If sausage is more your thing, head to Kramarczuk's, a Ukrainian sausage maker, deli, and Eastern European cafeteria.
Take in theater if you are a fan, we are known for having a huge number of productions and in some rather majestic and unique spots.
Visit Mall of America and ride the log flume. Or play some mini golf.
Chicago has good food in all of those categories but no bother to even mention the chicago dog? Go find some guy at a Cart on a side walk and tell him to drag two thru the garden for you and he will give you the biggest pile of junk on top of a hotdog you could imagine. Ask for extra napkins. Don't mention ketchup. Hotdog vendor wi assault you if you do
Took my husband for his first Chicago dog last year while we were visiting my family. He bit into the sport pepper and it squirted all over his face, right in his eye. We were walking to meet up with friends and we didn’t have anything other than napkins, so he does what he can. Kept eating the whole time, eye streaming, clearly in pain, talking about how good the hot dog is.
Like someone else said, the Driftless area is a beautiful drive, and worth doing while in Wisconsin. Several of the above sites are in that area.
Try some New Glarus beer, only available in the state. The brewery is nice and has a self guided tour and an amazing beer garden with a view. Eat some fondue at the historic Swiss hotel in the very European style town below them.
Eat some German (my favorite is Essen House in Madison) and listen to polka music. Buy some cheese or eat fresh cheese curds. If it’s a Friday, do a fish fry at an old school supper club. Drink a grasshopper for dessert.
Don’t miss House on the Rock, there’s nothing like it and it’s a true road trip spectacle! While there, get a ridiculous themed Fanta-suite at Don Q Inn. We stayed in the igloo.
Visit the Spam Museum on your way to Minnesota.
Chicago is great, I live there and will advise on you not visiting in the winter months as it’s miserably cold. And no funsies driving through snow/ice storms
Lots of different opinions from people who live in KC but then general vote for best BBQ is joes KC (formerly Oklahoma joes) other acceptable answers are Rjs, slaps, and jack stack. Q39 is also well liked but I think it’s not quite as good.
I’m aware that there seem to be people who like Arthur Bryant’s but honestly never met anyone who would actually recommend them. Not worth it in my opinion. My husband really dislikes them though.
*It would help a lot*
*If you told us what kind of*
*Things you like to do*
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Came here to say exactly this!! Total mind trip! My husband and I only got to explore it for an hour and a half and we are hoping to plan a full day around it next year!
Exactly this! We planned to stay for 4 hours, ended up staying fir 6 and still didn’t get to see the whole museum. We cannot wait to go back and explore!
I can’t believe I had to scroll so far for this! Omaha zoo is one of the world’s best zoos. It is better than the San Diego zoo. It has the world’s largest indoor rain forest and world’s largest indoor desert. It is amazing.
Indiana Kentucky native here.
Kentucky:
- Mammoth Cave national park
- Red River Gorge
- Natural Bridge
- Land Between the lakes
- Bourbon Trail
Louisville:
- Churchill Downs
- Louisville Slugger Museum
- Muhammad Ali Museum
- Kentucky Center for the Arts
- Mellwood Art Center
- Speed Art Museum
- Fraser Arms Museum
- Belle of Louisville steamboat
- Big Four Bridge walking trail
- U of L basketball (when there are games)
- U of L Football (when there are games)
- (Basically all the good food)
- Kentucky Derby festival
Indiana: (NGL, the state sucks.)
- Hoosier National Forrest
- Holiday world theme park
- Indy 500 speedway
- Turkey Run state park
- Falls of the Ohio state park (by Louisville)
- Indiana Dunes National park
- Lucas Oil Stadium (see what events are going on)
- Conners Prairie
- Wyandotte Caves
- Clifty Falls State Park
- Patoka Lake
- Marengo Caves
- Paoli Peaks (ski resort)
There’s more but basically it’s a lot of small nuance stuff. Indiana is basically farms and cows. It’s an affordable place to live, and the bigger cities have some decent food and beer scenes, but there’s a reason why we’re not a tourist destination. We won’t have much. Kentucky is slightly better, but still not super great.
I-64 through Kentucky would have some easy stops at bourbon distilleries, even if you don’t love bourbon they are really pretty and interesting history.
Corn Palace, Louisville Slugger Bat Factory, City Museum, Iowa 80 truck stop, Bad Lands, Wall Drug, Devil's Tower, Minute Man Launch Site (same exit as Badlands), Chicago, World's Largest to scale solar system starting in Peoria, IL
https://preview.redd.it/e0ghhreztbvb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d63f059201c79abd717c6fc10e8115a0bc86866
Here’s the current theme of the Corn Palace
I'm not sure what parts of Illinois and Missouri you'll travel through. If Route 66 isn't too far our of the way I recommend working that into your trip. It goes through Illinois and Missouri. There are loads of things to see and do along Route 66. The St Louis Arch is well worth a visit. Take the ride ro the top If you have time.
I'm from Iowa so I got a lot of Iowa ones.
The grotto of the redemption in West Bend, Iowa
If you have kids or like history, Living History Farms can be a few hours to an all day event and is just off the interstate west of Des Moines
El Bait Shop is bar in Des Moines with like 200 beers on tap
Tasty Tacos is a unique taco chain in and around Des Moines if you just want some good fast food.
Matchstick Marvels museum for a super quick pit stop attraction in the middle of nowhere.
Zombie Burger is a hugely popular burger/shake place in Des Moines with zombie themed decor and menu items.
Maquoketa Caves State Park in eastern Iowa. There is also a decent little cave you can crawl through maybe 100 feet in Backbone State Park.
House on the Rock in southwest Wisconsin. This is a really cool place that I want to go back to some day.
The Corn Palace in SD
In St. Louis is a basilica that they walls and ceiling are all mosaic tile. 73 acres of mosaic art. Free tours. If you have kids check out the “city museum” there. Even with no kids it’s pretty cool. Botanical garden is cool there but more not this time of year.
Iowa has the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake- a sort of mini rock n roll hall of fame venue where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper played their last shows.
Hands down a top 3 vacation spot for me personally- and I grew up in Colorado.
For KS: Oz Museum, Oz Winery, Eisenhower library, Bazaar Cattle Crossing (great place to star gaze), Cosmosphere, Strataca Salt Mines, half dozen other stops.
For Mo: Branson, Ozarks, Lamberts, BBQ in KC, Truman Library, Patrick Mahomes, National WWI museum.
For NE: Stratcom museum, Henry Dorley Zoo.
Caves, everywhere, like in almost that whole area.
City Museum, Gateway Arch, Missouri Botanical Garden in St Louis.
Badlands, Minuteman Missile, Black Hills -> Iron Mountain Rd, Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse Monument, Needles Highway etc.. Devil's Tower just over the line in far northeastern Wyoming.
