Maryland to Nebraska

[Tanjawi]

Greetings,

I have never visited this part of the US. I will be driving alone from Cumberland, Md to Lincoln Nebraska. I have about 4-5 days to get there.

I am a single male (mid-40s) who loves the outdoor, dancing, listening to music while sipping a cool beverage with one or both elbows on a nice thick wooden long bar.

I do not need to stay in the most expensive or chick types of accommodation.

Any recommendations?

Thank you!

[Lifemagician]

Hi, and Welcome to the Great American Roadtrip Forum.

Here is a paragraph written by one of the senior members of this forum, to get you started.....

Start with maps. Not GPS, not software, not Google, but real honest-to-god paper maps that show you your entire route, that you can mark up (and erase), that you can stick pins in, and that show something about the land you'll be driving through. Those are your essential tool in any RoadTrip planning process. Start by marking all the places you know you want to visit. Then connect the dots. Then look for more places of interest and scenic routes and along the lines connecting the dots. Repeat until you've got as many sites and roads as you think you want.

On my first trip to the US I did not know anything about the country, and simply did the same, taking any sidetrip which looked interesting, at the same time making sure I had advanced each day enough to get to my destination in time.

Lifey

[DonnaR57]

Welcome to RTA!

It's about 1100 miles between the two places by the most direct route, which is about 2 long days in the car (or 3 shorter ones). With 4-5 days at your disposal, assuming this is a one-way trip, you have plenty of time for sightseeing or checking things out as you go.

As far as lodging is concerned: The first tier up is the cheap motel. You can find coupons for good deals in a coupon book found at the state visitor center, some rest areas, and some truck stop/travel centers. Bear in mind that these are often only good for the first percentage of travelers who come into the motel, so it pays to pull in early. With no coupon, budget chains include Motel 6, Rodeway Inn, America's Best Value Inn. If you'd prefer something a little more upscale, yet still budget friendly, Super 8, EconoLodge, and Ramada Inn have good values, as does Days Inn in a few locales. Best Western moves up the budget ladder, followed by Hilton, Ritz-Carlton, and a few others.

If you love the outdoors, take out the map that AZBuck & Lifey suggest, and start looking at your available routes to Lincoln. You have a little time to go a little off the direct path, to take in some beautiful outdoors.



Donna

[Lifemagician]

the best way to find out about the entertainment you are looking for is to engage with the locals. I guess anyone about your age would know what is going on where and when. Who knows what gem you may stumble upon. In which case of course we would like to hear about it.

Lifey

[AZBuck]

You could make the drive from Cumberland to Lincoln in as little as two days if you stuck to the Interstates or even (shudder) the Turnpikes. But with four or five days you have a real chance to get off those very well beaten paths and experience a good bit more of slower paced travel, including finding the random honkey-tonk on the way. I'm going to suggest that you start on the old National Road (US-40) right in Cumberland and basically follow that all the way to Indianapolis (using beltways around cities like Columbus, Dayton and Indianapolis of course) and then switch over to US-36 through the rest of Indiana as well as Illinois and Missouri. At Fairview KS turn north on US-75 to NE-2 for the final bit into Lincoln. Taking such a route will go a long way towards putting you in touch with both the outdoors and local watering holes, certainly more so than sticking to the superslabs.

AZBuck