11 Perfect Destinations for a Long Weekend in The Prairies
If a long weekend is speeding by and you still don't have a plan lined up, or if you just want to curate a rewarding itinerary in the Prairie Region of the United States and are wondering which specific spots to plan with, brace yourself for a trip that will feel like a whole discovery. It may not be showy or flamboyant, but the quiet, austere beauty of the Prairie Region, especially with its rolling hills and wide-open skies, is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Without a doubt, the Prairie Region is the perfect place to experience nature's vastness, as well as its intimacy. So, keep reading to discover the 11 destinations suited for a long weekend in the Prairies.
Luverne, Minnesota
Luverne is a small town of about 5,000 residents set along the 144-mile Rock River. Although it doesn't often grace the glossy pages of popular travel publications, this Minnesota gem has plenty for a weekend. You will find trails that lead to the Blue Mounds State Park, a unique outdoor playground perched atop the highest point in southern Wisconsin. Expect scintillating prairie vistas, awesome hiking trails, and a clean, well-maintained campground with private shower stalls.
You can float down Rock River, sit by its banks and enjoy its sound and fury, or mill around the Rock County History Center, which keeps a huge collection of nutcrackers. Alternatively, check if you can catch a mood-lifting show at Verne Drive-In Theater, a retro-style space with a little slice of Americana. At the end of the day, jump into a neat bed and clean bedsheets at the aptly named Cozy Rest Motel, a convenient accommodation option loved for pet-friendliness.
Badlands National Park, South Dakota
Badlands National Park is a formidable outdoor beauty that features the largest undisturbed mixed‐grass prairie in the United States. It spans over 240,000 acres, meaning you can't even exhaust it in a weekend. It also offers several recreational opportunities, including hiking and camping. You can start at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center in the town of Interior, South Dakota, or the White River Visitor Center, the main facility in the South Unit of the park. The latter is only open during the summer season, while the former is open year-round.
Ben Reifel Visitor Center provides an interesting introductory film, a small exhibit area, and a gift shop. It also has a decent number of partially shaded picnic tables outside for those looking for a cool place to enjoy lunch. The only in-park accommodation is the Cedar Pass Lodge, which operates from April to October. You will enjoy driving along the Badlands Loop Road, a paved photo-worthy route through the North Unit that offers sweeping views of the eroded buttes. The many trails in the park, including the famous Notch Trail and the more immersive Castle Trail, offer up close interactions with the surprisingly diverse flora and excellent stargazing opportunities.
Pella, Iowa
Conveniently positioned less than an hour from Des Moines, Pella always makes for a quick weekend getaway. The town is neat and charming, and is widely known for its spring Tulip Time Festival, an epic event that lights up the town every year in May. It celebrates the town's Dutch heritage and well-known springtime beauty. The Tulip Time Festival features several parades and activities, and, of course, tulips, the second-most popular Valentine's Day flower. And on the first weekend of December, Pella often hosts a Dutch Christmas Market called Kerstmarkt, which is inspired by outdoor markets in the Netherlands. It's the perfect occasion to snap a photo with Santa at the Central Park Windmill as you sample the area's culinary offerings.
Stroll along the Volksweg Trail for life-changing sunset views, or visit the Molengracht Canal, an attraction that will transport your mind to the Netherlands. There are tons of accommodation options to work with, but you will feel right at home at Cheesemaker's Inn, a convenient spot whose atmosphere is cozy, charming, and peaceful. The best part is that Lake Red Rock, Iowa’s largest lake with 15-to-17,000 square acres of surface water, is within earshot. Think of boating, hiking, camping, biking, fishing, and birdwatching.
Scotts Bluff National Monument, Nebraska
Scott's Bluff National Monument is a sprawling outdoor wonder in western Nebraska. It protects over 3,000 acres of mixed-grass prairie and features the historic Oregon Trail, an iconic pathway for westward expansion in the United States. Brace yourself for a delicious mix of prairie ecology and pioneer history feel. You can always swing by to hike up the bluff, sip wide horizon views, and enjoy the quietness of the prairie. The park is set along the North Platte River, about 8 miles west of Scottsbluff. From the towering bluffs that rise dramatically from the plains, to the stunning backdrop, to the incredibly scenic overlooks of the sweeping Nebraska landscape, this outdoor space is still among the most underrated.
