<p>Looking for recommendations on interesting sights to see and places to stop on a trip from Annapolis, MD to St. Louis, MO (Wash U). Taking car to a kid at school. The route (Mapquest) goes through Morgantown, WVA, Charleston, WVA, Lexington, KY, Louisville, KY, and Evansville and then across Illinois to St. Louis. Plan is to take 2-3 days to make the trip–it’s 890 miles. Will fly back. All suggestions/ideas welcome–willing to see most anything.</p>
<p>I’ve always wanted to see Mammoth Cave. Looks like it would be a bit of a detour for you (around 90 miles southwest of Louisville), but it might well be worth it.</p>
<p>These sites discuss Mammoth Cave and other day trips from Louisville:
[Trips</a> from Louisville - Top Day Trips from Louisville](<a href=“http://louisville.about.com/od/lifestylesinterests/tp/daytripsfromlouisville.htm]Trips”>http://louisville.about.com/od/lifestylesinterests/tp/daytripsfromlouisville.htm)
[Louisville</a> Attractions and Sightseeing Nearby: Attractions Near Louisville Area, Kentucky KY, USA](<a href=“http://www.louisville.world-guides.com/louisville_attractions_nr.html]Louisville”>Louisville Attractions Nearby: Louisville, Kentucky - KY, USA)</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.maps.google%5B/url%5D”>www.maps.google</a> recommends using I-70 for most of your trip rather than I-64. If you agree, you could easily stop and see Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater and other sights near Ohiopyle State Park and Pittsburgh after your first day of driving (4-5 hours). I’d recommend the Indianapolis area for your second night’s stop. If you only stop for one night, try Columbus, Ohio. For more details on these areas, visit [Reviews</a> of Hotels, Flights and Vacation Rentals - TripAdvisor](<a href=“http://www.tripadvisor.com%5DReviews”>http://www.tripadvisor.com) and post on the individual state message boards.</p>
<p>The section of Illinois you’ll be driving through is very flat and rural - not much reason for stopping. It’s worth it to push the driving stint to have an extra day in St. Louis itself, a great town for visiting and eating! Avoid East St. Louis, however.</p>
<p>KY resident here. My family did the Mammoth Cave thing when I was in elementary school and it was okay; however, I have no desire to go back as an adult. I am a little bit claustrophobic, so I may be swayed by that!
If you are going through Lexington, I would recommend a trip to the Kentucky Horse Park. Very easy to get to from major highways. Beautiful surroundings, interesting exhibits, and they are getting ready to host the World Equestrian Games beginning September 25 (according to ads this is the equivalent or better of the Olympics for equestrians). Likewise, if the Kentucky horse vibe appeals, a trip to the Kentucky Derby Museum in Louisville would be fun.
If anyone in your family is a baseball fan, you might enjoy the Louisville Slugger factory tour in Louisville. I’ve never done it, but my brother took my son when he was in elementary school and they loved it.[Louisville</a> Slugger Museum & Factory - Home Page - Home Page Main Content](<a href=“http://www.sluggermuseum.org/]Louisville”>http://www.sluggermuseum.org/)</p>
<p>If you’re into history, you could stop at the civil war battlefields near Sharpsburg and Boonsboro, MD. Not far away is Shepherdstown, WV which is adorable and has good restaurants. They’re all easily accessible from I-70. A good detour for lunch on the first day!</p>
<p>Deep Creek Lake in far western MD is also near your route. Swallow Falls is nearby, which are the highest falls in MD.</p>
<p>Just a note about Falling Water mentioned above. If you want to do that, you need reservations AND the tours are $60+ to start. I about fell over, but if it sounds interesting, it might be worth it.</p>
<p>Perhaps you were looking at a special tour, MD Mom. Tickets for the regular Fallingwater tour are $18 for adults. A reservation is a good idea, though not absolutely required.<br>
<a href=“https://tickets.fallingwater.org/default.asp[/url]”>https://tickets.fallingwater.org/default.asp</a></p>
<p>Maybe there were no regular tickets left for the day I was looking! Thanks for the correction. The tickets I saw on the Web site were $60+ and $120+ and I was shocked. So your post is good news, midwesterner.</p>
