National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
Iowa
Interactive exhibits and oral histories tell the stories of the Czech and Slovak immigrants who came to the US and built Cedar Rapids. Special exhibitions…
Must-see attractions in The Great Plains
Oklahoma
Near the capitol building, this museum makes people the focus as it tells the story of the Sooner State through interactive exhibits. There are good…
Nebraska
This admired and architecturally imposing museum has a great collection of classic and contemporary European and American art. There's also a good…
Lewis & Clark Boat House & Museum
Missouri
Explorers Lewis and Clark began their epic journey in St Charles on May 21, 1804, and their time here is reenacted annually on that date. This museum has…
Oklahoma
Finished in 1928, this 24-floor skyscraper combines art deco and neo-Gothic details. A landmark on the skyline, its name – and original financing –…
Oklahoma
This enormous 1930s neon sign for the Meadow Gold brand of milk was a Route 66 landmark and a city icon. Now restored, it's surrounded by displays about…
Iowa
A nature reserve at the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers with 10 intertwined hiking trails and sweeping views from the hilltop…
Lewis & Clark Information Center
South Dakota
Get out of your car – instead of your canoe – at this hilltop rest stop, south of town, for exhibits on the intrepid duo and their voyages past here on…
Iowa
Newly expanded, this surprisingly interesting museum recalls the history of the lakes and the many forms of boats that have sailed upon them – from pure…
Nebraska
On the north side of town, this small public park is home to two huge Union Pacific locomotives: a fabled Big Boy steam engine and a Centennial diesel,…
South Dakota
This important small museum tells the story of the Wounded Knee massacre from the Lakota perspective using photos and narratives. It's more insightful…
Black Hills
All that drama underground has produced some spectacular rocks. See these plus dinosaur bones and some stellar fossils here at the South Dakota School of…
Missouri
Snaking through the hills 2 miles southwest of Branson, large Table Rock Lake is a deservedly popular destination for boating, fishing, camping and other…
Nicodemus National Historic Site Visitor Center
Kansas
Descendants of Nicodemus's early settlers are often at the national parks visitor center to recount local history and the experience of African Americans…
North Dakota
This ambitious and free museum features sophisticated programs in a renovated warehouse. The permanent collection includes contemporary work by Native…
Route 66 Museum & Research Center
Missouri
This museum at the Lebanon library has replicas of a 1930s gas station, a 1940s tourist cabin and a 1950s diner. The vintage maps will thrill any Route 66…
Oklahoma
Sixty miles southwest of Tulsa, this museum re-creates the experience of driving the Mother Road through the decades. It's housed in a magnificent 1936…
Kansas City
In River Market, this museum displays 200 tons of salvaged 'treasure' from a riverboat that sank in 1856 (one of hundreds claimed by the Missouri River).
Nebraska
Linking Old Market with the waterfront, this 23-acre park features elaborate plantings, a large lake, water features and a landmark 320ft-high fountain.
St Louis
Huge railroad locomotives (including a Union Pacific Big Boy), historic cars cooler than your rental, and more that moves. Take I-270 west to exit 8.
Black Hills
Recently revitalized, this museum does an excellent job of capturing the town's colorful past. There's also a small store with books on the region.
John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park
Oklahoma
This park tells the story of the 1921 race riots that killed scores of African Americans and destroyed the surrounding neighborhood of Greenwood.
Nebraska
Follows the Cornhusker State's story, starting with the large First Nebraskans room. Compare the pioneer sod house to the Pawnee earth lodge.
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
Kansas City
Near the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and Country Club Plaza, this museum is small and edgy with rotating exhibitions. The cafe is excellent.
North Dakota
With some 150,000 flowers and several monuments, this garden sits symbolically on the border with Manitoba, Canada. Bring your passport!
Kansas
Don't miss the showstopping County Courthouse in Cottonwood Falls. Completed in 1873, it is a fantasy of French Renaissance style.
Iowa
Offers a good overview of the colonies. Ask about the self-guided walking and driving routes that can be accessed via your phone.
Kansas
From a Cheyenne war lance to temperance advocate Carrie Nation's hammer, this engaging center is packed with Kansas stories.
Kansas
An intriguing collection of works made by amateur artists using recycled goods such as buttons, barbed wire and pull-tabs.
Iowa
Built in 1882, this funicular railway climbs a steep 189-foot hill from downtown for huge views.
Buffalo Gap National Grassland
South Dakota
This nature reserve surrounds the Badlands and together they protect the country's largest prairie grasslands, several species of Great Plains mammal …
Iowa
Unfortunately this large and high-concept open-air attraction dedicated to the history of farming never quite lives up to its promise. The site is…
South Dakota
Just outside De Smet and down a dirt road, the actual Ingalls Homestead has been much gussied up and includes all manner of attractions like covered wagon…
St Louis
From St Louis follow I-44 (the interstate is built over most of Route 66 in Missouri) 28 miles west to Route 66 State Park, with its visitor center and…
Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge
Nebraska
Has marshes and other open areas on the river that are little changed in centuries. A winding driving route shows you what the land crossed by the…
Fort Buford State Historic Site
North Dakota
Twenty-two miles southwest of Williston, Fort Buford is close to Fort Union Trading Post and is located near Missouri River. It's the bleak army outpost…
Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Visitor Center
Nebraska
Omaha's riverfront is home to this visitor center, which has some exhibits and a bookstore. As the regional NPS headquarters, it's a good place to plan…
University of Nebraska State Museum
Nebraska
See what the university's own legions of Indiana Jones's have been up to at the campus museum, where archeological and academic discoveries are displayed…
Nebraska
From the outside, Nebraska's remarkable 1932 400ft-high state capitol represents the apex of phallic architecture (like many tall buildings in the Plains,…
John Wayne Birthplace & Museum
Iowa
This small (and slightly overpriced) museum is devoted to the life and career of John Wayne, aka Marion Robert Morrison. The house where he was born in…
