5 Great road trips in the Midwest

I moved back to Kansas City in 2020 and I’ve taken a few road trips. The first road trip was to Branson Mo. On the way to Branson we stopped and stayed in Springfield Mo. It’s really a short trip to Springfield but they have several places there in Springfield you’ll need to visit before you cross it off your bucket list.

# 1. SPRINGFIELD MO. – On the way to Springfield you’ll be inundated by Billboards directing you to Fantastic Caverns. Fantastic Caverns is a fun family friendly place to visit where you can take a seated guided tour of the caverns in a jeep drawn tram. I was lucky enough to ride shotgun in the jeep with our tour guide. The tour lasts about 45-55 minutes and you’ll learn about the history of the cave that dates back to 1862 and you’ll get up close views of the formations and every guest gets a souvenir group photo. It’s not far off the beaten path and it’s a definite recommended stop.

The number 1 activity in Springfield Mo is to attend the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium. I can’t say enough about this place. I’ve been to aquariums in many major metro areas all over the USA and this one beats them all. It’s number 1 in my book. It has a 1.5 million gallon aquarium and features over 35,000 live fish, reptiles, birds and scenic galleries that you will never forget. I took a number of photos and will post a few here. This is attached to the Bass Pro Shops National Headquarters and has over 350,000 square feet of displays and museum exhibits to explore.

You can probably spend as much time as you like in Springfield Mo. There is plenty to do and I will attach a few links at the end of the article to help in your travels. Check them all out. It’s a great city and well worth the time to plan a few activities.

#2. Branson Mo is great weekend or week long getaway destination. The biggest family attraction’s in Branson are the lake and Silver Dollar City. Others might argue because there are so many things to do in Branson you’d have to spend a month there to do everything. The food is outstanding and I will recommend going downtown and eating at the Farmhouse restaurant across from Mr. B’s Ice cream parlor. The Farmhouse restaurant has great Chicken Fried chicken and I had the open face beef. They are famous for their whole catfish. They have a great gift shop upstairs and you’ll be able to find souvenirs there or at many of the surrounding shops. You can spend an entire afternoon just walking around downtown and shopping.

The lake is the big attraction and there are lots of cabins and hotels, motels, resorts and vacation rentals. We stayed for a week in a cabin by the lake with our dogs. We enjoyed being near the water but I would definitely stay in a more modern place as some of these places near the water have become a little too rustic.

Silver Dollar City is the place to take your family in Branson to enjoy the 1880’s style theme park upgraded with futuristic roller coasters that will make your head spin….literally( I will get back to this). The theme park has over 40 rides and attractions, 60 unique shops, 18 award winning-restaurants and 100 resident craftsmen who demonstrate different old style crafts. The Park also does Live shows and concerts of all types.

I went on the roller coaster called the Time Traveler…… it was by far the most crazy roller coaster I have ever been on and by the end I could barely catch my breath. The coaster goes 50 milers per hour and has a 10 story drop at one point. It moves you in all directions including backwards while going upside down. Hard to imagine the fabulous mind that thought of this but it makes me think that time travel is possible with this great amount of engineering.

There are so many great things to write about Branson Mo. My visit was during the Pumpkins in the city display and it was spectacular (see attached video). I will also mention the Showboat Branson Belle that takes you out on a lunch or dinner cruise that includes a great meal and live entertainment all while cruising on the lake. The service was outstanding and the entertainment was top notch.

Video's from Silver Dollar City and the Showboat Branson Belle

#3 &4. Omaha/Council Bluffs

We took a quick weekend trip up to Omaha Nebraska which is right next to Council Bluffs Iowa. The state line is divided by the Missouri river and they are just a short distance apart. Tons of things to do in Omaha as they have a historic district with shopping and dining. We ate at a nice place and went to the Durham Museum.

The Durham Museum had some great exhibits at the time and we also learned about the world fair in Omaha in 1898. The fascinating thing to me was that they built an entire small city for the fair and then ended up tearing it down afterwards. The Durham Museum has a miniature display of the small city scape that was built on display.

Council Bluffs had several casinos to visit including a Harrah’s and Ameristar Casino in Council Bluffs. Harrah’s had a few restaurants and we decided to go to the 360 Steakhouse. This is located on the 12th floor and has great views of the river and downtown areas. It has been voted into “Open Tables”- top 100 scenic view restaurants in America. The food there was a meal to remember. I definitely would put the museum and the 360 Steakhouse on your list if you are going to Omaha/Council Bluffs area.

#5. Dodge City Kansas

A quick getaway to Dodge city usually isn’t on a lot of people’s lists but if you are headed to Colorado, the southwest or Western Kansas you should make the time to check out Dodge City. The Boot Hill Museum has great displays and shares the rich Kansas history with all that attend. From the gift shop to the Boot Hill Cemetery, you will be entertained. They also do live shows in the summertime and have other events as well.

The Boot Hill Casino is an adult’s only attraction for guests 21 years of age or older and has several hundred slot machines and table games. The Hampton Inn and suites is used by many guest’s and is adjacent to the casino. In addition, they have Historic Trolley Tours and you can hit many of the sites while getting a guided tour around town.

Dodge City days is an annual event in July and is now over a 10-day period. They have over 100,000 people attend annually and this year Dodge City celebrated 150th anniversary.

Photo's from Boot Hill Museum