Yet, what truly stands out is the park's historical significance, especially the feeling of walking where pioneers once traveled. The visitor center adds even more context with its exhibits, some of which are associated with William Henry Jackson, best known as the first person to photograph the wonders of Yellowstone. Other highlights include Summit Road, the oldest concrete road in the state of Nebraska, and the Saddle Rock Trail, which leads from the visitor center to the summit of Scotts Bluff. Lodging options abound in the cities of Scottsbluff and Gering, including Monument Inn & Suites in Gering.
Abilene, Kansas
Although squarely placed in a rolling Kansas prairie, Abilene's downtown area is a contradiction of color and character. Former general and President Dwight Eisenhower is among the town's most famous sons, and visitors often troop to the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home to see the prayer chapel where the president and his wife were interred, watch eye-opening films about his life and work, and admire the thoughtfully curated exhibits and high-quality displays that offer a glimpse into Eisenhower’s military career, as well as his presidency and personal life.
Other attractions include the iconic Great Plains Theatre, which started as First Presbyterian Church in the 1880s, and the one-of-a-kind Greyhound Hall of Fame, an interesting place to learn about greyhounds, including their role in racing and culture. Abilene's Victorian Inn Bed & Breakfast, near the gorgeously tended Eisenhower Park Rose Garden, is a historic property conveniently located close to the town's restaurants and shops. Just don't miss the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad!
Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, and Pawhuska, Oklahoma
Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve is a rare remnant of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem in the United States, and one of the best places to experience a true prairie landscape, complete with wildflowers, rolling prairie hills, and possibly bison. A long weekend here means nature, quietness, and expansive skies. Birds will be wheeling overhead, the wind will be blowing softly through the bluestem grass, and the breathtaking views of the Osage Hills will be pinching every happy hormone in your system. This preserve is the kind of place that reminds you how vast, alive, and beautifully untamed the American prairie still is.
Plop yourself in Pawhuska, a small but historic town on the Osage Nation Reservation. Your weekend will be spent strolling through downtown Pawhuska, browsing the oldest tribally-owned museum in the country, learning about a person touted as the world's greatest cowboy (at the Ben Johnson Cowboy Museum), and dancing with danger at the Swinging Bridge, once the only means to cross Bird Creek to town. Several accommodation options are in Pawhuska, including the historic Mabelle Inn.
McPherson, Kansas
McPherson is a Kansas gem named for Civil War General James B. McPherson, who graduated at the head of his West Point class of 1849. The town is strategically positioned on the historic Santa Fe Trail in central Kansas and offers an impressive lineup of attractions and recreational opportunities. McPherson Museum & Arts Foundation, which keeps a giant ground sloth and saber-tooth cat from the La Brea Tar Pits, offers a glimpse into the area's history and culture. At the museum's Fine Art Gallery, you can view the lithographs and original paintings of the incredibly talented artist Birger Sandzen. Alternatively, there's also the story of the McPherson basketball team that brought home the 1936 Olympic gold medal and was dubbed the "tallest team in the world.”
However, the star of the show is typically the detailed model train exhibit based on the railways that rumble through the area. Outside the historic buildings, you can explore Meadowlark Trail, which is designed to connect McPherson and Lindsborg, and the swoon-worthy Turkey Creek Golf Course, a wonderful public course with wide fairways and beautiful scenery. Candlewood Suites McPherson is right by the highway, yet surprisingly quiet and comfortable. Just don't skip a stroll along a beautiful lake and the handsomely groomed Wall Park.
