# So, advise me on a vacation plan. Grand Canyon to Southeast Ohio **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 13, 2011, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-advise-me-on-a-vacation-plan-grand-canyon-to-southeast-ohio/567451 "2011-01-13T14:29:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-advise-me-on-a-vacation-plan-grand-canyon-to-southeast-ohio/567451/1 "2011-01-13T14:29:49Z")
OK, then. In 2010 our vacation consisted of driving to northeastern Wyoming to see my mom in her secluded mountain home. We stopped at Wall Drug, The House on the Rock, The Corn Palace, Carhenge and so forth. A good time was had by all and I ended up driving 4200 miles, total. Next year one of my younger brothers in getting married in Arizona and Lady Chance expressed a desire to see the Grand Canyon. I’m sure the girls will like it as well. My tentative plan is to fly to Arizona and rent a car for the trip back. It looks to be about 2000 miles or so total. But again, I turn to you, my fellow dopers. What spots between the Canyon and southeastern Ohio do you think are worth seeing? Expect that we’ll fly out either Friday night or Saturday morning and need to return by the following Sunday. So about nine days in transit. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-advise-me-on-a-vacation-plan-grand-canyon-to-southeast-ohio/567451/2 "2011-01-13T14:37:40Z")
You are the only person I have ever run into, online or offline, who has also been to Carhenge. Most excellent. It looks like your route could potentially take you near to St. Louis – I’d definitely stop and see the Gateway Arch and the museum underneath it. Last time I was in St. Louis we also took a paddlewheel trip down the Mississippi, which was fun. That’s really the only advice I have, because I haven’t traveled the part of your route from Oklahoma southward. It sounds like a great trip, though! (Also, I had no idea you were in SE Ohio. I grew up in Zanesville.) ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-advise-me-on-a-vacation-plan-grand-canyon-to-southeast-ohio/567451/3 "2011-01-13T14:42:25Z")
We were in the Black Hills and I noticed that Carhenge was most of a straight shot south (of several hours) down in Nebraska. So on the way back we did that and then headed east for Iowa. Zanesville? Marietta, OH, here. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-advise-me-on-a-vacation-plan-grand-canyon-to-southeast-ohio/567451/4 "2011-01-13T15:24:08Z")
How about the painted desert and petrified forest? I know it’s over in New Mexico, but it might not be too far out of the way. Actually the whole ride between Grand Canyon and PF along I-40 isn’t too bad. I’m sure there are lots of fun things to see in the area, but I can’t think of anything off the top of my head. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-advise-me-on-a-vacation-plan-grand-canyon-to-southeast-ohio/567451/5 "2011-01-13T15:57:06Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > You are the only person I have ever run into, online or offline, who has also been to Carhenge. Most excellent. Carhenge in Alliance, Nebraska? I’ve been there! A great place to take pictures at sunrise or sunset. Try to include Antelope Canyon (just outside of Page, AZ) on your itinerary. You can get the slot canyon experience without losing an arm. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-advise-me-on-a-vacation-plan-grand-canyon-to-southeast-ohio/567451/6 "2011-01-13T16:08:24Z")
If you like Navajo and Zuni jewelry/handicrafts, the trading posts in Gallup, NM are not to be missed. I prefer [Perry Null Trading Company](http://www.perrynulltrading.com/) or Richardson’s Trading Company, but any of the large posts will have oodles of things to gawk at. Similarly, the [El Rancho Hotel’](http://www.elranchohotel.com/)s public rooms are nice for viewing, with plenty of Native American artwork. Their restaurant isn’t a bad diner-type place either. As you’ll be travelling through Albuquerque, I’d recommend lunch at either [Sadie’s](http://sadiesofnewmexico.com) or [El Pinto](http://www.elpinto.com/). There are other fine restaurants in ABQ, but those two are the ones I’ve personally been to and recommend. When New Mexicans say the food is hot, they aren’t kidding. [Meteor Crater](http://www.meteorcrater.com/) is just between Flagstaff and Gallup. A bit in the category of “2nd largest ball of twine in the U.S.”, but that’s exactly the sort of thing you want to see when you’re driving cross-country. I found driving I-40 to be somewhat…remote. There were a few times I’d hit “scan” on the FM radio and it would do laps across the band before finding a station. Fun though. The [Majestic Mobil](http://majesticmobil.com/) gas station in Flagstaff right off of has a ridiculous selection of beer—found some Alaskan Brewing Smoked Porter there. If you wanted to go off the beaten path and visit Santa Fe (only about 45 minutes or so north of Albuquerque), you’d find plenty of western art museums—including the [Georgia O’Keefe Museum](http://www.okeeffemuseum.org/)—and great food. Just north of Santa Fe, in Pojoaque, is [Kokoman Liquors](http://www.kokomanliquors.com/), another place with a ridiculous selection of inexpensive beer, wine, and spirits. I found the New Mexico and Arizona welcome centers on 40 to be stocked with tourist info, and staffed with polite, helpful people. The rocks and landscape around the Arizona center as you enter NM, were especially pretty with brilliant reds, oranges and pastels. Looked a lot like you were in a Wiley E. Coyote cartoon. Sounds like fun! I’m a bit envious. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-advise-me-on-a-vacation-plan-grand-canyon-to-southeast-ohio/567451/7 "2011-01-13T16:18:34Z")
Don’t forget to stop at Grandpa’s Cheese Barn. My California friends thought that was fantastic! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-advise-me-on-a-vacation-plan-grand-canyon-to-southeast-ohio/567451/8 "2011-01-13T21:39:39Z")
you’ve got a choice of which side of the Canyon to visit. The South Rim is much busier, with several lodges and restaurants. The North Rim is much more secluded and tranquil. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-advise-me-on-a-vacation-plan-grand-canyon-to-southeast-ohio/567451/9 "2011-01-13T23:12:35Z")
