15 Unique Road Trip Stops in the Midwest (I-70 & I-44)

One of our big travel goals is to hit all 50 states as a family.  When COVID hit, we weren’t necessarily comfortable flying, but we still wanted to travel. So, we decided to hit the road and see as much of our beautiful country as we could!

We’ve hit quite a few states on road trips from Ohio to Florida, Myrtle Beach, Georgia, Mississippi, Chicago, and Wisconsin, but we wanted to see more of the states we just drove thru. We started taking our time getting to and from our destinations so we could stop along the way and enjoy America!

Since we hadn’t seen many states to the west of Ohio, we decided that another road trip would allow us to see a good chunk of new states.  And why not check out some unique road trip stops in the midwest along the way?!

Our main destination was Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, MO, but since Missouri borders several other states, we decided to go a bit out of our way and hit those states while we were in the area! This allowed us to visit six new states including Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

For a good portion of our drive, we were on two main highways (I-70 and I-44).  Since we were driving through new states, we wanted to make sure we stopped to see some roadside attractions.  Here is a list of 15 unique road trip stops in the Midwest, along with some restaurants or sights to see along the way.

Indiana (I-70)

1. World’s Largest Candle: Centerville, IL

This is an easy photo op right from the highway.  It’s just before/after (depending on which way you’re traveling) the Ohio/Indiana border. It’s actually located at the Warm Glow Candle Store so you can get photos up close and even do some shopping.

2. Stone Creek Restaurant: Plainfield, IN

Ok…so this may not be a “unique” stop, but the food was amazing so I’m including it! One of my favorite parts of vacation is finding good food!  We just weren’t able to find many great restaurants in Branson, but we stumbled upon Stone Creek on our way home and were extremely impressed!  Even though we got there 30 minutes before closing, they greeted us, seated us and never once rushed us.  And the food was fantastic!  Of course, I didn’t take any photos of those meals, but take my word for it—you won’t be disappointed!

Their bread was hot and came with a dipping oil, which was delicious!  I got the meatloaf, which came with green beans and mashed potatoes. The meatloaf had a chili sauce and an apple dressing, which was such a great pairing.  My husband ordered the Fireside pasta, which had andouille sausage, chicken, etc. and he really enjoyed it.

My oldest ordered the kids steak, which was really good and cooked perfectly.  Our middle kid ordered the ribs, which ended up being a half-rack (pretty large for a kid portion) and they were fabulous!  Our youngest got spaghetti.  All of their kids’ meals came with a drink and a sundae so they were pretty excited about that.  My husband also ordered a peach long island, which was tasty and much needed after a long day of driving. 

We could not stop talking about how this meal was the best meal we’ve had in the last week!  If you’re near the Indianapolis airport (Plainfield area), definitely give this place a try!

Illinois (I-70)

3. World’s Largest Town: Casey, IL

I am such a sucker for small towns and this one is so cute and totally worth a stop!  We didn’t there until about 7pm so their shops were all closed, but you can still drive around town to see all sorts of “world’s largest” items like the world’s largest mailbox, ruler, pencil, rocking chair, teeter totter, windchime, golf club, mouse trap and more!  I would love to go back to browse all of the small shops too! 

4. America’s 2nd Largest Cross: Effingham, IL

This is something you can see right off the highway.  The cross is huge and an easy photo op. Apparently, it was the largest cross for 17 years until another cross was built in Missouri in 2018.

5. Fire Breathing Dragon: Vandalia, IL

There is a giant metal fire-breathing dragon not too far off the highway.  Just head into the hardware or liquor store to purchase a token and then drop it in the box to see the dragon breath fire. 

Missouri (I-44 & I-65)

6. Uranus Fudge Factory: Uranus, MO

If you’re traveling anywhere near Uranus, you can’t miss this place–there are signs for it everywhere! This is one of those unique road trip stops right on Route 66. It’s a fudge factory, but there are just some interesting things to see.  Most will make you chuckle.  It ended up being a pretty fun little rest stop. We were able to stretch our legs, takes some pictures and check out the shops.

7. Route 66 Visitor’s Center: Eureka, MO

My aunt and I were talking on our way home from Missouri and she asked me to bring home some pamplets on Route 66, if I found any. I came across this Visitor’s Center in my early research and it was on my list of stops. It was a nice rest stop with clean bathrooms and a little museum focusing on the history of Route 66–and it had some info I could bring home!  If you’re into history or just want a quick stop off, I suggest checking it out!  They have a shop with lots of Route 66 items too.

8. St. Louis Science Center

We love science centers so this was a perfect place to break up our drive. It was my three kids, plus my little sister with us for this trip so it was a nice way for all of them to burn off some steam. The entrance was free, we only had to pay for parking. We did have to make reservations when we went though.

9. Gateway Arch

Is a trip to or through St. Louis even possible without some pictures of the Gateway Arch? When we drove through St. Louis, we stopped at a park to grab some cool photos of the Arch. At the time, I didn’t realize it was part of the National Park system. Now the Arch is back on my bucket list so we can check the Gateway Arch National Park off of our list.