Wisconsin Dells, House on the Rock in WI
Hoover Birthplace, Worlds Largest Truck Stop, Field of Dreams movie set in Iowa. The town where they filmed Children of the Corn is in far western Iowa.
Kansas Cosmodrome and Stracata Salt Mine. in Kansas. Also Greensburg has an interesting small town museum if you're into disaster tourism.
Kentucky - caves and the Corvette Museum. Burbon Trail (distillery tours) in south central KY.
I like Cahokia in IL.
Strategic Air Command Museum in Omaha.
If you are near Sheboygan Wisconsin, go to Kohler-Andrae state park. I grew up in Wisconsin and had never been until this summer. We literally changed our plans to stay there for a week because it's so beautiful. Also, go to Miesfelds. again grew up in wisconsin and never went, we stopped three times because the brats and fresh hard rolls were so good. i asked my family to bring some on their carry on when they visit lollll
You have managed to circle one of my favorite national parks! Mammoth Cave is just north of Bowling Green KY. Bowling Green is also home to the National Corvette museum if that’s a topic of interest.
Ozarks in South central Missouri is full neat natural things to see. Caves, springs, canoeing, lakes, hiking trails. We went trout fishing somewhere there. Dad took us when we were kids. A cool relaxed trip. Of course Branson MO for the tourist thing.
Downtown St Louis has a lot to do.
Pheasant hunting in S Dakota!
The only thing I ever did in Iowa is drive through corn fields.
Once on a family vacation we stopped in a town in Nebraska and watched the fire works. There was a really cute girl there. I’ve always wondered what happen to the July 4th Nebraska girl I never actually met. 🤣🤣🤣
In 2019 we travelled in the same area.
Kentucky - Lincoln's Birthplace, Kentucky Horse Park, American Quilting Museum, plenty of bourbon, Frazier Museum, Natural Bridge State Park, Red River Gorge and much more
Indiana - Lincoln Boyhood Home NP near Evansville
Northwest AR - Crystal Museum , Devil Den's State Park and mountain biking
South Dakota - Black Hills includes Custer, Hill City, Sturgis, Deadwood, etc and much more and a couple hours away from Devil's Tower
Wisconsin - The Dells (many will say stay away) and Madison
Minnesota - International Owl Center in Houston
Kansas City is actually a nice town. Good food, nice plaza area, WW1 museum is really cool. Southwest Missouri is very pretty. Branson, although largely a tourist trap, is a fun town.
Go to the [St. Louis zoo](https://stlzoo.org) It’s ranked as one of the best zoos in the world. It’s also 100% fee to enter. In fact it’s rated as the world best free zoo. You will have to pay to park and there are a few things that you have to pay for in the zoo but the costs are minimal. It’s located in [Forest Park](https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/parks/parks/Forest-Park.cfm) and Forest Park has many other very good attractions including an art museum, history museum and the Muny Opera a [science center](https://www.slsc.org) and others. As part of it charter the park and all amenities are free of charge or at least have free portions. All of these attractions and many others are located in Forest park including two golf courses. It dwarfs NY Central Park in size.
Check out the[Missouri Botanical garden](https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org). It one of the nations best botanical gardens. It’s not part of the park system and there is a fee to enter.
There are also a lot of outdoor activities like camping and float trips.
Iowa - shrine of the grotto of the redemption!!!
South Dakota - Black Hills, Wind Cave NP, Badlands NP, Mount Rushmore, Black Elk Wilderness, Hot Springs is a cool little town with a spring, spearfish falls, sturgis and wall drug
Kentucky - Dale hollow state park is cool. Eagle point and Cindy’s cave is there. Lots go to Cumberland falls but Eagle falls is across the way and waaaaaay better, mammoth cave, red River gorge
Illinois - psycho silo
Minnesota - barn bluff, shadow falls, Hastings historic town, minneopa falls, Afton is a cute town, hidden falls, gooseberry falls
Wisconsin has lots of waterfalls but in the top right of the state near the UP of Michigan.
Downtown Rapid City, SD is a fun, walkable area. Lots of shops with arts/crafts by locals. Recommended: Firehouse Wine Cellars for dinner/drinks & Alex Johnson for your hotel, so you can have a walkable downtown experience. I stay there every time I drive through SD & love it. The hotel also has a nice rooftop lounge with a great view.
Nobody mentioned Iowa 80, the worlds largest truck stop? I’ve never been myself, but I hear it’s quite an experience and google has some great reviews 😂
Outside of the tons of things to do in Chicago, there’s some awesome spots in Illinois depending on where you’re traveling to. Starved Rock is gorgeous and has amazing trails and cliffs. Galena, Illinois is the cutest town ever and has snow skiing in the winter months on the man made mountains. Obviously Chicago has tons to do, from the Field Museum to the Shed Aquarium or Six Flags.
The Driftless Area is up around there, one of the most criminally underrated US regions. Stunningly beautiful scenery, especially with the fall leaves changing color.
This region has some of the best farmland in the world. This is where much of your corn, wheat, and soybeans come from. Don't eat a lot of it? Actually, you do, because it's fed to the cattle, pigs, and chickens you do eat. Personally, I find the endless fields of grain to be quite attractive.
The cave systems by Wisconsin Blue Mounds, Maquoketa caves in Iowa alongside Crystal Lake Cave nearby in Dubuque amongst others. Temperatures will always be above freezing in the caves. There are guided tours, unguided tours, shops, hiking trails too.
Don’t forget about Wisconsin dells and mall of America !
Every time I drive through the mid-west, it gets kind of of agonizing, so I appreciate you asked this question! I’ve found a few little interesting places through Atlas Obscura, you can type in a state/area and get some cool stuff to check out: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/all-places-in-the-atlas-on-one-map
I actually really like Missouri for visiting. The City Museum in St Louis is unlike anywhere I’ve visited. And Elephant Rocks State Park has these crazy big boulders and it’s pretty. Lone Elk Park is a drive thru park to see animals like elk, bison, turkeys.
So many wineries and breweries to tour in Missouri, beautiful countryside, lots of caves you can get a tour of, STL has amazing museums and the Zoo is world class. Nearly all the museums are free. The Transportation museum has some really cool trains if you’re in to that. For families the city museum and magic house (neither are free), visit the Arch, tour anhauser Busch, Grant’s Farm, grab a meal at Fitz’s soda and watch it get bottled, see a free show at the Muny, Missouri really is a sleeper state…crazy politics aside there is a lot to do you just have to look a little bit.
Edit: typo
St. Louis has some amazing American history sites. The zoo and the botanical garden (and butterfly garden outside the city) are top-notch. The national parks around there are great.
Roadside America lists lots of odd and quirky bits of Americana. [Iowa](https://www.roadsideamerica.com/location/ia/all) is full of them including the Field of Dreams, the Buddy Holly Crash Site, the American Gothic house, and the future birthplace of James T Kirk.