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Kansas
Nature is vast, genuine, and ubiquitous, and nowhere else is this best appreciated than at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, a spell-binding outdoor space within earshot of Spring City, Kansas. This park protects almost 11,000 acres of tallgrass prairie, and is especially stunning in late summer or early fall, when grasses turn golden. Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve features a historic one-room schoolhouse, typically open from May to December, a barn, a visitor center with interesting exhibits, and a stunning mural of the four seasons with tactile elements. Apart from the preserve, there's the Flint Hills National Scenic Byway, a 47-mile beauty speckled with small towns, intriguing historic sites, native grassland ranches, unique limestone outcroppings, and wildflower-filled meadows.
Although the sun can be relentless, nothing compares with the rare chance to see herds of bison up close, to explore the many trails that criss-cross the area, and to admire all the beautiful wild flowers. Keep in mind that the preserve also offers excellent stargazing opportunities, especially due to its remote location in the Flint Hills. Finally, “Tired of the City” is not an exasperated remark but a rustic accommodation option in nearby Cottonwood Falls. Remember to pass by the Chase County Historical Society & Museum.
Vermilion, South Dakota
This beautiful Missouri River port town serves as the jumping-off point to the Spirit Mound Historic Prairie, an iconic outdoor beauty that offers visitors scenic spots for hiking, photography, and connecting with history. Lewis and Clark made their way there in 1804, meaning it is one of the few places in the country where you can walk—with certainty—in the footsteps of the world-famous explorers.
You will find restored prairie grasses, beautiful wildflowers, and wildlife. Yet, Vermilion is a destination in itself, especially with the phenomenal National Music Museum, which holds almost 15,000 instruments from around the world. The museum itself can effortlessly steal a day. There's also the University of South Dakota, whose three galleries feature the largest single collection of works by Oscar Howe. Accommodation options include the reasonably priced Red Roof Inn Vermillion U of South Dakota.
Lindsborg, Kansas
Lindsborg is a deceivingly tiny town in McPherson County with robust Scandinavian origins and artistic scenes. Although people come to sample the town’s many eclectic attractions, including epic cultural landmarks such as the Birger Sandzén Memorial Art Gallery, Lindsborg is surprisingly rich in outdoor offerings, as well. Kanopolis State Park, the first in the Kansas State Park system, is just 20 minutes down the road. Tucked away in the rolling hills and woods of the scenic Smoky Hills Region, Kanopolis State Park offers ruggedly beautiful views, as well as several boating and biking opportunities.
After spending the entire day at the glittering Kanopolis Lake, Lindsborg offers a whole package of delights to explore. From the Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum to the Meadowlark Trail to Coronado Heights Castle, a perched position to view the prairie landscape as far as the eye can see, Lindsborg is a gold mine of interesting vacation experiences. Spend the night at Rosberg House Bed & Breakfast, a highly rated property loved for its refreshing cold pool. Meanwhile, the centrally located Dakota Nature Park offers paved walking trails, a lodge, and boatloads of other recreational opportunities.
Brookings, South Dakota
Brookings is a vibrant college town in eastern South Dakota that is evidently fine-tuned for fun and adventure. A weekend here can feature delicious comfort food, heart-gripping outdoor pleasure spots, and top-tier cultural attractions, including the South Dakota Art Museum, which boasts the largest collection of illustrations by Harvey Dunn in the world. More than that, you will find more than 20 paintings by Oscar Howe, the Sioux artist known for depicting his Dakota heritage through his own modernistic style.
If tagging your little angels, you can spark their imagination with hands-on exhibits at the Children’s Museum of South Dakota, the first children’s museum in the state. You can mingle with movie lovers at Brookings Cinema 8, before spending a quiet night at Comfort Suites University, loved for its convenient location near McCorry Gardens.
So, from small secluded towns with so much color and character to off-the-beaten-path attractions with a relaxing atmosphere and restful rhythm to beautiful wildflowers and a small touch of remoteness, the Prairie Region of the United States is often a fantastic area to spend a weekend. Instead of traffic jams and traffic lights, how about mingling with herds of bison, deer, and bald eagles, stargazing in clean air and quiet nights, or enjoying life-changing sunsets? The truth is, that's how Americans should be spending every other weekend.
