Not your typical Spring Break for sure, but my college aged kids have never seen the town I grew up in and we have family that we need to visit while we still can. We are actually excited about the part once we get there, but since it's Spring Break, I'd love to mix in some fun stuff along the way. If you had a day to stop somewhere between here and there, where would you go? Don't mind driving a little out of the way.

TIA

Since today is February 3rd and you'll be going to Iowa, how about this?

https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/12159

Thanks! That website is going to be very helpful.

Quote:

---

Iowa/Nebraska

---

Little more specific? Might have an idea or two, depends on your route.

Iowa - Field of Dreams?

Family stops in Carroll, IA, Ida Grove, IA and Osmond, NE.

Thanks. I don't know a lot that way, but I will throw in a few.

Google Maps sends you straight up to Dallas and OKC, and on to Wichita, KS. I'll throw a few off-route suggestions. I'll let you Google and will be happy to reply to specific questions.

Old Post and artillery museum, Ft. Sill

Woolaroc, Bartlesville

If your wife is into the Pioneer Woman TV show, Pawhuska

I seem to recall an aviation museum in Wichita, KS. Lots of planes, but a little run down

Army post at Levenworth is pretty and has nice museums

Lots of stuff in Kansas City, WWI Museum is a bucket list item, also recommend Truman Library in Independence, MO

Weston, MO is an interesting little town if on the way. Same with Atchison, KS, recommend the Amelia Earhart childhood home

Eisenhower Library in Abilene.

Never been to Kansas State, but I think taking kids by colleges is a good thing

Tailgate88 said:

---

Family stops in Carroll, IA, Ida Grove, IA and Osmond, NE.

---

I don't have anything to add to this thread as I haven't spent a Spring break in Iowa in about 30 years other than my dad is from Carroll and my aunt lives in Buck Grove which is just down from Ida Grove.

I. Need to get a family trip up to that part of the world as well. My wife and kids have never been up there and I need to see some uncles and aunts before it's too late.

+1 for the Eisenhower Library in Abilene, KS.

The Truman Library in Independence, MO is good.

One that is still on my bucket list is the Negro League Baseball Hall of Fame in KC, MO.

Another unique opportunity in Wichita is to tour "The Allen House". It's a Frank Lloyd Wright house from 1915 complete with the original furniture.

OKC Bombing Memorial is worth the trip and an easy stop from I-35.

A friend who lives in Omaha raves about how great their Zoo is.

Did the Negro League museum this past summer and was a little underwhelmed. Took only about 30-45 minutes to get through and that was really reading everything . Also it is in the old part of KC which surprised me some. I thought it would be more in the museum district. All in all it might be good to go to stretch your legs but definitely wouldn't go out of my way.

I forgot about the Omaha Zoo. It was outstanding decades ago, and they improving it even then

It had a three story indoor rain forest and they were adding an aquarium with a tunnel in the bottom so you could look up at the fish

Thanks! WW1 museum is on the list now!

We actually did the OK City bombing museum a few years back and it was very good. Highly recommended to anyone passing through there.

I went to the Omaha Zoo as a kid but I think we'll hit it up again. Maybe I can sneak in a few rounds of Blackjack at a casino nearby while we are there.

Not sure if I will be able to get the wife and daughter to drive out of the way for a Presidential museum but we will see.

A few notable stops on the way:
OKC Memorial/Museum
Tall grass Prairie Natural Preserve
Kansas City is a cool city. They've got BBQ, a good art museum, the college basketball experience, WW1 Museum, Negro League museum

Tailgate88 said:

---

Maybe I can sneak in a few rounds of Blackjack at a casino nearby while we are there.

---

I had to go to Council Bluffs, IA for work last year and it looked like Casinos were the only thing going out there.

Another fun fact if you enjoy weird geographic anomalies, you can go to Carter Lake, Iowa which is on the west side of the Missouri River. I've also been to Point Roberts, WA which is an isolated part of the USA connected to Vancouver, BC, Canada. I love weird little things like that.

When I drove from Abilene, KS to Omaha, NE, we drove through all the small towns between Fort Riley, KS and Lincoln, NE. That was really neat to see all these small farm towns that time had just kind of passed by. I've always been optimistic that with modern WFH type situations that those small towns could thrive again.

Quote:

---

Not sure if I will be able to get the wife and daughter to drive out of the way for a Presidential museum but we will see.

---

We are history nuts, so we love the Presidential libraries/museums. The IKE one is in a park-like setting that includes the library/museum, his boyhood home, and his mausoleum. Lots of cool WWII items in the museum because of his service.

If you make it to Truman's, get on the list to visit his home, a few blocks away. Limited guided tours

And I didn't know until we went to Independence, apparently the Mormon Church split, and the HQ of the ones who stayed in Missouri is close to the Truman home.

Working on our itinerary tonight. We will be in Omaha for a couple days and have the zoo, SAC / Aero museum and Luminarium on the agenda. Any other suggestions?

Any restaurant recommendations?

Osmond is not too far from Niobrara- Niobrara state park has some great views even in the spring. Not much else in NE Nebraska!

Also Ashfall should be relatively close- go see dinosaurs.

One of the largest herds of bison is on your way near Bartlesville.