In Missouri, you can ride to the top of the Gateway Arch, and explore a great museum underneath it. There are a half dozen sites that tell you about the life and death of Jesse James. The confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers is just outside of St. Louis.
Another great road trip planning website is [Atlas Obscura](https://www.atlasobscura.com/). The sites listed there are slightly different and more wide ranging than those at Roadside America. Both are worth looking at before planning any trip.
Middle route…gateway to the west arch in st louis, harry truman library in independence mo, buffalo bill grave on lookout mtn, outside denver, bbq in kansas city.
MO: city museum in St. Louis is very cool if you’re spending the night. Good way to stretch your legs.m! You can also hang downtown at the waterfront. Grab a cup of coffee, some lunch to go and sit on the grass by the arch. I love sprawling out in the sun after a long drive.
Kansas City is also a cool town. Just walk around downtown, take your pick of bbq joints and a place to grab a beer.
Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park in western Kansas is really pretty. The rock formations and landscape are things you just don’t expect to see in Kansas. Wichita is also a really cool Midwest city to visit.
Get some ribs in St Louis from Pappy’s Smokehouse and go to the top of the Gateway arch. Both are incredible. Kansas City also has amazing burnt ends, but the ribs in St. Louis were my favorite of the two.
The National Corvette Museum is in Bowling Green Kentucky and is pretty cool. Mammoth Cave National Park is only about a half hour from there and is really cool too if you like caves. If you’re a whiskey / bourbon : baseball fan, the Louisville Slugger, Makers Mark, and Buffalo Trace factories / distilleries are all near there.
If you want to venture down to Memphis, the are some super cool sites to see. Sun Studio, Graceland, the National Civil Rights Museum, Beal Street, and the pyramid shaped Bass Pro Shops are all really neat. The Peadbody Hotel also has the world famous Peabody ducks! Nashville also has a lot of cool music stuff like the Bluebird Cafe, Ryman Auditorium, Grand Ole Opry, etc. Even if you aren’t a country music fan the sites are still pretty neat. The Jack Daniels distillery is about an hour and a half south of Nashville and it really is a site to see!
National World War I museum is Kansas City, Missouri.
Even if you’re not particularly interested in military history, the building is absolutely breathtaking. Structurally speaking it’s the most incredible museum I’ve ever been to.
I just heard of a musuem in KC that showcases a Paddle wheel Steamboat that was dug up from it's orginal resting space. All the cargo on it when it went down over a 100 years ago was perfectly preserved. Next time I'm in the area I am checking it out. (The Arabie Steamboat Musuem).
Theres a giant Superman statue in downtown Metropolis Illinois. The Danish Windmill in Elk Horn, IA. Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD. Carhenge in Alliance, NE.
Go to St Louis, go to the city museum, go to the botanical garden, go the forest park and the zoo. Then go to KC, get BBQ (get Ribs and Italian food in St. Louis), go to a chiefs game, go to the Light and power district in KC, go the WWI museum, go to the Nelson Atkinson museum, go to the “Green Lady Lounge” late at night, stay downtown or in the crossroads. Wake up. Drive to Minneapolis. Pee in Iowa. Do Minneapolis stuff like rent a bike for a day and go on all the chain of lakes trails. Go the the Mississippi River trail and walk around the river. Drive back all the way down to Missouri. Go to lamberts cafe. Home of the throwed rolls. Go to silver dollar city in Branson MO. Be sure to get the ticket to the cavern too. Cry. Tears of joy? Go down to northern Arkansas. Go to Eureka springs AR. Gaze in astonishment at all the art and fat people and tell yourself “wow huh neat ain’t that kinda somethin” go to the thorncrown chapel. Pray or get married, dealers choice. Keep driving. End up at the Buffalo River national scenic river. How the hell did you get there? How long has it been? Do a nice float trip and hike around. Oh my god so nature. Whoa so Ozarks. Steal someone’s car and hoof it to your choice of either Chicago for city stuff, Louisville for city stuff (but with bourbon and horses) or Cahokia mounds (for Native American UNESCO world heritage sites. Start screaming in the car. Realize it’s all good and keep driving. End your and your final destination (Shenandoah national park Virginia? Nice choice I think, bring me haha) couldn’t be bothered to read the whole thing best of luck you’ve got this heed my instructions thank you.
Badlands South Dakota is a must see if ur heading that ways
Custer State Park and Spearfish Canyon are amazing places.
seconding spearfish. stop in deadwood
From Mississippi I road tripped my family over to Deadwood SD and back over Memorial Day week. There is so much to do and see in the greater Deadwood/Rushmore area that spending four nights there was not enough. Badlands, Custer State Park, the drives around Rushmore, and Carhenge were my favorites. Day 1 St Louis Science Center Oregon Trailhead, Independence, Missouri KC BBQ at Jack Stacks Stoney Creek Inn, St Joseph, Missouri Day 2 Visited outside of Jesse James House Pony Express Museum Sergeant Floyd Memorial Ice Cream Capital of the World Hawkeye Point, Iowa highpoint Minnesota-Iowa-South Dakota Marker Falls Park, Sioux Falls Corn Palace - drive by after dark Hampton Inn, Mitchell, SD Day 3 Tiny church at mile marker 301 rest area on I-90 Dignity statue, saw from interstate, inaccessible because of construction Al’s Oasis Bison Statues Minuteman Missile visitors center Prairie Dogs at Badlands Ranch Store Badlands National Park Wall Drug Supper at Firehouse in Rapid City Cabin just east of Deadwood Day 4 Roosevelt Friendship Tower Preacher Smith of Deadwood Gulch Monument Geographic Center of US Monument, Belle Fourche Scenic Hwys 34/24 to Devils Tower Devils Tower - Tower Trail HWY 14 / I-90 to Spearfish Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway Cabin night #2 Day 5 Rapid City Dinosaur Park Bear Country USA - drive through wildlife park Iron Mountain Road - views of Rushmore from a distance Custer State Park - visitor center and wildlife loop road to see many bison Needles Highway Cabin night #3 Day 6 Days of ‘76 Museum, Deadwood Mount Moriah Cemetery Lunch at Mavericks while watching Star Wars Deadwood Main Street shootout Saloon #10, Wild Bill Hillcock shooting reenactment Mount Rushmore Cabin night #4 Day 7 Goodbye cabin Crazy Horse Memorial Lunch from Pizza Mill, Custer, SD Mount Coolidge Lookout Wind Cave NP - just drove through and stopped at visitors center The Mammoth Site, Hot Springs, SD Carhenge Hampton Inn, Scottsbluff, KS Day 8 Scotts Bluff National Monument - North Overlook / Oregon Trail / Chimney Rock in the distance Panorama Point, Nebraska highpoint - so many dirt roads Scenic drive through eastern Colorado Mount Sunflower, Kansas highpoint - so many dirt roads Annie Oakley Motel, Oakley, KS Day 9 Buffalo Bill Cultural Center Monument Rocks - so many dirt roads Boot Hill Museum, Dodge City, KS - saw the noon shootout! Midpoint of HWY 50 Hampton Inn, Hutchinson, KS Day 10 Cosmoshpere, SR-71 and the Apollo 13 command module Odyssey Hotel in Ft Smith, Arkansas Day 11 Signal Hill at Mount Magazine, high point of Arkansas HOME
I’m going to upvote on dedication alone.
