Fort Collins to Omaha with nice stops

[Mona Ö]

Hi! I am from Sweden and will travel with husband and two teenage boys from Fort Collins to Omaha this summer (after some time in California and more). First time in the US! We can spend two or three days traveling, so it does not have to be the fastest/closest road. But we would like to avoid long boring stretches, and would be happy to get suggestions including nice scenery, things to do, great places to stop etc. Thank you for helping us get a nice trip!

[DonnaR57]

Welcome to RTA!

It's about 540 miles from Fort Collins to Omaha, by the most direct route, so it's a full day's drive. If you have 2-3 days to do it, you'll have time to do some sightseeing. It will be harder to make some suggestions without knowing where else you are planning to visit while in the US, but here are some thoughts:

Are you going to Rocky Mountain National Park at all during your trip? That would be the first idea.

Nebraska is full of historical, yet scenic, sites from the Oregon Trail. This shows a bit how the United States western states became populated. There is Scotts Bluff, a geological site that was a landmark for the settlers heading west. Also of interest could be Chimney Rock site, another famous landmark along the Trail. Courthouse and Jail Rocks were other landmarks. (When you click on that link, be aware that the header says "Oregon Trail". But the page itself is about Courthouse and Jail Rock.) Ash Hollow will allow you to see real tracks made by the settlers, as well as some gravesites, just to show you that the western expansion was very hard on families. There are several more Oregon Trail sites in Nebraska, including Fort Kearny and Council Bluffs.

Another thing you could do, if these are not interesting, would be to go above to the task bar and click on the Map Center, and search on CO and NE.


Donna

[Lifemagician]

And then there is Carhenge, at Alliance. An interesting touristy attractions of no great significance, other than these are American cars set in the ground supposedly in the same format as Stonehenge.

Before you go, read up a little on the sand hills/dunes of Nebraska and their significance in the great dustbowl of the late 1930s. It will make driving through rural Nebraska much more interesting.

Lifey

[Mona Ö]

Thanks a lot, Donna! Sounds like really interesting suggestions!
If we start out with the landmarks etcetera around Bridgeport, do you suggest that we then drive along the I 80, or is there any nicer road to take? I think the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument would be a great stop.
I found a suggestion to go south of I80, along 136 Alma-Red Cloud-Hebron Fairbury-Beatrice-Brownville. Would that be more scenic, or just taking a lot more time?

/Mona

[Mona Ö]

Thank you, Lifey for taking the time to answer!
Carhenge seems... hmmm... strange but also funny. We might go there if we come close by, guess it isn´t really worth a detour.
Great advice about reading about the great dustbowl - unknown to me! And it really is more interesting with a bit history to go with the drive.
/Mona

[Mona Ö]

And have you any suggestions about great places to stay the night? Could be B&B, hotel, ranch, boat or anything else, but not to the cost of a five star hotel... Or really awesome places to eat, that will be a good part of our experience of US?

[glc]

All the major Interstate highways have a wide selection of motels and hotels ranging from budget to luxury at or near the exits for towns and cities of any size. The front desk at the hotel can recommend local restaurants, ask where the "locals" eat or you will probably be sent to a chain restaurant.

[Lifemagician]

guess it isn´t really worth a detour.

The only thing it has going for it is that it is free. The boys would probably enjoy it. I got there quite early in the morning. There was already a small crowd there, since it is not fenced.

Great advice about reading about the great dustbowl - unknown to me! And it really is more interesting with a bit history to go with the drive.

There are a couple of really good documentaries about this era.

I take it you will be travelling with good paper maps, or a road atlas. If you check, you will see that NE-2 is marked as a scenic route almost all the way through NE. I recall really enjoying this drive, even though it was years ago.

At Scottsbluff there is Scotts Bluff National Monument among other attractions. Along NE-92 to Bridgeport there is Chimney Rock Nat. Hist Site, and south of the town is Courthouse and Jail Rocks. Sites ignored by most travellers, but of local significance. US-385 takes you to Alliance whence NE-2 takes one through central rural NE to Grand Island - a lovely drive. It is not a slow drive, even though it is a two lane road, but with the wide open spaces, the grass covered dunes, the occasional farm house and the serenity all around, it is worth slowing down and enjoying it.

Lifey