Discover the 7 best Midwest road trips in USA one can take

One of the most famous roads linking the Blues Brothers to Hollywood is of course Route 66, which starts in Chicago, Illinois and runs 4,000 kilometres all the way to Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles. For an easier trip, we’ll venture as far as St Louis, Missouri, wending our way through Illinois’ most photogenic bits, finding rest in Joliet, Springfield and Collinsville to cover 4-5 days. Before setting out, the Windy City is sure to hold your interest for a few days more, by way of deep dish pizza and Abraham Lincoln factoids as well as photo opportunities on Lake Shore Drive, where the route originally began. Most people today start at Adams Street and Michigan Avenue, convening with other road trip enthusiasts and motorheads before running the very route that represents the hopes and dreams of a nation, from back amidst the Great Depression, all the way to the vagabonding 70s and beyond.

Little over an hour south of Chicago, Joliet marks Illinois’ Heritage Corridor with its blend of old and new upon an ex-industrial enclave. Its race track and theatre are two of the biggest lures, though Joliet Prison is also one for movie buffs, one of the filming locations for the Blues Brothers (1980). Another hour from Joliet takes us through Pontiac, the state’s unofficial ‘Route 66 headquarters’. As well as a charming town square and historic main street, you’ll also find museums, murals and swinging bridges to keep you amused. From Pontiac, we skirt through Wilmington with all its Muffler Man attractions and continue for two hours into Springfield, the state capital and home of Abraham Lincoln. A popular school field trip destination, Springfield knows just how to dress its history, featuring costumed characters and re-enactments of Lincoln’s life, particularly in Summer when the whole town regresses back to the 19^th century. Our last stop before crossing into Missouri puts Mother Nature back on our radar, at the confluence of three great waterways where Mother Road meets the Great River Road to outstanding effect. Pause in either Collinsville or Alton for lunch, enjoying the scenery from the roadside before crossing the border into St Louis to cap off your trip with a visit to the Chain of Rocks Bridge, now a part of the Route 66 Bikeway.

The next stretch of road painting the Midwest in gorgeous colours is the 240-kilometre State Highway 61 which runs along the rugged shores of Lake Superior, from Duluth, northeast Minnesota, to Grand Portage at the Canadian border. Besides the eastward view over the great lake, the tour gives us many attractions to pore over. In Duluth the focus is shared by both Bob Dylan and craft beer, two homegrown favourites best acknowledged on a walk along the Bob Dylan Way followed by a Scandinavian-themed tasting session at Vikre Distillery in view of the famed Aerial Lift Bridge. While in the neighbourhood, don’t miss out on Gooseberry Falls, Minnesota’s most visited state park, as well as Split Rock Lighthouse, an equally worthy photography spot.

Once out of Duluth, there are also unlimited treasures across the region. Drive towards Palisade Head cliff which towers over proceedings about one hour north, followed by a detour along Gunflint Trail National Scenic Byway, through the Superior National Forest which hides a number of campgrounds and smaller lakes where you can canoe, BBQ and lounge around for however long you need. Additionally, if time allows, Tettegouche State Park near Silver Bay has its own camping charms, with more waterfalls, rock climbing and hiking opportunities just one hour from our final destination of Grand Portage. If travelling during the summer months, you can also consider extending your trip across the water to Isle Royale National Park, accessible via Grand Portage and a great way to end your scenic North Shore tour.

To explore Wisconsin in all its magnitude, one way is to go by car from Milwaukee to Wisconsin Dells by way of Green Bay. The city of Milwaukee is a fabulous place to start, not least because of its world-class breweries and haunted concert venues. A combination of foodie treats and quirky attractions, Milwaukee is sure to charm you from downtown’s Pfister Hotel right through to its historic third ward. If leaving Milwaukee on two wheels, don’t miss the Harley Davidson Museum for a splash of engine envy. Heading north from Milwaukee, we travel along the Michigan River and through cute towns like Port Washington before reaching Green Bay. While the smaller towns each hold their unique treasures, Door County’s Green Bay wins out for its closeness to Heritage Hill State Park where on football match days the Green Bay Packers fanbase goes wild.

From Green Bay, we make a sharp turn southwest toward Wisconsin Dells, a key stopping point for waterpark lovers. Besides getting wet-n-wild, the Dells offers a bunch more laid-back amusements, including hiking, duck boating and shopping, plus an optional stay at a romantic lakeside cabin. Between the Dells and final stop Madison there are a host of places to consider, many of them lakeside and every one a winner. Devil’s Lake State Park links to Mirror Lake State Park where hiking and kayaking are the prime activities, while the International Crane Foundation allows visitors to see the region’s conservation efforts and Spring Green’s House on the Rock throws a labyrinthine interactive museum into the mix. Once in Madison proper, get to grips with the lakefront layout on an afternoon walk along the Capital City State Trail, buying local at Eugster’s Farm Market just south of the city.

An introduction to South Dakota starts and possibly ends in Sioux Falls, the state’s largest city and home to laidback midwestern treats such as Falls Park, not far from a vast number of other wilderness attractions. To see them in order, we drive one hour to Mitchell to see ‘The World’s Only Corn Palace’ for ourselves before embarking on the four-hour drive to Crazy Horse Memorial, a more impressive mountain carving than the name might suggest. From here, it’s a short trip to uncover South Dakota’s more wild attractions, with Custer State Park and Badlands National Park earning attention despite the lure of Mount Rushmore along the Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway.

With so much to see in the region, some travellers stick just to the Black Hills region, starting in Rapid City for live music and culture quenched by the state’s oldest brewery, before hitting Badlands, the Wall Drug oasis and Wind Cave National Park. Hot Springs is the place to rest, ostensibly for its hot springs but also for its hiking, cave tours and Mammoth history. Mount Rushmore can come after resting in Keystone a few days, the journey interlaced with drives along some of the state’s best roads including Iron Mountain Road, the Needles Highway and the Custer Wildlife Loop Road. For added interest, the Cathedral Spires Trail is one for hikers, while Sylvan Lake is another blissful rest stop. Then, if more driving is appealing, find the state’s own version of the Grand Canyon up on the northern edge of the Black Hills at Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway.

For more bold and beautiful byways, Nebraska is another of the top choices for road trips in the Midwest. We begin our trip in Grand Island in spring to see the world’s biggest sandhill crane migration before setting forth on State Highway 2 to Broken Bow as part of the Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway. To learn more of Nebraska’s pioneering history, try Grand Island’s Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer or simply wonder the small-town gem of Broken Bow which is home to the Custer County Historical Society Museum.

The Kinkaider Brewing Company can keep you in hops in the Sandhills region, though Anselmo town and its nearby Victoria Springs Recreation Area can provide much-needed healing via its mineral springs. Once you arrive, try paddle boarding, fishing and picnicking within the state’s oldest recreation area, booking well in advance if you fancy staying at one of the park’s log cabins to view the stars in the pitch-black night sky. After all the natural wonder, Carhenge in the High Plains keeps it fresh with its motorised version of England’s Stonehenge, but this can easily be overlooked in favour of wilderness attractions such as the 92,000-acre Nebraska National Forest, where you can camp out or base yourself in nearby Mullen, ‘The Biggest Little Town in Hooker County’ to better see the wonders of Middle Loup and Dismal Rivers for leisurely canoeing, tubing or tanking(!) downstream.