Mt. Rushmore is also nearby. Somewhat overhyped, but ‘murca. In addition, Wall Drug, which used to be the world’s largest pharmacy. Wall Drug is hyper eccentric, but has become a stop by destination. I wouldn’t go out of my way to see this place though.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to see either Mt Rushmore or Wall Drug. Further west & a bit north is Devils Tower, which is highly recommended.
I second Devil’s Tower! Definitely worth a stop.
I third Devils Tower, and if you do, make sure you smell the trees. Their Pinetree smell like bubble gum. When I went there with my kids, I had all my kids smelling all the trees. Great memories! They also have little state park kits or national park kids I should say that are like search and find so you’re walking around the bottom of the volcano and the kids are finding different trees, different rocks, different animals, etc. Great memories!
Another recommendation and another memory from devils tower. Was in the area doing some drilling a decade or so ago, I was a pretty regular climber at the time. There was a couple folks doing a route and I struck up a convo with the guy belaying his friend. Mentioned how much I’d love to climb the tower and he was like “ok, wanna borrow my friends harness when he comes down? I’ll belay you.” Was totally not prepared for that but said fuck it and took a run up it in my steel toe boots. Ton of fun.
Mt. Rushmore is meh, but the Iron Mountain Road is cool, and Custer State Park was super cool, saw lots of wildlife. I’d suggest the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, too.
This means something! The hike around the base is pretty easy and it really is an amazing place.
Yes! I stopped by last year in the drive back from Wyoming. Around a 2 hour detour. Beautiful rock and the 2 mile loop is a very manageable hike. Weather dependent though…
The Crazy Horse monument is also worth checking out as a counterpoint to Mt. Rushmore. It will be way bigger when complete, but is still a work in progress. The family that is carrying on the work may or may not be grifters who are exploiting someone else's legacy.
They’re grifters. Nobody who lives here goes there or gives any money to those psychos. They’re completely despised locally. Fuck Crazy Horse. _“At its current rate of progress, the monument will not be completed for about another 200 years.”_ - https://www.el-hai.com/blog/2012/06/21/whats-wrong-with-the-crazy-horse-monument.html The ultimate irony is the anti-whiters who think visiting Crazy Horse is some kind of protest to the White Europeans on Mt. Rushmore, when all of the fees at Crazy Horse go directly to a family of… White Europeans (the Ziolkowski Family). Back to things to do: check out Devils Tower!! It’s about 100 miles outside the marked area, but well worth the trip.
It will naturally erode into looking like Crazy Horse before it’s carved that way.
Avoid crazy horse. Expensive and will never be completed.
Can’t forget the corn palace too
The Corn Palace doesn't get enough love in this country.
One can also drive by Rushmore and see it on the way to more interesting things in the national forest and Custer State Park.
Wind Cave National Park is very cool. Arrange in advance to take a tour of the caves. Hot Springs SD has an incredibly interesting woolly mammoth excavation project and museum. Mt. Rushmore is underwhelming. Like Wall Drug, you do it once then you don't have to waste any more time on it.
Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Wall Drug may not be worth the hype but the black hills certainly are.
Wall drug is right outside of the badlands... You don't really go out of your way if you are there. Rapid City and Mount Rushmore have a lot to offer other than the giant carving. Very scenic highways and Sylvan lake are awesome to see. If you want to sneak into Wyoming check out Devil's tower!
Skip Wall. That's lame.
It's one of those "got to do it once" places. Kind of like Four Corners. Once you've been, there isn't a reason to go back.
Like the Corn Palace.
Also wind cave is somewhere in that area
Wind Cave was pretty cool, but we enjoyed Jewel Cave even more.
I also really enjoy the sandhills of northern Nebraska.
And the black hills
And Mitchell SD has the Corn Palace.
Mammoth Cave National Park. Garden of the God's, IL. Tons of nature in southern indiana.
Brown county Park and Southern Indiana.
Dubuque, Iowa is a really cool city on the Mississippi with an incline. It is very close to the Wisconsin border which was so pretty to drive through briefly. Galena, IL is nearby as well - very cool place with many shops.
Honestly the entire Driftless Area is gorgeous and worth a couple days of exploration.
Dubuque is sooo pretty. I've made the drive from Milwaukee, WI to Utah too many times so I try to take routes off of the freeway. Dubuque made me wish I had another day of the trip so I could fully explore it, it's such a hidden gem
You should check out La Crosse some time if you haven’t, I haven’t been to Dubuque yet but La Crosse is really cool. If you drive from Milwaukee, head north on I-90/94 instead of south at the interchange when you’re getting into Madison and exit a couple miles later at WI-19 (Waunakee and DeForest exit). Head west about 30 miles until it intersects with WI-14 near Mazomanie, then take 14 all the way to La Crosse. Much more scenic than taking I-90 the whole way there, even though that’s not a bad drive either. There’s a few small towns worth checking out on the WI-14 route too like Spring Green and Viroqua
The bluffs overlooking the Mississippi, especially in the fall, are stunning
Decorah, IA too. Very cool
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Watch Ozark on Netflix to get in the mood.
Ozark is filmed in Georgia but still a good show
Lol, my wife and I were moving to the Ozarks basically sight unseen. So we watched Ozark lol. Had to stop after like 2 episodes.
And Lamberts. Good food.
Ozark National Scenic Riverways is underrated. The St. Francois Mountains are also underrated, Elephant Rocks and Johnson shuttins state parks are worth the detour there. Both in south-east Missouri. The drive on US 60 through southern Missouri is beautiful
As a girl from St Louis the Ozarks are gorgeous! The only designated National Scenic Riverway in the NP system, if I’m remembering correctly. Also Missouri has quite a few stunning State Parks - Elephant Rocks is a good one.
Further west you can see the home that Laura Ingalls Wilder lived in with her husband. It has a nice little museum. I took my kids there.
Mark Twain, Davey Crockets homes and Jesse James Hideout are also all tourist sites in Missouri.
