For odd and off the beaten path, take a look at some of the places I visited on my way to and from Kearney, Nebraska last year: http://www.mightymac.org/neb1.htm.

Closer by, and back on the beaten path, are Henry Doorly Zoo (one of the best in the country and with enough indoor things that it is worth visiting in poor weather), and the Strategic Air Command Museum (300,000 square foot building including over 30 aircraft, from the tiny Goblin to the, SR-71 Blackbird, Apollo 009, and enormous B-1, B-52 & B-36).

My favorite Iowa location is 3/4 way across the state, but then it is not a big state. The Amana Colonies have great German food served family style, many wineries, woolen mill, furniture factory (with 100 year warranty), wonderful smoked meats, museum, gift shops, B&Bs.

About half way there (just off the freeway in Newton) and much less visited, is the Maytag Dairy where you can sample their hand crafted blue cheese.

Closer still is Madison County with its 6 covered bridges.

Keith

It's 4 hours to Amana, so that would take an entire day. If you want to see anything in southwestern Iowa, there is the Glenn Miller birthplace in Clarinda. If you liked the movie, you could visit the bridges of Madison County. http://www.madisoncounty.com/bridge.html

However, I would stay in Omaha and visit the Joslyn Art Museum, the SAC Museum (about 30 miles west), the Durham Western Heritage Museum (the old Union Pacific station) and the Henry Doorly Zoo. Don't go to Lincoln on a football Saturday--there's no place to park. If it's not a home game, you can go to the UN-L campus to the Sheldon Art Gallery and also tour the Nebraska state capitol building.

There are several museums in the area that appeal to genealogists: The Mormon Trail museum in Omaha, the Danish Immigrant museum in Elk Horn, Iowa, and the American Historical Society of Germans From Russia in Lincoln, among others.

Use the site to help you plan your trip. http://www.councilbluffsiowa.com/tourism/default.asp

The Omaha metro has a plethoria of things you can do without much driving. The Western Heritage museum in Omaha is quite extensive and right downtown in the Old Market area, an excellent place to find local unique restaurants, shops etc.

If you are into trains the Union Pacific Museum in downtown Council Bluffs is free and open on Saturday during your long weekend from 10-4 p.m. It is located in an old beautifully restored Carnegie library building. I volunteer there!

The Lauritzen Gardens/Botanical Center and the Henry Doorly zoo are some of the finest attractions of their kind in the midwest and highly recommended. Both located within 5 minutes of downtown Omaha. Three casinos in Council Bluffs along the river if that is your idea of a little fun.

Omaha metro has extensive interesting restaurants. Although part of a small chain, Rick's Boatyard Cafe on the Omaha riverfront is one of my favorites.

The SAC (Strategic Air Command) Museum is a little farther west out of Omaha (20 minutes) which was redone about 10 years ago, I personally find military aircraft, bombs and artifacts boring but some really really like this type of museum.