Road trip NY - West Virginia - Kentucky - Missouri - Kansas - Colorado

October 11, 2023 4:06 AM

We are looking for places to see and stay along this path. Parks, mountains, valleys, towns, small museums, and of course odd-ball things.
posted by ebesan to Travel & Transportation around Burnett County, WI (17 answers total)

Thurmond, West Virginia, is a launching point for many whitewater rafting trips on the New River. Thurmond was originally an old mining town, then abandoned, then revived by the recreation industry.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 5:21 AM on October 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

There is a pony express museum in St. Joseph, MO. I went earlier this year and really enjoyed it. The Patee House museum, a few blocks away, was also nice.

In a few weeks, I'm going on a Little House weekend - I'll visit Little House on Rocky Ridge in Mansfield, MO, and Little House on the Prairie in Independence, KS.

+1 for whitewater rafting in Thurmond, WV. We did that a few years ago; it was great. The hiking in general in that area is very hilly (as to be expected) and good.

The National Quilt Museum is in Paducah, KY. It's been on my list to visit for several years, but I never have time (nor is Mr. Meat interested) when we drive through.

For amusement, there is a "Butt Drugs" in Corydon, IN. Similarly, there is a "Stoner Drug" in Hamburg, IA (which I recognize is not on your route but is still amusing to me).

Another detour is the World's Largest Covered Porch Swing in Hebron, NE. Similar to that (and also a detour) is the collection of world's largest items in Casey, IL. However, the world's largest covered wagon is not there; it's in Lincoln, IL.

Branson, MO is a collection of odd-ball things. I've described it "Myrtle Beach but without the beach." So shows, food, mini golf, amusement rides, shopping. India Clay Oven is a surprisingly delicious restaurant (because why would I expect great Indian food in MO, home of barbecue?).

Lambert's Cafe has a few locations in MO. I took my debaters there near Springfield, MO. They are the "home of the throwed rolls."

The Katy Trail is a state-wide trail in MO that follows an old railroad line. It's flat and kind of boring (especially compared to WV), but it's a nice break when driving across the state. The access point at Rocheport is not far from I-70.

Pere Marquette State Park in IL has a nice bike trail that follows the river and is really pretty when leaves are turning.

Garden of the Gods in Shawnee National Forest in IL is cool. Similar to Elephant Rocks State Park in MO. Well, probably not similar according to geologists or real park aficianados, but both have big rocks and hiking. I probably prefer Garden of the Gods.

This is very much an up-my-alley question. So let me know if you have any more questions; I can try to remember where all I've been and what I thought.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 5:45 AM on October 11, 2023 [2 favorites]

The Highlands Museum in Ashland KY isn't far off of I-64, and features exhibits on famous musicians from Ashland like Billy Ray Cyrus and The Judds, and also has Hitler's phone.

https://highlandsmuseum.com/exhibits/
posted by bendybendy at 6:16 AM on October 11, 2023

Not sure if NY means NYC or somewhere upstate, but if you're passing through Hamburg, PA, on I-78 you won't be far from the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. If you're into bourbon, there's quite a cluster of distilleries in the zone of Lexington, Frankfort, and Louisville, KY.
posted by aught at 6:42 AM on October 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

If I were going through WV I'd want to go to Blenko Glass near Huntington but I'm not sure how general-interest that is or if it's on your path.
posted by less-of-course at 6:46 AM on October 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

STRATACA: Kansas Underground Salt Museum

That may sound daft but hear me out. It was a destination of mine for a vacation I took before the pandemic. The only salt mine in North America where they take you on an underground tour.

In the same neighborhood is the Cosmosphere, a Smithsonian affiliate museum of the early history of space travel.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 7:06 AM on October 11, 2023 [5 favorites]

The Missouri Botanical Garden in Saint Louis is a great half-day wander. While in town, you're then a short drive from the Saint Louis Art Museum, which is architecturally gorgeous, has a great collection, and is free because socialism benefits the community dammit.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 8:57 AM on October 11, 2023 [2 favorites]

The Phillipi Mummies in Phillipi, West Virginia!

(Depends on where you're coming from, might be prettyfar out of the way)

Blackwater Falls State Park, WV.

Cooper's Rock State Park, WV

Berkely Springs, WV.