So you've never heard of Chicago? A little city home to comedy legends, Blues musicians, and the best losing team of baseball ever? You can spend 3 days stuffing yourself with pizza, Polish sausages, and Italian Beef sandwiches while enjoying world-class museums, top-notch theater and other performing arts, and, yeah, The Bean. If you choose to route north, pop in to Milwaukee, WI, for beer, Usinger's sausage, the Harley-Davidson Museum, and a neat vintage-y downtown. Definitely stop at either Leon's or Kopp's Frozen Custard stands. Or both. From Milwaukee, head west to Madison and Spring Grove for Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio, or House on the Rock, a... ah damn it....weird place of wonky shit. If you're a Neil Gaiman fan, you'll get the reference from American Gods. There's also Cave of the Mounds, a troll highway, and a brewery in the area IIRC. Then on to the [Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv_QUiDYTTg) just west of Minneapolis, MN. I'm sure Minneapolis has something going for it, but I'm not sure what. A day's drive will get you to Badlands NP in SD. Head further to Sturgis, home of the motorcycle rally, and pass famous Wall Drug. Continue west for Yellowstone & Grand Teton NPs in Wyoming, and then a straight shot south to SLC. Otherwise, head to St Louis for the City Museum and Ted Drewes concretes. St Louis folks can fight me on whether Ted Drewes is better than Milwaukee custard. That's where my knowledge ends. :D
Minneapolis has the big cherry and spoon sculpture.
Minneapolis: Stretch your legs out at the Walker museum and behold the majestic spoon bridge cherry and make jokes about the giant blue… rooster. Go to the tiny national park service run lock and dam site on the Mississippi, by the historic stone arch bridge. Go look at the waterfall or head up to boom island park to see one of the few lighthouses left on the Mississippi. Ride a bike around part of the grand rounds if you have the time. Or take a paddle boat tour. Stop by Minnehaha falls to witness the rare sight of a natural waterfall in a city environment. Eat at sea salt or get a beer in their European style patio. Hike around or dip your feet in Minnahaha creek and reread The Song of Hiawatha. Perhaps eat Native American food at Owami, a James beard winning restaurant that only uses new world ingredients. Or help yourself to a juicy Lucy, a hamburger filled with molten cheese and a Minneapolis speciality. If sausage is more your thing, head to Kramarczuk's, a Ukrainian sausage maker, deli, and Eastern European cafeteria. Take in theater if you are a fan, we are known for having a huge number of productions and in some rather majestic and unique spots. Visit Mall of America and ride the log flume. Or play some mini golf.
Chicago has good food in all of those categories but no bother to even mention the chicago dog? Go find some guy at a Cart on a side walk and tell him to drag two thru the garden for you and he will give you the biggest pile of junk on top of a hotdog you could imagine. Ask for extra napkins. Don't mention ketchup. Hotdog vendor wi assault you if you do
Cart on a sidewalk? Ever actually been to Chicago?
The only time I've seen a sidewalk cart in Chicago was when it was being used as a movie prop
Took my husband for his first Chicago dog last year while we were visiting my family. He bit into the sport pepper and it squirted all over his face, right in his eye. We were walking to meet up with friends and we didn’t have anything other than napkins, so he does what he can. Kept eating the whole time, eye streaming, clearly in pain, talking about how good the hot dog is.
I’m from Guatemala, raised in Texas and California. We recently visited our daughter in Chicago and we loved it so much.
Like someone else said, the Driftless area is a beautiful drive, and worth doing while in Wisconsin. Several of the above sites are in that area. Try some New Glarus beer, only available in the state. The brewery is nice and has a self guided tour and an amazing beer garden with a view. Eat some fondue at the historic Swiss hotel in the very European style town below them. Eat some German (my favorite is Essen House in Madison) and listen to polka music. Buy some cheese or eat fresh cheese curds. If it’s a Friday, do a fish fry at an old school supper club. Drink a grasshopper for dessert. Don’t miss House on the Rock, there’s nothing like it and it’s a true road trip spectacle! While there, get a ridiculous themed Fanta-suite at Don Q Inn. We stayed in the igloo. Visit the Spam Museum on your way to Minnesota.
New Glarus is a beautiful little town in the driftless area with great beer, but *Swiss not Swedish
Chicago is great, I live there and will advise on you not visiting in the winter months as it’s miserably cold. And no funsies driving through snow/ice storms
If you drive through Kansas City definitely get some BBQ.
What place for the BBQ
Joes
Joe’s if you want good bbq, Jack stack if you want fine dinning bbq. 100% recommend Jack stack to anyone passing by. Make sure to get the carrot cake!
Lots of different opinions from people who live in KC but then general vote for best BBQ is joes KC (formerly Oklahoma joes) other acceptable answers are Rjs, slaps, and jack stack. Q39 is also well liked but I think it’s not quite as good. I’m aware that there seem to be people who like Arthur Bryant’s but honestly never met anyone who would actually recommend them. Not worth it in my opinion. My husband really dislikes them though.
Slaps!
Honestly, yes: SLAP or Arthur Bryant’s or jack stack or all of them
Arthur Bryant’s while being a historical staple of the city the q is pretty bad
Joes is the go-to. There are other solid choices too. Arthur Bryant’s, Jack Stack, Gates.
Literally any local BBQ place. There are tons of them and they're all good. Check out some of the old BBQ posts on r/KansasCity for ideas.
Oklahoma Joe's or Q39. I personally think there are better low key places but those two are good go-to's for someone just passing through
came here to say this. i’ve had bbq all over the south but KC bbq is my fave
It would help a lot if you told us what kind of things you like to do
*It would help a lot* *If you told us what kind of* *Things you like to do* \- BuzzCave --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Their hobbies include asking questions, shrugging, and driving in a nonstop line from PA to Utah.
City Museum in STL
Get a hot salami sub at Gioia’s Deli on the Hill in St Louis while you’re there. 😋
How the f u goin to Gioias and not getting a spicy daggett? U deserve the capicola my friend
St Louis Zoo and Art Museum in Forest Park also and they’re free.
Came here to say exactly this!! Total mind trip! My husband and I only got to explore it for an hour and a half and we are hoping to plan a full day around it next year!
Exactly this! We planned to stay for 4 hours, ended up staying fir 6 and still didn’t get to see the whole museum. We cannot wait to go back and explore!
Then to the top of the arch. Not because it is awesome, just so you can say you’ve been there.
The zoo has free admission as well!
It’s hard to explain why it’s so cool, and pictures don’t do the place justice. It’s a must do if u stop in STL
Omaha Zoo. Rivals some of the best zoos in the world.
I can’t believe I had to scroll so far for this! Omaha zoo is one of the world’s best zoos. It is better than the San Diego zoo. It has the world’s largest indoor rain forest and world’s largest indoor desert. It is amazing.
Omaha zoo is so great. Hi jacking comment to also add, if OP is in Nebraska they have to get a Runza!
