Christmas Road Trip Stop Suggestions

[OhioStateBuckeye]

So I'm going to be doing quite a bit of driving starting next week. We leave from Dallas and travel to Chicago, then Chicago to Pittsburgh PA then back to Austin Texas.

Does anyone have any suggestions for stops we could make? We don't mind detouring a bit out of the way and according to google maps looks like there are several routes we could take that are roughly the same length. Interesting things to see? Maybe even Christmas specific things?

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Bass Pro World Headquarters - Springfield, MO

Santa's Magical Kimgdom - Eureka, MO (drive through light display)

Garden Glow at Missouri Botanical Gardens - St Louis (need to pre purchase tickets if you want to make sure you get in)

 

[Airship Ariadne]

Based on how much time you have I would suggest Springfield, IL. The Lincoln Home, the museum, the gravesite...all good for a visit.

Or if you take a longer route to Chicago, take 35 north out of Dallas and take MO 36 across, hit Marceline for Walt Disney Boyhood sites, then Hannibal for the Mark Twain boyhood sites and the caves.

 

[ronandannette]

Bass Pro World Headquarters - Springfield, MO

Santa's Magical Kimgdom - Eureka, MO (drive through light display)

Garden Glow at Missouri Botanical Gardens - St Louis (need to pre purchase tickets if you want to make sure you get in)

Not sure why having this as a vacation destination strikes me as hilarious, but it does! Thanks for the chuckle this morning, Gumbo.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Not sure why having this as a vacation destination strikes me as hilarious, but it does! Thanks for the chuckle this morning, Gumbo.

Well, you'll love this then - it's the "most visited tourist destination" in Missouri LOL

 

[ronandannette]

Well, you'll love this then - it's the "most visited tourist destination" in Missouri LOL

Oh, my sides...
(Just in case I'm misunderstanding this - Bass Pro Shop is the same thing there that it is here right? A sporting goods store heavy on fishing equipment? It's possible I may be missing something and it's actually a museum or a theme park or a luxury resort or whatever {{smirk}}).

 

[nighttowll]

It's possible I may be missing something and it's actually a museum or a theme park or a luxury resort or whatever {{smirk}}).

Well if the headquarters is anything like the store in Memphis, it is probably all of the above. There is a giant multistory cypress swamp inside with live alligators, multiple aquariums, treetop hotel rooms, 2 restaurants, a themed bowling alley, a shooting arcade, a lookout observation deck, and a small museum, plus whatever else I'm forgetting. On top of that, there is a huge winter wonderland area setup with Christmas crafts and games and stuff for kids. All this inside a giant pyramid. I can only image what the headquarters is like.

 

[icicle]

If you go near Cleveland, I think you can see the house from "A Christmas Story." If you pass through Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has a drive through light display that looks like it would be really neat.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Oh, my sides...
(Just in case I'm misunderstanding this - Bass Pro Shop is the same thing there that it is here right? A sporting goods store heavy on fishing equipment? It's possible I may be missing something and it's actually a museum or a theme park or a luxury resort or whatever {{smirk}}).

Same thing, but this one is the World Headquarters & does include museums on site. Last time I went in there, I was there 3 hours - and I used to live less than a mile from the store. Think of it not as "a Bass Pro Shop", but rather "THE Bass Pro Shop"

 

[ronandannette]

Same thing, but this one is the World Headquarters & does include museums on site. Last time I went in there, I was there 3 hours - and I used to live less than a mile from the store. Think of it not as "a Bass Pro Shop", but rather "THE Bass Pro Shop"

Well, thanks for telling me. I guess we'll need to be planning a trip to Springfield to see this marvel right about...never!

 

[RedAngie]

From what I read, even the relatively small Bass Pro Shop in Atlantic City, NJ, open about 18 months now, immediately became the most visited store in the Outlet Shopping district.

I've never been inside, but there's a Cabela's several miles away which always seems to have a crowded parking lot.