{"id":6626,"date":"2017-06-30T10:15:31","date_gmt":"2017-06-30T17:15:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/?p=6626"},"modified":"2017-06-30T10:15:31","modified_gmt":"2017-06-30T17:15:31","slug":"the-midwests-most-patriotic-road-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/wayfaring\/the-midwests-most-patriotic-road-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"The Midwest\u2019s most patriotic road trip"},"content":{"rendered":"

History in the heartland<\/span><\/h2>\n

Presidential hometowns and westward migration landmarks are just a couple prime pit stops for exploring America\u2019s history in the Midwest. From small towns to St. Louis to national monuments, hit the road to celebrate independence in the heart of the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Canton, OH<\/span><\/h3>\n

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Kick it off with a stop in Canton, where a monument to the assassinated President McKinley shares ground with an interactive science center and planetarium at the <\/span>William McKinley Presidential Library & Museum<\/span><\/a>. Head over to the <\/span>First Ladies\u2019 National Historic Site<\/span><\/a> next to honor some of the women of the White House. Here, museum workers costumed as first ladies dish on their husbands and life in the capital. <\/span><\/p>\n

Springfield, IL<\/span><\/h3>\n

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Where Abraham Lincoln spent much of his life, Springfield holds several history-filled sites to learn about Honest Abe. The <\/span>Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum<\/span><\/a> is a solid first stop \u2014 you\u2019ll find a recreation of his one-room cabin among other exhibits. Learn more about his life at <\/span>Lincoln\u2019s New Salem State Historic Site<\/span><\/a>, a recreation of the 1830s town where he lived 20 miles outside Springfield, complete with costumed interpreters and timbered houses. Bring it full circle at the <\/span>Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site<\/span><\/a>, where you can learn about the deaths and burials of Lincoln, his wife Mary, and their four children on a free tour. <\/span><\/p>\n

St. Louis, MO<\/span><\/h3>\n

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The Gateway to the West for early settlers, the striking stainless-steel <\/span>Gateway Arch<\/span><\/a> represents Thomas Jefferson\u2019s vision of the country extending from Atlantic to Pacific. Take a tram to the top for some jaw-dropping views afforded by the arch\u2019s 630 feet \u2014 the tallest manmade national monument in the country. When you descend, explore the surrounding <\/span>Jefferson National Expansion Memorial<\/span><\/a>, then head to the riverfront for a meal with a view. <\/span><\/p>\n

Independence, MO<\/span><\/h3>\n

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It\u2019s hard not to love a town named Independence, especially when celebrating freedom is the name of the game. Here, learn about mild-mannered President Truman\u2019s roots. Start at the <\/span>Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum<\/span><\/a> to get a feel for Truman\u2019s leadership style and beginnings. Then, separate from the museum, tour his home at the <\/span>Harry S. Truman National Historic Site<\/span><\/a>. Finally, for a departure from Truman history, visit the <\/span>National Frontier Trails Museum<\/span><\/a> to get a closer look at pioneer life. <\/span><\/p>\n

Homestead National Monument, NE<\/span><\/h3>\n

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The Homestead Act of 1862 inspired a generation of American Dream-seekers to cultivate the frontier with the promise of 160 acres of public land for Western migrants. The <\/span>Homestead National Monument<\/span><\/a> brings this epoch to life with interactive exhibits at the Heritage Center and plenty of enticing trails to hike through tallgrass prairie. <\/span><\/p>\n

Scotts Bluff, NE<\/span><\/h3>\n

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A towering rock formation above North Platte River, <\/span>Scotts Bluff<\/span><\/a> has been a landmark for travelers from Native Americans to emigrants on the Oregon, California and Mormon Trails to modern-day visitors. Hike one of the several lovely overlook trails and imagine yourself in the shoes of Oregon Trail pioneers (arguably an even more realistic setting than the 90s computer game). <\/span><\/p>\n

Mount Rushmore, SD<\/span><\/h3>\n

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Finish your trip at one of the nation\u2019s most visited and most patriotic landmarks: <\/span>Mount Rushmore<\/span><\/a>. Marvel at the (much) larger-than-life busts of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln carved into the mountain in the starkly beautiful Black Hills region. It\u2019s hard to find a more imposing or impressive homage to our nation\u2019s leaders \u2014\u00a0a fitting end to a trip through the heartland\u2019s history. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

History in the heartland Presidential hometowns and westward migration landmarks are just a couple prime pit stops for exploring America\u2019s history in the Midwest. From small towns to St. Louis…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":6644,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[335,196],"class_list":["post-6626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wayfaring","tag-patriotic-road-trip-series","tag-summer-road-trips"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6626"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6626\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}