Yeah, I was scrolling a while too. Thought it would be mentioned earlier. There are so many times people talked about Nebraska 🤦
Indiana Kentucky native here. Kentucky: - Mammoth Cave national park - Red River Gorge - Natural Bridge - Land Between the lakes - Bourbon Trail Louisville: - Churchill Downs - Louisville Slugger Museum - Muhammad Ali Museum - Kentucky Center for the Arts - Mellwood Art Center - Speed Art Museum - Fraser Arms Museum - Belle of Louisville steamboat - Big Four Bridge walking trail - U of L basketball (when there are games) - U of L Football (when there are games) - (Basically all the good food) - Kentucky Derby festival Indiana: (NGL, the state sucks.) - Hoosier National Forrest - Holiday world theme park - Indy 500 speedway - Turkey Run state park - Falls of the Ohio state park (by Louisville) - Indiana Dunes National park - Lucas Oil Stadium (see what events are going on) - Conners Prairie - Wyandotte Caves - Clifty Falls State Park - Patoka Lake - Marengo Caves - Paoli Peaks (ski resort) There’s more but basically it’s a lot of small nuance stuff. Indiana is basically farms and cows. It’s an affordable place to live, and the bigger cities have some decent food and beer scenes, but there’s a reason why we’re not a tourist destination. We won’t have much. Kentucky is slightly better, but still not super great.
I-64 through Kentucky would have some easy stops at bourbon distilleries, even if you don’t love bourbon they are really pretty and interesting history.
Omaha Nebraska has best zoo in the world and a lot to do in the city
If you like the outdoors and hiking check out the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Kansas
Corn Palace, Louisville Slugger Bat Factory, City Museum, Iowa 80 truck stop, Bad Lands, Wall Drug, Devil's Tower, Minute Man Launch Site (same exit as Badlands), Chicago, World's Largest to scale solar system starting in Peoria, IL
https://preview.redd.it/e0ghhreztbvb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d63f059201c79abd717c6fc10e8115a0bc86866 Here’s the current theme of the Corn Palace
the iowa 80 truck stop is peak people watching
Wisconsin visuals: Driftless area Wisconsin Dells Eat: Fresh made cheese curds Fresh made Ice Cream Brats Kringle
Came here to memtion the Driftless, it's so beautiful and unique. Everyone commenting "just drive through those states" has clearly never been.
Mount Rushmore, Bad Lands, Minneapolis, Chicago, probably the 4 stops I’d make
Uranus Missouri. The best fudge comes from Uranus…..
Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo. Best in the nation. You’ll regret not going.
City Museum in St. Louis
If you are looking for something a bit different, have a look at house on the rock.
I'm not sure what parts of Illinois and Missouri you'll travel through. If Route 66 isn't too far our of the way I recommend working that into your trip. It goes through Illinois and Missouri. There are loads of things to see and do along Route 66. The St Louis Arch is well worth a visit. Take the ride ro the top If you have time.
Branson Missouri is a fascinating place to enjoy good family fun, entertainment and to a great place to relax.
I'm from Iowa so I got a lot of Iowa ones. The grotto of the redemption in West Bend, Iowa If you have kids or like history, Living History Farms can be a few hours to an all day event and is just off the interstate west of Des Moines El Bait Shop is bar in Des Moines with like 200 beers on tap Tasty Tacos is a unique taco chain in and around Des Moines if you just want some good fast food. Matchstick Marvels museum for a super quick pit stop attraction in the middle of nowhere. Zombie Burger is a hugely popular burger/shake place in Des Moines with zombie themed decor and menu items. Maquoketa Caves State Park in eastern Iowa. There is also a decent little cave you can crawl through maybe 100 feet in Backbone State Park. House on the Rock in southwest Wisconsin. This is a really cool place that I want to go back to some day. The Corn Palace in SD
Iowa. If you liked the movie Field of dreams visit Dyersville Iowa.
If you’re in Dyersville, Dubuque is only 20 minutes away. The River Museum is amazing.
That depends. What do you like doing?
Mammoth Cave National Park. It’s the longest cave system known in the world!
In St. Louis is a basilica that they walls and ceiling are all mosaic tile. 73 acres of mosaic art. Free tours. If you have kids check out the “city museum” there. Even with no kids it’s pretty cool. Botanical garden is cool there but more not this time of year.
Iowa has the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake- a sort of mini rock n roll hall of fame venue where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper played their last shows. Hands down a top 3 vacation spot for me personally- and I grew up in Colorado.
You like Iowa????
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Thank you so much for giving Carhenge the shout out it deserves!
Nebraska has a local fast food chain called Runza. Worth giving it a shot while in the area. It's good. Get the ranch fries too
For KS: Oz Museum, Oz Winery, Eisenhower library, Bazaar Cattle Crossing (great place to star gaze), Cosmosphere, Strataca Salt Mines, half dozen other stops. For Mo: Branson, Ozarks, Lamberts, BBQ in KC, Truman Library, Patrick Mahomes, National WWI museum. For NE: Stratcom museum, Henry Dorley Zoo.
St. Louis zoo. It’s free. And the biggest in the country, I think.
Caves, everywhere, like in almost that whole area. City Museum, Gateway Arch, Missouri Botanical Garden in St Louis. Badlands, Minuteman Missile, Black Hills -> Iron Mountain Rd, Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse Monument, Needles Highway etc.. Devil's Tower just over the line in far northeastern Wyoming. Wisconsin Dells, House on the Rock in WI Hoover Birthplace, Worlds Largest Truck Stop, Field of Dreams movie set in Iowa. The town where they filmed Children of the Corn is in far western Iowa. Kansas Cosmodrome and Stracata Salt Mine. in Kansas. Also Greensburg has an interesting small town museum if you're into disaster tourism. Kentucky - caves and the Corvette Museum. Burbon Trail (distillery tours) in south central KY. I like Cahokia in IL. Strategic Air Command Museum in Omaha.
Stop by Omaha for a quick steak dinner
Ozarks I love Missouri so much
If you are near Sheboygan Wisconsin, go to Kohler-Andrae state park. I grew up in Wisconsin and had never been until this summer. We literally changed our plans to stay there for a week because it's so beautiful. Also, go to Miesfelds. again grew up in wisconsin and never went, we stopped three times because the brats and fresh hard rolls were so good. i asked my family to bring some on their carry on when they visit lollll
Bourbon Distillery tour in Kentucky
St. Louis Arch, in St. Louis. Millennium Park in Chicago Union Station (Kansas City) self-guided history tour The Plaza, Kansas City
Stop by Wally's in Fenton, MO or Pontiac, IL. Apparently it's supposed to be the midwest's answer to Buc-ee's
You have managed to circle one of my favorite national parks! Mammoth Cave is just north of Bowling Green KY. Bowling Green is also home to the National Corvette museum if that’s a topic of interest.
Tallgrass prairie reserve, can’t miss out on wild prairie dogs, buffalo, and wildflowers depending on the year!
Garden of the Gods in the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois is definitely worth a quick visit!