Actually, just in general, West Virginia has a great state park system. They're all free free to visit.
posted by AbelMelveny at 9:11 AM on October 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

Also, depending on your tolerance for museums and bummer topics, The National WW1 Museum and Memorial in Kansas City is part of a beautiful memorial park, and is also a very comprehensive and well-presented museum focused on that specific decade in world history.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 9:31 AM on October 11, 2023

Since The Pluto Gangsta kindly covered the sights in my hometown, let me pitch two more Kansas City museums: The Arabia Steamboat Museum and The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

Also, Abilene, KS, is home to the Eisenhower Presidential Library. It's recently been updated and spiffed up. I haven't seen the new look myself, but reports are that it's excellent.
posted by bryon at 10:38 AM on October 11, 2023 [2 favorites]

The canonical park/mountain/etc. activity in Kentucky is to hike at Red River Gorge (try the Auxier Ridge-Courthouse Rock trail), then eat at Miguel's Pizza. If you're tent or trailer camping, stay at Miguel's or across the road at Natural Bridge State Park. Natural Bridge also has a lodge and cabins if you want a roof over your head.
posted by wps98 at 2:38 PM on October 11, 2023

In the intersection of parks and odd-ball things, there’s Kansas Sand Dunes State Park (a relic from when the area was ocean bed or shoreline or something, a very long time ago). Though my experience there was probably quite unique, involving some very friendly dogs that had somehow managed to escape their enclosure at the home across the street, and volunteered to accompany on my mid-day exploratory walk. In less odd-ball, there’s a Tall Grass Prairie… national monument or something? … also somewhere in Kansas. The grass hadn’t grown very tall yet when I was there in springtime, but would likely be quite impressive this time of year, and just interesting to see what the whole region used to look like in its former natural state (though not as far back as the ocean part!).
posted by eviemath at 3:09 PM on October 11, 2023

I highly recommend Shepherdstown, WV and the adjacent Harpers Ferry, in the Eastern Panhandle of the state and on your route if you’re leaving from NYC. Both have historic sites, including the John Brown museum, and are very pretty little towns. Good hiking along the tow path on the Potomac (part of the AT) and good rafting/tubing. Shepherdstown is my home town. The Bavarian Inn is a good place to stay, overlooking the river.
posted by Ollie at 6:25 PM on October 11, 2023

In NY— The Olana House in the Hudson Valley is a treasure. Corning glassworks is a treat. The weekend farmers market in Ithaca is quite special. Letchworth park is spectacular. And, of course, Niagara Falls.
posted by Scout405 at 6:45 PM on October 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

NY to WV: You could stop in Philly, Baltimore, DC.

In WV, New River Gorge National Park (South to North)
Scenic drive from Sandstone Visitor Center
Hike the Endless Wall Trail or Long Point Trail
Stay in Fayetteville, then the next day do whitewater rafting, lunch at Cathedral Cafe, boardwalk at Canyon Rim Visitor Center, and New River Gorge Bridge Walk
Drive a bit over an hour to stay in Charleston

Drive a bit under 3 hours to Lexington, KY - visit the free arboretum; can get food at Windy Corner Market and ice cream at Crank & Boom
Drive 2 hours to Dinosaur World (where my friend and I got soaked in the rain, before of course getting obligatory KFC drive-through)
Note the time change from Eastern to Central!
Stay at the Lodge at Mammoth Cave National Park; there's a Caver's Camp Store
Do some cave tours, like Star Chamber Tour, Grand Avenue Tour, River Styx Tour
posted by eyeball at 7:49 PM on October 11, 2023

This is absolutely a touristy spot, but for me this hit the perfect sweet-spot balance between "actual natural wonder" and "touristy cheese": Meramec Caverns in Missouri. This has been a Route 66 attraction for years, and is only accessible via a guided tour now; the guide I had did a great job of balancing out the goofy cheeseball history (there are spots in the caverns where episodes of LASSIE or old TV shows filmed, and the whole thing ends in a cavern where Kate Smith once sang "God Bless America" for the MO governor at the time and so they "re-enact" that performance with a recording and a light show) with some of the more natural features (one cavern has some particularly unusually-shaped stalactites that grew in weird bulbous shapes that look like bunches of grapes).

I also stopped in at a spot in Kansas that claimed to be home to the World's Biggest Hand-Dug well, and that was its biggest claim to fame at the time. At some point after I stopped in they also added a meteorite. Since then I've learned that the museum recently got hit by a tornado and the re-built museum now pays homage to the well, the meteorite, AND the tornado.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:31 PM on October 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

If you are going to Mammoth Cave, the Maker's Mark distillery is relatively close by. If you were to visit one bourbon distillery, Maker's is a good choice since it has a lot of history and is utterly gorgeous.
posted by mmascolino at 7:44 AM on October 13, 2023