10. Wonders of Wildlife Aquarium: Springfield, MO

The kids wanted to go to the aquarium in Branson, but I came across this one that was highly rated.  We decided to skip the one in Branson and check out this one on our way home instead.  It was pretty amazing!  This aquarium is connected to Bass Pro Shops and owned by Johnny Morris—founder/owner of Bass Pro Shops, Big Cedar Lodge, Dogwood Canyon, etc. 

There is a ton to do and see in this Bass Pro Shops, even if you don’t pay for the aquarium!  They have full-service restaurants, huge stuffed/taxidermy animals, fish tanks, museum, snack counters, plus everything that Bass Pro Shops sells!  It’s something that the kids would get a kick out of and gives you a chance to stretch your legs.

11. Branson Landing: Branson, MO

This shopping center is home to shops, attractions and restaurants.  We ate at Black Oak Grill, which was so good.  I had the Chicken Fried Chicken and it was delicious as were the vegetables and mashed potatoes it was served with!  My husband had the salad and soup combo, which he really liked.  Our kids ate everything on their plates too!

And if you want some free moonshine samples, check out Smith Creek Moonshine Distillery. We stopped here for a drink and a quick bite.  I ordered the pineapple upside down drink and my husband had a burger and beer along with an order of the fried pickles to share.  Everything here was good too.

12. Wonder Works: Branson, MO

These are located in many places, but my kids originally saw this “Upside Down House” at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach, SC.  They wanted to check it out then, but we had other things planned and never got around to going.  We decided to try it out on this trip.  Let me tell you, if you’ve never gone to one, GO!  It was so cool!  They have so many rides and attractions.  Our kids really enjoyed this place so I feel like it’ll be on the list if we travel to another location that has one!

I have a Tickets at Work account, which is an employee discount program. We have access to a variety of discounts all over the country and Wonder Works was included so we purchased our tickets through their website, which saved us a good amount of money. Check to see if your employer offers this perk!

13. Big Cedar Lodge: Ridgedale, MO

This was the whole purpose of our trip!  We decided to head to Big Cedar Lodge after friends of our shared their experience. Check out our blog post about all the resort has to offer! There are so many activities included with your stay, plus a variety of other options for an additional cost.

We ended up getting a great deal staying at the Big Cedar Wilderness Lodge, which is Big Cedar’s timeshare/vacation property. Our family stayed in an Airbnb and paid significantly less than a room at the resort–and still had access to all of the same amenities!

We own a timeshare in Mexico and rent out our rooms too when we’re not staying there to help defer the cost of our yearly maintenance fee. Those who rent from us save a ton of money and get access to member only areas and end up helping us recoup some of our fees. It’s a win-win!

Kansas (I-44)

14. Cars on the Route: Galena, KS

When we decided to head to Big Cedar Lodge and I started planning our route, I realized that we weren’t too far from some other mid-western states.  We only booked 5 nights at Big Cedar so we decided to take a few extra days prior to our trip to check them out! 

Not far from the Missouri state line is Galena, Kansas, which is a cute little town that resembles “Radiator Springs” from the Cars movie. This little landmark is called, “Cars on the Route” where you’ll find Towmater as well as the fire truck.  In addition, you’ll see Tow Tator, which was the inspiration for Mater’s character in the movie. 

Just around the corner, you’ll see the Sheriff, Luigi’s Pit Stop and a little area for some photo ops.  And just down the street, you’ll also find a Texaco station with Doc.  If you have a Cars fan on your hand, I highly suggest stopping to check it out!

Oklahoma (I-44)

15. Tri-State Marker (KS-MO-OK): Quapaw, OK

When you’re driving to multiple states and you can stand in three states at once, why wouldn’t you?  This marker is down a dirt road and is literally just a flat sign on the ground, but it’s worth the drive.  It’s kind of cool to say you’ve been in three places at once, right? 

Arkansas (Bonus Stop: Off the Main Route)

The Arkansas border was only about 20 minutes from Big Cedar Lodge so it was on our list of states to hit.  Our original plan was to visit Dogwood Canyon and ride the tram, which takes you into Arkansas.  Unfortunately, the trams were all booked up for days in advance for our family of five so we didn’t end up going.

I would highly suggest making reservations at least 5-7 days in advance if you really want to do the tram.  They have several running every day, but we were just too late (even three days in advance).

Cosmic Cavern: Berryville, AR

We decided to head to Cosmic Cavern instead.  It’s Arkansas’ largest privately owned show cave.  The tour is about 1hr and 15 minutes. Our tour guide, Adam, did a great job telling us about the cavern and had us laughing throughout the tour.  The cave features a 9-foot soda straw, which is the longest known in the Ozarks as well as two bottomless cave lakes.  It was definitely worth the drive. 

The cavern is about 63 degrees–even when it’s hot outside so you may want to wear/bring a light jacket.  I would also suggest you have the kids use the restroom before heading down into the cavern because there aren’t restrooms once the tour starts.

When we went, the cost for adults was $20 and $10 for kids, but their website had a $2 off coupon for adults and $1 off for kids.  It was open from 9am-6pm.

What Stops Have You Made?

This was something different, but still a great time and great experience!  Have you been to Big Cedar Lodge?  What was your favorite thing to do?

Want more road tripping ideas? Check out our trip to Utah where we went to the Mighty 5 National Parks or our most recent California road trip starting in San Diego and ending in San Francisco!