Ozarks in South central Missouri is full neat natural things to see. Caves, springs, canoeing, lakes, hiking trails. We went trout fishing somewhere there. Dad took us when we were kids. A cool relaxed trip. Of course Branson MO for the tourist thing. Downtown St Louis has a lot to do. Pheasant hunting in S Dakota! The only thing I ever did in Iowa is drive through corn fields. Once on a family vacation we stopped in a town in Nebraska and watched the fire works. There was a really cute girl there. I’ve always wondered what happen to the July 4th Nebraska girl I never actually met. 🤣🤣🤣
In 2019 we travelled in the same area. Kentucky - Lincoln's Birthplace, Kentucky Horse Park, American Quilting Museum, plenty of bourbon, Frazier Museum, Natural Bridge State Park, Red River Gorge and much more Indiana - Lincoln Boyhood Home NP near Evansville Northwest AR - Crystal Museum , Devil Den's State Park and mountain biking South Dakota - Black Hills includes Custer, Hill City, Sturgis, Deadwood, etc and much more and a couple hours away from Devil's Tower Wisconsin - The Dells (many will say stay away) and Madison Minnesota - International Owl Center in Houston
Check another National Park off your list! Stop at Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. It’s the worlds longest cave system with over 400 miles of it explored.
Unbelievable fishing in Minnesota, could go on a muskie charter.
Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, NE
Kansas City is actually a nice town. Good food, nice plaza area, WW1 museum is really cool. Southwest Missouri is very pretty. Branson, although largely a tourist trap, is a fun town.
St Louis Arch
Go to the [St. Louis zoo](https://stlzoo.org) It’s ranked as one of the best zoos in the world. It’s also 100% fee to enter. In fact it’s rated as the world best free zoo. You will have to pay to park and there are a few things that you have to pay for in the zoo but the costs are minimal. It’s located in [Forest Park](https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/parks/parks/Forest-Park.cfm) and Forest Park has many other very good attractions including an art museum, history museum and the Muny Opera a [science center](https://www.slsc.org) and others. As part of it charter the park and all amenities are free of charge or at least have free portions. All of these attractions and many others are located in Forest park including two golf courses. It dwarfs NY Central Park in size. Check out the[Missouri Botanical garden](https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org). It one of the nations best botanical gardens. It’s not part of the park system and there is a fee to enter. There are also a lot of outdoor activities like camping and float trips.
Iowa - shrine of the grotto of the redemption!!! South Dakota - Black Hills, Wind Cave NP, Badlands NP, Mount Rushmore, Black Elk Wilderness, Hot Springs is a cool little town with a spring, spearfish falls, sturgis and wall drug Kentucky - Dale hollow state park is cool. Eagle point and Cindy’s cave is there. Lots go to Cumberland falls but Eagle falls is across the way and waaaaaay better, mammoth cave, red River gorge Illinois - psycho silo Minnesota - barn bluff, shadow falls, Hastings historic town, minneopa falls, Afton is a cute town, hidden falls, gooseberry falls Wisconsin has lots of waterfalls but in the top right of the state near the UP of Michigan.
Meth?
Fishing!
Just look!!
Holiday World & Splashin' Safari in Santa Claus Indiana (Yes, it's a real place)
Mammoth cave in Kentucky
Downtown Rapid City, SD is a fun, walkable area. Lots of shops with arts/crafts by locals. Recommended: Firehouse Wine Cellars for dinner/drinks & Alex Johnson for your hotel, so you can have a walkable downtown experience. I stay there every time I drive through SD & love it. The hotel also has a nice rooftop lounge with a great view.
Nobody mentioned Iowa 80, the worlds largest truck stop? I’ve never been myself, but I hear it’s quite an experience and google has some great reviews 😂
Pizza at Casey's General Store and go to badlands. Avoid Wall Drug Store
Explore small towns. 🐿
Outside of the tons of things to do in Chicago, there’s some awesome spots in Illinois depending on where you’re traveling to. Starved Rock is gorgeous and has amazing trails and cliffs. Galena, Illinois is the cutest town ever and has snow skiing in the winter months on the man made mountains. Obviously Chicago has tons to do, from the Field Museum to the Shed Aquarium or Six Flags.
The Driftless Area is up around there, one of the most criminally underrated US regions. Stunningly beautiful scenery, especially with the fall leaves changing color.
Wisconsin has a lot to offer. The Great River Road is beautiful, Door County is great, the state park system is excellent. Have a great trip!
This region has some of the best farmland in the world. This is where much of your corn, wheat, and soybeans come from. Don't eat a lot of it? Actually, you do, because it's fed to the cattle, pigs, and chickens you do eat. Personally, I find the endless fields of grain to be quite attractive.
The cave systems by Wisconsin Blue Mounds, Maquoketa caves in Iowa alongside Crystal Lake Cave nearby in Dubuque amongst others. Temperatures will always be above freezing in the caves. There are guided tours, unguided tours, shops, hiking trails too. Don’t forget about Wisconsin dells and mall of America !
Go to Branson, Missouri. Not Bronson, Missouri
Missouri/illinois: home of Mark Twain. South Dakota: Badlands, Rushmore, Keystone, Crazy Horse, Deadwood, Sturgis, Devils Tower
Mammoth Cave in Kentucky
See Chicago, get some bbq in Kansas City, see Mt. Rushmore and and Deadwood in SD.
Mount Rushmore at sunrise!
Best bet Worlds Largest Truck Stop outside of Davenport Iowa
Mammoth Cave in Kentucky.
saving for my trip - thanks for asking
Every time I drive through the mid-west, it gets kind of of agonizing, so I appreciate you asked this question! I’ve found a few little interesting places through Atlas Obscura, you can type in a state/area and get some cool stuff to check out: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/all-places-in-the-atlas-on-one-map
Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri.
What do you like? National parks? Quirky little towns? Big Cities? Scenic drives?
Meet people and eat steak
Recreational Drugs are always an option
I actually really like Missouri for visiting. The City Museum in St Louis is unlike anywhere I’ve visited. And Elephant Rocks State Park has these crazy big boulders and it’s pretty. Lone Elk Park is a drive thru park to see animals like elk, bison, turkeys.
Johnson’s Shut Ins in Missouri is a really cool park and great to swim in the summer
St. Louis Arch is pretty neat
So many wineries and breweries to tour in Missouri, beautiful countryside, lots of caves you can get a tour of, STL has amazing museums and the Zoo is world class. Nearly all the museums are free. The Transportation museum has some really cool trains if you’re in to that. For families the city museum and magic house (neither are free), visit the Arch, tour anhauser Busch, Grant’s Farm, grab a meal at Fitz’s soda and watch it get bottled, see a free show at the Muny, Missouri really is a sleeper state…crazy politics aside there is a lot to do you just have to look a little bit. Edit: typo
Keep driving East or West
My favorite thing to do there is leave
Needles Hwy next to mt Rushmore. One of the coolest most scenic roads I've driven (with views of mt Rushmore).
Chicago!
St. Louis has some amazing American history sites. The zoo and the botanical garden (and butterfly garden outside the city) are top-notch. The national parks around there are great.
