KC-Des Moines-Madison-Minneapolis-Fargo-Souix Falls-Lincoln-KC
 

My wife's goal is to spend some time every state in the U.S.

Layovers in airports don't count. Driving through and stopping a little while counts.

We've hit quite a few already, but neither of us have been to this part of the country.

So I booked a 2 week trip starting and ending in KC (2 states right there.), hitting 8 states altogether.

Planned a route but open to changes: KC-Des Moines-Madison-Minneapolis-Fargo-Souix Falls-Lincoln-KC.

I figure we can drive roughly 4 hours every other day.

Any suggestions on where to spend more/less time.

What's interesting to see in those cities or enroute?

Interesting restaurants (featured on diners and drive-ins is a plus) ?

Good art museums?

Beautiful scenery?

Lively districts?

All input is welcome.

I know it's a little crazy but with 2 weeks , doesn't seem outlandish.

When is this trip?

It's not all that crazy, your planned itinerary is only 26 hours of driving.

The shortest route from Madison to Minneapolis is on I94, but I would take I90 to LaCrosse instead and then drive up to Minneapolis along the Mississippi River. There are a bunch of little towns and state parks on either side. That would add an hour (without stops) to the drive but it's definitely more scenic and interesting than the interstate.

I would also modify the Dakotas part of your trip - Fargo and Sioux Falls aren't very exciting. The best part of South Dakota is the Black Hills area which is about 5-6 hours west of Sioux Falls, so it would add another 10-12 hours of driving altogether. From Minneapolis, go to Fargo and then keep heading west to somewhere around Bismarck. Visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park, then head south to the Black Hills for a couple days. From there, head SE through the Sandhills of Nebraska to get to Omaha and Lincoln.

Minneapolis and Kansas City are the only 2 major cities on the route. I'd say Madison is probably the next best city for stuff to do. I don't know that you'll find a ton of exciting things in Des Moines or Lincoln or Omaha, unless you happen to hit them on a weekend where there's something going on at a university.

So plan on a 2-3 nights apiece in Minneapolis and Kansas City, a couple nights in the Black Hills if you decide to go there, and then a night everywhere else?

WhereAreWe,

We are coming from Long Island, NY, flying into KC. The trip is first 2 weeks of July.

What road goes through the Sand Hills, if I'm coming from Badlands NP? I don't have to go to Lincoln or Omaha as long as I'm hitting Nebraska. Is there a better way back to KC?

Anthony Bourdain says that Oklahoma Joe's (actually in the KC area) is one of the 13 places to eat before you die. One good reason to drive into Kansas from the KC airport (in Missouri). And it fits into your diner type restaurant category.

http://www.pitch.com/FastPitch/archi...before-he-dies

http://www.oklahomajoesbbq.com/

Oh, and if you like vegan cuisine in a lovely atmosphere, Kansas City,MO has the only Cafe Gratitude outside California. I've taken folks who like "conventional" foods there and they have devoured the food!
http://cafegratitudekc.com/

4 KC BBQ restaurants were featuted on Diners, Drive-ins& Dives. Here are the details: http://www.kansastravel.org/kansasci...ppledkcbbq.htm

The Nelson Atkins in KCMO is a very enjoyable art museum, with plenty of variety (you'll find something that interests you). It has a relaxing food court, but is a short hop from the Country Club Plaza dining/shopping district.

Omaha has the Joslyn art museum. Smaller but nice venue. I like their fountain room. Sadly, like every other smallish museum, they too have a Chihuly glass sculpture.

I wrote recently about a couple museums in Lincoln, plus a very neat capital bldg. They have a nice (for its size) natural history museum, with some amazing Mammoth displays. The art museum on campus gets high ranks, but was literally void of art when we visited (something about the building being the artwork?).

If you wanted to take a different route back to KC, particularly if you visited Lincoln NE, you could come down 75 and stop in Topeka. It has a lot of quick stops: Capitol bldg (being renovated, but inside might be fine), small Mulvane art museum (mediocre on my last visit), neat library building, and a pretty good history museum. Also a beautifully restored RR Station if you are into that.

You would come back East on I-70 and could visit Lawrence's vibrant downtown for a meal and/or visit the Univ. of KS campus, with Allen Field House and a couple easy museums on it: Art museum and Nat'l History museum).

http://www.visitnebraska.com/things-...y-scenic-byway

The directions on that website are the reverse of your trip, just head from the Black Hills south on 385 to Alliance and get on Highway 2 east to Grand Island. Then you can get on I-80, drive to Lincoln and decide if you want to go directly back to KC or detour up to Omaha.

Not the best time to visit the Kansas Capitol Building, the dome is closed because of the work. You can still see the John Steuart Curry murals.

A couple of notes on the above: the Joslyn museum in Omaha now has free admission. The Old Market area would be considered a "lively district" with some cool hotels, nice restaurants and fun shopping. Lincoln has a quilt museum, if your wife is interested in that; Bitter is correct in his assessment of the natural history museum.

In addition to the Nelson-Atkins in Kansas City, there is also the Kemper Museum of Modern Art which is nearby and also free.

Wow, everyone. Thanks for the great tips! Keep em coming :)