<p>Ahhh, the indepth tour is $65.</p>
<p>Thomas Merton’s monastery: The Abbey of Gethsemani. </p>
<p>According to Mapquest, a side trip from Lexington to the Abbey and then on to Louisville will add about an hour of driving to your trip.</p>
<p>Here are some photos of the Abbey:</p>
<p>[John</a> Cremons](<a href=“http://www.monks.org/gallery/index.htm]John”>http://www.monks.org/gallery/index.htm)</p>
<p>You get to travel through some beautiful mountains- I like the Appalachians. Going the more northern route (I 70) takes you through some rather boring flat prairie land once you’re past eastern Ohio. Going through Louisville is much more hilly than Indy. Part of the interest will be in how the terrain changes. Consider going out one highway and back the other- I 64/I 70 routes for a change in scenery. I would vote for the I 64 over the I 70 route on the way to St Louis. Mamouth Cave is worth seeing for its magnitude. Good idea to see things you miss when you fly.</p>
<p>I’m going with a girlfriend to keep her company; she’s a AAA member and went and got maps/route from her local office, which recommends I-64 rather than I-70. According to AAA–going the northern route is longer (in terms of mileage). Thomas Merton’s monastery sounds like a fun side trip. We’re thinking of staying overnight in Lexington or Louisville.</p>
<p>Can’t wait to see if anyone comes up with anything of interest between Evansville and St. Louis…my family has made the drive about a million times and I can’t think of any reason to stop anywhere.</p>
<p>If you could detour just about an hour to the north to Springfield, IL, you could visit some of the Lincoln sites. I went there in high school and still remember the trip fondly and would like to go back. It was very moving to me to tour Lincoln’s home and stand in the only house he and his wife owned, where most of their sons were born. One of his hats was hanging on the wall there.</p>
<p>[Abraham</a> Lincoln’s Springfield Home](<a href=“http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/sites/home.htm]Abraham”>http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/sites/home.htm) </p>
<p>There is also a new Lincoln museum now in Springfield.</p>
<p>I agree that Springfield is terrific. There is a pristine furnished Frank Lloyd House just blocks away from the Lincoln home.</p>
<p>Just visited the Lincoln Museum in Springfield two weeks ago. Wow! It was one of the best museums I’ve ever seen. Very modern, creative, interactive exhibits. (My three sons, 22, 16, and 14 were whining about making the stop. They weren’t complaining afterward.)
(How many times have I driven by Springfield and never stopped to see the Lincoln sites. . .)
Highly recommended, if a bit out of your way. We also stopped in Hannibal MO–about an hour north of St. Louis. If you are a Mark Twain fan, you’ll appreciate it!</p>
<p>I am from the Midwest, used to live in St. Louis, and Dayton, Ohio. (Huge Air Force Museum in Dayton–if you go on I 70 and like that sort of thing, it is worth a stop.)</p>
<p>Also, St. Louis has tons of cool stuff. You have to go up in the arch, see the Museum of Westward Expansion under the arch (free). Awesome Botanical Gardens there–if the weather isn’t too hot.</p>
<p>Springfield is interesting, although it’s comparatively close to St. Louis and doesn’t break up the long stretch of driving. Here is the link to the FLW house mentioned previously:
[Dana</a> Thomas House - Tour Information](<a href=“http://www.dana-thomas.org/tours.htm]Dana”>http://www.dana-thomas.org/tours.htm)</p>
<p>I stopped in Springfield a few weeks ago and also took a detour to Mark Twain’s boyhood home in MO. </p>
<p>[Mark</a> Twain Boyhood Home and Museum](<a href=“http://www.marktwainmuseum.org/]Mark”>http://www.marktwainmuseum.org/)</p>
<p>New Harmony, IN is a historic town just south of I-64 and on the Illinois border. It was founded as a utopian community and had banned money at one point in the 1800’s. </p>
<p>There’s also the Great Serpent Mound, in Peebles OH. It’s about 1/2 way between I-70 and I-64. Diagonally about 1/2 way between Lexington and Columbus.</p>
<p>[Great</a> Serpent Mound of Southern Ohio](<a href=“http://greatserpentmound.com/]Great”>http://greatserpentmound.com/)</p>
<p>2collegewego–maybe we saw each other in Springfield and Hannibal!</p>