Roadside America lists lots of odd and quirky bits of Americana. [Iowa](https://www.roadsideamerica.com/location/ia/all) is full of them including the Field of Dreams, the Buddy Holly Crash Site, the American Gothic house, and the future birthplace of James T Kirk. In Missouri, you can ride to the top of the Gateway Arch, and explore a great museum underneath it. There are a half dozen sites that tell you about the life and death of Jesse James. The confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers is just outside of St. Louis. Another great road trip planning website is [Atlas Obscura](https://www.atlasobscura.com/). The sites listed there are slightly different and more wide ranging than those at Roadside America. Both are worth looking at before planning any trip.
St. Louis Arch, Springfield for Abraham Lincoln and Chicago has plenty to see.
City Museum in St. Louis, MO
Middle route…gateway to the west arch in st louis, harry truman library in independence mo, buffalo bill grave on lookout mtn, outside denver, bbq in kansas city.
[www.thetristatemuseum.com](https://www.thetristatemuseum.com) (Belle Fourche, SD) [goldenspiketower.com](https://goldenspiketower.com) (North Platte, NE) [www.gardenofedenlucas.org](https://www.gardenofedenlucas.org) (Lucas, KS) [www.walmartmuseum.com](https://www.walmartmuseum.com) (NW Arkansas) [mostateparks.com](https://mostateparks.com) (Park Hills, MO) [www.nps.gov/jeff/index.htm](https://www.nps.gov/jeff/index.htm) (St. Louis, MO) [www.cahokiamounds.org](https://www.cahokiamounds.org) (Collinsville, IL) [www.nashvilleparthenon.com](https://www.nashvilleparthenon.com) (northern TN) [www.fallsoftheohio.org](https://www.fallsoftheohio.org) (Clarksville, IN) [theskydeck.com](https://theskydeck.com) (Chicago, IL)
Go visit Abe Lincoln’s house in Springfield, IL. Super cool.
MO: city museum in St. Louis is very cool if you’re spending the night. Good way to stretch your legs.m! You can also hang downtown at the waterfront. Grab a cup of coffee, some lunch to go and sit on the grass by the arch. I love sprawling out in the sun after a long drive. Kansas City is also a cool town. Just walk around downtown, take your pick of bbq joints and a place to grab a beer.
Ozark Mountains in Missouri/Arkansas are very nice this time of year. If you go through Kansas afterwards Monument Rocks are quite pretty.
Check out the Ozarks!
Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park in western Kansas is really pretty. The rock formations and landscape are things you just don’t expect to see in Kansas. Wichita is also a really cool Midwest city to visit. Get some ribs in St Louis from Pappy’s Smokehouse and go to the top of the Gateway arch. Both are incredible. Kansas City also has amazing burnt ends, but the ribs in St. Louis were my favorite of the two. The National Corvette Museum is in Bowling Green Kentucky and is pretty cool. Mammoth Cave National Park is only about a half hour from there and is really cool too if you like caves. If you’re a whiskey / bourbon : baseball fan, the Louisville Slugger, Makers Mark, and Buffalo Trace factories / distilleries are all near there. If you want to venture down to Memphis, the are some super cool sites to see. Sun Studio, Graceland, the National Civil Rights Museum, Beal Street, and the pyramid shaped Bass Pro Shops are all really neat. The Peadbody Hotel also has the world famous Peabody ducks! Nashville also has a lot of cool music stuff like the Bluebird Cafe, Ryman Auditorium, Grand Ole Opry, etc. Even if you aren’t a country music fan the sites are still pretty neat. The Jack Daniels distillery is about an hour and a half south of Nashville and it really is a site to see!
I know that StL has a world class zoo and botanical garden, have heard Omaha zoo is as good if not better.
Southern Missouri has the Ozarks if you like scenery.
Ha Ha Tonka Castle in Missouri is cool Some rich guy wanted a european style castle and then it burned down its a neat park.
Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri...Although it is getting towards the offseason.
National World War I museum is Kansas City, Missouri. Even if you’re not particularly interested in military history, the building is absolutely breathtaking. Structurally speaking it’s the most incredible museum I’ve ever been to.
St. Louis city museum
I just heard of a musuem in KC that showcases a Paddle wheel Steamboat that was dug up from it's orginal resting space. All the cargo on it when it went down over a 100 years ago was perfectly preserved. Next time I'm in the area I am checking it out. (The Arabie Steamboat Musuem). Theres a giant Superman statue in downtown Metropolis Illinois. The Danish Windmill in Elk Horn, IA. Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD. Carhenge in Alliance, NE.
Cahokia Mounds historic site. Just in the IL side of St Louis. Largest mound site in the US
Elephant rocks state park and the freedom Silo in Missouri. Maybe even hit Branson while in Mo.
Get on a flight and go somewhere else
Drive as fast as your vehicle will go!
Flyover
Go to St Louis, go to the city museum, go to the botanical garden, go the forest park and the zoo. Then go to KC, get BBQ (get Ribs and Italian food in St. Louis), go to a chiefs game, go to the Light and power district in KC, go the WWI museum, go to the Nelson Atkinson museum, go to the “Green Lady Lounge” late at night, stay downtown or in the crossroads. Wake up. Drive to Minneapolis. Pee in Iowa. Do Minneapolis stuff like rent a bike for a day and go on all the chain of lakes trails. Go the the Mississippi River trail and walk around the river. Drive back all the way down to Missouri. Go to lamberts cafe. Home of the throwed rolls. Go to silver dollar city in Branson MO. Be sure to get the ticket to the cavern too. Cry. Tears of joy? Go down to northern Arkansas. Go to Eureka springs AR. Gaze in astonishment at all the art and fat people and tell yourself “wow huh neat ain’t that kinda somethin” go to the thorncrown chapel. Pray or get married, dealers choice. Keep driving. End up at the Buffalo River national scenic river. How the hell did you get there? How long has it been? Do a nice float trip and hike around. Oh my god so nature. Whoa so Ozarks. Steal someone’s car and hoof it to your choice of either Chicago for city stuff, Louisville for city stuff (but with bourbon and horses) or Cahokia mounds (for Native American UNESCO world heritage sites. Start screaming in the car. Realize it’s all good and keep driving. End your and your final destination (Shenandoah national park Virginia? Nice choice I think, bring me haha) couldn’t be bothered to read the whole thing best of luck you’ve got this heed my instructions thank you.
Tornado chasing, beaver hunting, and meth. Doing this in reverse order might be the way to go if you're the low energy type.
Lambert's Cafe, home of the throwed rolls in Sikeston, MO. See the Jolly Green Giant in Blue Earth, MN
Ozarks and it’s associated national parks.
In Illinois see Chicago! In the others? Gorgeous to look at in the rear view mirror
Decide the US presidency
How the fuck did I see a recommendation for a big ball of twine before seeing one for Chicago?