Minnesota to Colorado
 

Hey there! My husband and I are roadtripping from MN to Colorado Springs later this summer and although i know going through SD and the badlands would be idea, we are planning to drive through Nebraska on I80 to save some time. I'm hopeful that maybe there may be a few hidden gems in Nebraska we could hit up to make that portion of our trip a little more exciting?!

Anybody have any ideas?!

The Sandhill Cranes are long gone but there are a few other things to see/do in the Kearney area.http://visitkearney.org/

Thanks Tom!

I believe you'll be going past Omaha and Lincoln. Omaha has a walkable downtown area that, while not great, is a nice area to stay and eat in. There is a railroad museum nearby which if memory serves has changing exhibits. The Omaha zoo is highly rated.

Lincoln is a neat town. The haymarket area is a walkable entertainment district (mostly restaurants). Consider staying near there. The campus kind of stops and downtown starts, including the capitol building. There is a nice little natural history museum on campus. The campus is worth a bit of a stroll. There is also an art museum on campus but I haven't seen its offerings. The Neb. capitol building is very much worth going inside. (these are all within walking distance of each other, though it may be a bit of a walk to the natural history museum). We have taken in a Salt Dogs baseball game across the bridge from Haymarket, and that can be fun.

Between both cities is the Strategic Air and Space Museum. Definitely worth a stop.

You have the arch over I-80 just east of Kearney. While it was developed to be a tourist attraction it is well done telling the history of the area. In the same area is Fort Kearney just south of I-80. It was the principle re-fitting and rest area for wagon trains heading west after St. Louis.

On the north side of North Platte off of old hwy 30 is the Buffalo Bill ranch. It was the winter quarters of his Wild West show. If into railroads, there is the massive Union Pacific rail service yards on the west side of NP. The free guide tours are really worth it.

A real oddity is the Big Ole's Big Game Bar and Lounge in Paxton (west of NP) Ole Olson was a big game hunter in the best (or worse depending on your point of view) tradition of big game hunting in the early part of last century. All of his trophies are hung in this bar. (Disclaimer - it has been years since I was there so hope it is still in business) Paxton is very small so it will be easy to find if there. Nebraska has great rest stops so take advantage of them.

Once you leave I-80 at I-76, there is not much till you hit Denver and rest stops are min. Nice rest stop at Julesburg just south of the CO border. Sterling, CO has two exits about five miles apart. The highway patrol tends to set up in this area because it is easy to loop the area with the two exists. Generally the Brush/Ft. Morgan area, further SW, will have cheaper gas. Shortly after leaving Ft. Morgan you will crest a hill and see the mountains for the first time.

Depending on the time you hit Denver you may want to consider the toll road, E-470, that swings east of Denver. From about 3 pm to 7 the I-25 stretch through Denver will be very slow. Afternoon traffic on south I-25 will be problem till you get past Castle Rock.