We will be driving to Sacramento this summer from Kansas City. We will have 3 kids with us and are looking to find some interesting things to do during bathroom breaks from the car and lunch breaks. The majority of the trip will be on I-80. Any help would be appreciated!
Welcome to the RoadTrip America Forum!
How much time do you have for your trip?
What are the ages of the children, and do any of them have any specific interests?
How much time would you be allotting to your "bathroom break" stops? Those type of stops can be either a short period of time off the Interstate at a rest area, or a longer time spent at a state or national park, or even taking a break to play some frisbee at a municipal park. From your question it doesn't appear that you are looking for references to sights along the way. Is this correct?
You might find this thread of help, as it lists places for a little R&R off of each Interstate.
As you mention only lunch and bathroom breaks, I too wonder how long you are planning to take to cover the distance. It is a minimum of 3 days and that would be quite tough on the Kid's, with stops around Pine Bluffs WY and West Wendover NV to break the journey up into manageable segments. At least one other day or more would start to make it enjoyable and give you time to relax out of the car and 'play'.
The kids are going to be 3, 4, and 6 and all boys! They love trains but are up for anything! we are going to spend at least 3 days driving there and 3 days back, spending 4-5 days near Sacramento with family. We are pretty open to the length of time for stops, we want to make the most of it! And yes I would love some references to sights along the way! I'm trying to find some but there is so much information on the internet to sort through! Tenatively we are hoping to make it to Sidney, Nebraska the first day. Wendover, Nevada the second and then on to California the next. However we aren't setting anything in stone, just gonna go! Thanks for any help!
Have you considered taking I-70 to Salina UT, then US-50 across NV all the way to Sacramento?
We had not considered the I-70 route. Would the mountains slow us down too much? and is there just as much to see that way?
No, not really.
Interstates are built to certain specifications with gradual curves and gradients. I70 is regarded as one of the most scenic Interstates and there is quite a bit to see along it and that's the main thing that would slow you down. [It is only an hour or so longer than I80 which is insignificant over the distance total.]
However if you stick to the 3 days you won't have much time to spend anywhere. If you could take a day or 2 extra you could drive over Loveland pass on US 6, just a short detour from Interstate and stop at the top where it crosses the Continental Divide at just under 12,000 feet. It's the section through Keystone to Dillon. There are Glenwood Hot Springs and Colorado National Monument. You could stop in Utah near Moab and visit Arches NP and beyond Green River you drive through the scenic 'San Rafael Swell' part of I70. As you go along US50 AKA the 'Lonliest Road you will pass Great Basin NP on route to Reno.
You won't have time to see it all, but there these and plenty of other options to consider.
Of course the sensible thing to do would be to take one route out and the other back and get the best of both worlds !