A wildlife invitation in Kansas became the starting point for a nine-day, eight-state Midwest road trip.
The Ultimate Midwest Road Trip: Route 66, Tanganyika Wildlife Park & Hidden Gems
One invitation to visit a wildlife park in Kansas turned into a road trip filled with Route 66 history, wildlife encounters, murals, immersive art, historic hotels, local restaurants and places we never expected to find.
Our route: Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Tennessee before returning home nearly 2,200 miles later.
What Makes a Midwest Road Trip Worth Taking?
For me, it was the variety.
In nine days we experienced Route 66 history, wildlife encounters, immersive art, historic architecture, unusual roadside attractions, murals, local restaurants and several destinations I would never have discovered on a fly-in vacation.
The best part was having enough structure to know where we were going while leaving enough room to change the plan when something interesting appeared along the way.
This master guide follows the complete journey and connects you with my firsthand stories about the hotels, restaurants, attractions and unusual stops we experienced along the route.
Midwest Road Trip at a Glance
These details reflect our June 2026 road trip and provide a quick overview before you explore the individual destinations.
Experiences, admission policies, hours and operating details can change. Confirm current information directly with each attraction or business before traveling.
Packed and ready to leave Kentucky for nearly 2,200 miles of Midwest travel.
From Kentucky to Route 66 and Back Again
Richmond, Kentucky → Illinois Route 66 → St. Louis → Springfield, Missouri → Wichita → Arcadia → Oklahoma City → Little Rock → Tennessee → Kentucky
We started at home in Richmond, Kentucky, headed west through Indiana and Illinois to St. Louis, continued across Missouri to Wichita, turned south through Oklahoma and Arkansas and eventually made our way home through Tennessee.
The route was built around a few major destinations rather than a rigid hour-by-hour schedule.
That flexibility became one of the reasons the trip worked so well.
Our 9-Day Midwest Road Trip Itinerary
The road trip developed into several distinct destination clusters. Use this itinerary as inspiration rather than a route you need to duplicate exactly.
Kentucky to St. Louis via Route 66
We left Richmond expecting a driving day and ended up photographing murals, exploring Route 66 attractions and spending far longer than expected at Pink Elephant Antique Mall.
Exploring St. Louis
Our St. Louis stay included The Cheshire, City Museum and the Gateway Arch—three experiences that could hardly have been more different from one another.
St. Louis to Wichita
A few planned Route 66 stops became Buc-ee’s, Uranus Fudge Factory, Springfield murals and an unplanned visit to Wonders of Wildlife before we finally reached Wichita.
Tanganyika Wildlife Park — Day One
Our first full Tanganyika day included some of the most memorable wildlife encounters of the trip, followed by dinner in Wichita’s Historic Old Town.
Back to Tanganyika
Returning for a second day allowed us to experience the park differently and convinced me that one day wasn’t enough for the kind of visit we wanted.
Wichita to Oklahoma City via Route 66
Arcadia brought POPS, a Route 66 mural and the historic Round Barn before we continued toward Oklahoma City and Factory Obscura.
Oklahoma to Little Rock
Our Arkansas portion combined presidential history, Victorian architecture and one of the most memorable local pub experiences of the trip.
The Journey Home
The final stretch pointed us back toward Kentucky through Tennessee while leaving room for the same kind of spontaneous stops that had shaped the rest of the road trip.
One Invitation Changed the Entire Trip
When Tanganyika Wildlife Park invited me to visit Wichita, the original plan was simple: drive to Kansas, spend time at the park and come home.
Then I started studying the map.
Could we incorporate Route 66? Find murals? Visit unusual attractions? Photograph destinations we had never experienced before?
Before long, one wildlife visit had become a multi-state road trip.
A few weeks earlier, I had been walking through London photographing architecture, parks and historic details. Now I was planning something completely different—and that contrast was part of the fun.
Tanganyika Wildlife Park became the anchor experience around which the larger road trip grew.
Pink Elephant Antique Mall became one of the stops that proved the road itself could be as memorable as the destination.
Route 66 Became Part of the Adventure
I have always been fascinated by Route 66, and this trip gave us opportunities to follow portions of the historic highway through several states.
A Planned Stop That Became an Adventure
Pink Elephant Antique Mall was supposed to be one stop on the way to St. Louis.
Instead, antiques, Route 66 nostalgia, hospitality and an unexpected Haunted School preview turned it into one of the day’s defining experiences.
Three Very Different Stops in Arcadia
Arcadia offered three very different experiences within a short stretch of Route 66: POPS 66 Soda Ranch, the Windmill Shops Route 66 Centennial Mural and the historic Round Barn.
That combination—roadside Americana, public art and Route 66 history—captures exactly what I enjoy about slowing down along an old highway rather than simply racing between cities.
Murals became one of the recurring visual threads connecting the different states on this trip.
Wildlife, Art and Places We Didn’t Expect
The most memorable experiences weren’t all in one category. Wildlife, immersive art, historic architecture and spontaneous discoveries continually changed the character of the journey.
Two Days at Tanganyika
Tiger, rhino, giraffe and penguin encounters made Tanganyika one of the defining experiences of the road trip.
City Museum
Part art installation, part playground and part architectural experiment, City Museum was unlike anything I had experienced before.
Factory Obscura
Immersive rooms, bold colors, textures and interactive installations made Factory Obscura one of the trip’s strongest visual experiences.
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis became much more than an overnight stop. Architecture, unusual attractions and distinctive lodging gave us several very different reasons to explore the city.
The Cheshire
A British-inspired literary hotel brought back memories of London only weeks after my international trip.
