Central States holidays

City stays, countryside escapes, or an epic road trip - how you enjoy the Central States is up to you. Drive Route 66 through Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Travel under the Bridges of Madison County on Iowa’s Scenic Byway. See the Oklahoma locations of Rain Man, Kevin Costner’s real-life Field of Dreams near Dubuque in Iowa, the Wizard of Oz Museum outside Topeka in Kansas, and the vast lake setting for Netflix’s Ozark

Visit the real Boot Hill cowboy town in Dodge City, the Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend, or Carhenge in the Sandhills. Step into the homes of President Eisenhower in Kansas, President Hoover in Iowa, and Mark Twain in Missouri. You could even take a selfie outside Grant Wood’s American Gothic House. With gardens, museums, galleries, zoos, and theme parks, the Central States have more than you might think, and a few surprises too.

Boundless prairies, long roads, and covered bridges are the postcard images of the Central States but it’s in the cities that life really happens. Mix hipster dining and canal cruises with museums of science and cowboys in Oklahoma City. Find quirky architecture in Tulsa, and free-roaming bison at its edge. Visit the world’s largest indoor desert, jungle, and nocturnal habitats at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, or browse boutiques on the cobbled streets of its Old Market.

See Iowa State Capitol’s golden domes in Des Moines. Watch a show in the century-old Paramount Theater in Cedar Rapids. Go Deutsche in the Amana Colonies of Iowa City. Wander 30 themed gardens at Botanica, Wichita. Hear engines roar at Kansas City Speedway. Sail by the St. Louis Gateway Arch on the mighty Mississippi. Tap your cowboy boots in the country music capital of Branson. Wherever you go, warm welcomes are waiting.

America’s Central States might not be home to world-famous national parks, but they’re not lacking in natural wonders. Travel back to the time of wagon trains when you look up at Chimney Rock or hike around the towering Scotts Bluff of Nebraska. Find millennia-old petroglyphs in Indian Cave by the Missouri River or take a road trip through the otherworldly landscape of the Sandhills’ 300-foot dunes. In Iowa, the illuminated majesty of the Dancehall Cave contrasts with torchlight only squeezes in Maquoketa’s smaller caverns.

Peer through a window into pre-farming Kansas, complete with grazing bison, in Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. Then, in the heart of Missouri, the vast manmade Lake of the Ozarks is a playground for swimming, boating, and fishing among thick forest, waterside resorts, and some of the best golf courses in the region.

With four distinct but temperate seasons, each offering its own appeal, the best time to visit the Central States is when it fits in with your plans. Summer temperatures average from 20°C to 30°C, depending on altitude and latitude and outdoor activities in most regions are comfortable from the start of spring in March to the end of autumn in October.

Even the winter months, which can reach freezing in some locations, offer dry days perfect for exploring so long as you’ve packed the right clothes. Major events to look out for include Fair Saint Louis in July, Iowa State Fair in August, Omaha SeptemberFest, Kansas State Fair in September, and Oklahoma’s Poteau Balloon Fest in October. Whenever you go, there’s a celebration happening somewhere. Our Travel Specialists will help guide you to the right time for your trip.