Omaha NE to New Orleans LA OR Oklahoma City OK

[East19Mom]

We have like 5 states left on our quest to visit all 50. Last frontier for family is Great Plains. This route doesn't seem to be documented enough for me to find a lot online. We've got a week and several drivers, now that the kids are young adults. I'm thinking we'll take it slow and end in OKC.

I still don't now how to navigate this site-- I entered "Omaha to New Orleans" in the search box and got like 10 year old irrelevant posts and ads. So your links to RTA resources about any leg of this trip would be appreciated. Or any other help!

[Mark Sedenquist]

I still don't now how to navigate this site-- I entered "Omaha to New Orleans" in the search box and got like 10 year old irrelevant posts and ads. So your links to RTA resources about any leg of this trip would be appreciated. Or any other help!

Alice, you saw advertisements when using the search too? On any search page, there are always Google search result -- but you'd want to scroll down to the RTA pages only.

If you would like to see some of the roadtrip maps (routes) that we have built that roughly follow a route from
Omaha to New Orleans (or Oklahoma City)

On the Advanced Maps page:
Use the "Search for RTA Library Maps within xxx miles" and then click on any of the cities along such a route.

So, if you were to click on Omaha, you would see links to 7 different maps.

Or if you are interested in seeing attractions in the greater Kansas City area, if you click on the map at Kansas City you would see 27 such attractions.

We also have a section of the site called "Routes" and if you click on "Great Plains" you would see several of these routes.

The most powerful tool we have is the Advance Planning page where you can plan your own trip.
Here is a short tutorial about how to use that tool.


Hopefully, this is a help getting started?

Mark

[glc]

What are the 5 states? We can design a custom route for you.

[East19Mom]

What are the 5 states? We can design a custom route for you.

Thank you!! Right now we're likely limiting to NE, KS, OK.

So far I haven't found much for NE to KS. In KS, I put a stop at El Dorado then onto Pawhuska then to Chandler and finally to OKC.

- - - Updated - - -

Thank you. I will try that too.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Peter Thody loves the great plains.

Here are a few more published articles from Nebraska
God Bless the Amber Waves of Grain

Attractions by RTA Contributing Writers
Nebraska
Kansas
Oklahoma

Mark

[AZBuck]

1) Are you flying into Omaha? It seems strange that if you live there you'd still need to check Nebraska off your list.

2) Is this a one-way drive or a loop. In other words, do you need to end up back in Omaha?

3) How many miles a day are you comfortable driving? You mentioned that you'd take it slow and end in Oklahoma, but even if you did a complete loop including NE, KS, OK, TX, LA, AR, MO and IA you could do so while covering little more than 300 miles per day. That would leave plenty of time each day to get out of the car and actually experience the sates you'd be driving through.

As glc noted the more information you give us the better, and more personal, the advice we can give you. But for starters check this thread: Great 'Rest Stops' along the Interstates.

I also seem to remember we have or had a list of 26 things to see and do in each state (arranged alphabetically), but I can't find it at the moment.

AZBuck

[AZBuck]

The list of 26 interesting places in each state has been moved over to the archives:

State Places Challenge -- A to Z

...and a slightly early welcome to the "All 50" club!

AZbuck

[East19Mom]

Yes, flying into Omaha.

One way. Flying home either from New Orleans, Shreveport or Oklahoma City.

Driving comfortably to balance time for sightseeing and eats: 3-5 hours a day. We just have 6-8 days.

THANK YOU ALL.

[AZBuck]

OK, given your timing/driving preferences, I'll lay out a few routes. The first (longest) one to New Orleans gets you all of the following states: NE, KS, MO, OK, AR, MS and LA, It is a little over 1,100 miles meaning that over six days, you'd only have to drive 200 mi/day, or about four hours. The second (shortest) route gets you to Oklahoma City and includes NE, KS, MO, AR and OK. It's only around 625 miles, so could be done at a rate of only 100 mi/day. The third (mid range) one to Shreveport gets you everything the short one does plus LA and TX at a total driving distance of about 750 miles or only about 125 mi/day. All daily driving distances are based on having six driving days.

Shortest: This would just get you NE, KS and OK (although you could easily add Iowa which is just across the Missouri River from Omaha), but for as little as 450 miles or so. The simplest route here is US-75 to Topeka KS, then I-335 and I-35 to Oklahoma City. You could also easily add Missouri to this trip by heading for Kansas City and picking up I-35 there. If you can forgo Missouri, want to get a better feel for the Great Plains and can add some miles, I'd suggest heading from Omaha to North Platte NE using I-80 and/or US-34 along the Missouri River - the old Oregon Trail. Next head south on US-83, KS-23 and US-400 to Dodge City KS. Finally, US-400, US-183, US-412, US-270 and I-40 would take you to Oklahoma City. the 'extended' short route is still only about 800 miles.

Medium: This would add MO, AR and LA to the states in the shortest route. You'd take I-29 south from Omaha (on the IA/MO side of the river) to Kansas City (KS/MO) and I-49 south from there, In southwestern MO you could take a short side trip into the Ozarks and Branson MO. I-49 will eventually get you to Fort Smith AR where it would be just a short detour to cross into OK for a short visit. US-71/I-49 continues south to Texarkana which, as its name implies, would let you get TX and AR at the same time. US-71/I-49 then continue to Shreveport. The more or less direct route in this case would be roughly 730 miles. If you wanted to add Branson MO and still hit OK, then this route would again top out at something like 800 miles.

Longest: Naturally enough the longest route would take you to the farthest city from Omaha, namely New Orleans. For this route start out as on the medium route to Fort Smith AR (and a short detour into OK) then take I-40 to Little Rock, I-530/US-65 to Fairview AR, then US-278 to cross into MS and MS-454/MS-1/MS-14 south to Rolling Fork, US-61 to Vicksburg, MS-27 to Crystal Springs MS and finally, I-55 to New Orleans, This route clocks in at just under 1,100 miles, still easily doable over six to eight days and adds MS to your itinerary.

So, have a look at those three options, see which one best meets your needs and we'll then work with you to help you find some sites that you might like to visit along the way.

AZbuck

[East19Mom]

THANK YOU. We've just agreed on the Shortest. Based on limited research and ignorance, I thought: Omaha, El Dorado, Pawhuska, Chandler, OKC. That is very rough sketch. Can't find much for NE.