City Museum
One of the most imaginative attractions of the entire road trip became a reminder that museums don’t have to fit traditional definitions.
Gateway Arch Tram
The tram ride combines unusual transportation, St. Louis history and views from one of America’s most recognizable landmarks.
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita became the anchor of the middle portion of the journey, with Hotel at Old Town serving as our base for two days of wildlife experiences and time exploring the historic district.
Hotel at Old Town
Historic character, a walkable location and a comfortable base made the hotel an important part of our Wichita experience.
Tanganyika Wildlife Park
Our first full day included some of the most memorable wildlife encounters I have photographed.
Public at the Brickyard
A short walk through Historic Old Town became the perfect way to end a long day at Tanganyika.
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock combined American history, Victorian architecture and local hospitality in ways I didn’t expect before arriving.
Clinton Presidential Center
My first presidential library became one of the biggest surprises of the trip and made me want to visit more of them.
The Empress of Little Rock
The restored Victorian mansion turned lodging into an architectural and historic experience of its own.
Dugan’s Pub
Irish-inspired comfort food, local atmosphere and friendly hospitality made Dugan’s feel like more than a simple dinner stop.
Hosted Experiences & Tourism Partnerships
This road trip also became an opportunity to work with attractions, hotels and tourism businesses across several states while creating useful firsthand travel coverage for Lenses & Latitudes readers.
Partnership disclosure: Several businesses and attractions supported portions of this road trip through hosted stays, admission, experiences or other collaboration arrangements. Hosted experiences never guarantee positive coverage. All opinions and recommendations reflect my firsthand experience.
The goal of every partnership remains the same: document the experience honestly, photograph it professionally and give travelers enough firsthand information to decide whether it belongs on their own itinerary.
What This Road Trip Taught Me About Planning
The itinerary worked because it had structure without becoming so rigid that we couldn’t change it.
Choose Anchor Experiences
Tanganyika gave us a reason to reach Kansas. St. Louis, Oklahoma City and Little Rock created additional anchors around which we could build the route.
Leave Space Between Plans
Day 3 proved the value of flexibility. Wonders of Wildlife was not part of the original itinerary, yet it became one of my favorite discoveries.
Research the Road Between Cities
Murals, roadside attractions, independent restaurants and Route 66 landmarks turned otherwise ordinary driving stretches into part of the experience.
Give Major Attractions Time
Tanganyika ultimately deserved two days for the visit we wanted. Rushing major experiences simply to check off more stops rarely improves a trip.
Plan for Photography
Murals, wildlife, architecture and historic interiors take time to photograph well. I build that time into my itinerary rather than treating photography as an afterthought.
Accept What You Miss
We skipped several planned attractions. I don’t regret it. The goal isn’t to complete a spreadsheet—it is to come home with experiences worth remembering.
Frequently Asked Questions
These are the questions I would want answered when deciding whether to build a similar multi-state Midwest road trip.
How many days do you need for a Midwest road trip like this?
Our trip lasted nine days. That gave us enough time to explore major destinations, spend two days at Tanganyika Wildlife Park and still leave room for spontaneous roadside stops. A shorter version is possible, but I would reduce the number of overnight destinations rather than rush the major experiences.
Which states were included in this Midwest road trip?
We traveled through Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Tennessee before returning home. The route connected Route 66 stops with St. Louis, Wichita, Oklahoma City, Little Rock and smaller discoveries along the way.
How many miles was the road trip?
The complete trip covered nearly 2,200 miles. Because we built in multiple overnight stops and destination days, the mileage felt manageable rather than like one long continuous drive.
Can you combine Route 66 with a broader Midwest road trip?
Yes. We incorporated Route 66 stops in Illinois, Missouri and Oklahoma without making Route 66 the only focus of the trip. That worked especially well because it gave us interesting places to explore between larger destination cities.
What was the highlight of the Midwest road trip?
Tanganyika Wildlife Park inspired the entire trip and became one of its biggest highlights, but several other experiences stood out for completely different reasons. City Museum, Factory Obscura, the Clinton Presidential Center, historic lodging and unexpected roadside discoveries all became memorable parts of the journey.
The Complete Midwest Road Trip Series
Use this page as the master itinerary, then explore the detailed firsthand articles for each part of the journey.
Route 66 & Illinois
Missouri to Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Oklahoma & Route 66
Little Rock, Arkansas
Follow the Midwest Road Trip From the Beginning
The first day showed us almost immediately that this trip wasn’t going to be about simply driving from one city to another.
Continue to Day 1
Follow our route from Kentucky through Illinois, Route 66 roadside attractions, murals and unexpected discoveries on the way to St. Louis.
Looking for a Shorter Trip?
Explore destinations that work for weekends and shorter escapes, including firsthand recommendations throughout the United States.
About Angela
Angela Addington is the travel photographer and writer behind Lenses & Latitudes. She shares firsthand destination guidance and practical photography advice for independent and solo travelers, women over 50, road-trippers and weekend explorers. Learn more about Angela.
Pingback: Day 1: Route 66 Roadside Attractions, Murals, and Unexpected Adventures on the Way to St. Louis - Lenses and Latitudes
Pingback: The Cheshire St. Louis: How We Escaped to Europe Without Leaving St. Louis - Lenses and Latitudes
Pingback: How to Find Off-the-Beaten-Path Adventures - Lenses and Latitudes
Pingback: You Don’t Need More Money: You Need More Memories - Lenses and Latitudes
Pingback: Route 66 in Arcadia, Oklahoma: 3 Must-See Stops
Pingback: Midwest Road Trip Day 3: St. Louis to Wichita