If you’re visiting the Grand Canyon, you aren’t very far from Hoover Dam. We spend a day there in November. If you’re any kind of a design/engineering/architecture geek, you need to take the long tour and get to walk the inside halls of the dam. Check out the recently opened by-pass bridge. Plus there are the brass art deco bathrooms. ---
**Author:** ![Lao\_Tsu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lao\_Tsu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lao_Tsu)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-advise-me-on-a-vacation-plan-grand-canyon-to-southeast-ohio/567451/10 "2011-01-13T23:26:01Z")
I’d suggest visiting Mesa Verde. I’ve never been there myself but always wanted to go. I’ve heard great things about Albuquerque. > **[Mesa Verde National Park](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesa_Verde_National_Park)** > > Mesa Verde National Park is an American national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Montezuma County, Colorado. The park protects some of the best-preserved Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites in the United States. > Established by Congress and President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, the park occupies 52,485 acres (21,240 ha) near the Four Corners region of the American Southwest. With more than 5,000 sites, including 600 cliff dwellings, it is the largest archaeological preserve ... ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-advise-me-on-a-vacation-plan-grand-canyon-to-southeast-ohio/567451/11 "2011-01-14T00:28:50Z")
[Painted Desert/Petrified Forest](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrified_Forest_National_Park) for sure. But also do not miss [Canyon de Chelly](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canyon_de_Chelly_National_Monument) ( Chelly is typically pronounced “shay” ). Quite spectacular and a little less often visited than some similar areas. If you have a day to spare making reservations ( absolutely required ) for a tour of the canyon floor with the associated cliff dwellings it is worth it, but even driving the rim is impressive. If you’re okay swinging north to southern Colorado, [Mesa Verde](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesa_Verde) is also incredible. Again with the detours, but if you’re going via the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, some of the spectacular southern Utah parklands like [Zion](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zion_National) are within striking range and are also must sees IMHO. I’ve probably hit most of the National Parks/Monuments in the American Southwest at one time or another and I think they’re all worthwhile to one degree or another ;). But it kinda depends on your route and how far out of a straight shot you are willing to go. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-advise-me-on-a-vacation-plan-grand-canyon-to-southeast-ohio/567451/12 "2011-01-14T00:58:51Z")
Another vote for Mesa Verde. 'Course, I was there last in 1981. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-advise-me-on-a-vacation-plan-grand-canyon-to-southeast-ohio/567451/13 "2011-01-14T01:01:50Z")
Anything that really gets us back by Sunday without any hugely 18+ hour single drives will work. So I don’t mind distractions and detours, roadside stops and such are on the menu. What about the John Ford landscape sort of thing. The big Mesas and such? I’d like the kids to see those. And get some Route 66 time in. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-advise-me-on-a-vacation-plan-grand-canyon-to-southeast-ohio/567451/14 "2011-01-14T01:13:31Z")
If you’re willing to scoot north to I-40, I’ll absolutely agree with the Painted Desert/Petrified Forest. It’s been close to 40 years since I’ve been there, and I still am impressed. Or, if you’re far enough south in Arizona, you could go through New Mexico on U.S. highways (mostly allowing good speed) and visit the [Space Museum](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mexico_Museum_of_Space_History) in Alamogordo. (Which also has a very nice very little small town zoo that costs $1.10 to enter.) Which would also set you up for Lincoln County and Billy the Kid if you’re so inclined. I found the Fort Smith, Arkansas historical site to be interesting. (Just the government part; the museum in town was pretty blah.) If it’s summertime, and you decide to come up I-44 from Oklahoma (instead of going through Fort Smith on 40), there’s a nice little [zoo](http://www.dickersonparkzoo.org/) in Springfield, Missouri. And the St. Louis Zoo is very good in summer. (Winter not so good–indoor viewing of the great apes and cats and giraffes, etc. is unavailable.) My folks are in Dayton, and they’re pretty nice people. Guess that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-advise-me-on-a-vacation-plan-grand-canyon-to-southeast-ohio/567451/15 "2011-01-14T01:18:00Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > And get some Route 66 time in. There’s very little of Route 66 left, most of it was overwritten by the freeways. You’ll see signs for the historical Route 66 mostly following the business routes through cities by the freeway. That’ll really slow you up, and except for some sections in Albuquerque where they have old style roadside motels and so on, is nothing but a sea of McDonalds and the like any more. ---
**Author:** ![Bartman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bartman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bartman)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-advise-me-on-a-vacation-plan-grand-canyon-to-southeast-ohio/567451/16 "2011-01-14T01:37:11Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Again with the detours, but if you’re going via the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, some of the spectacular southern Utah parklands like [Zion](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zion_National) are within striking range and are also must sees IMHO If you do swing north, [Goblin Valley](http://www.utah.com/stateparks/goblin_valley.htm) is a really interesting stop that only takes an hour or so. And while **blondebear** mentioned the fantastic Antelope Canyon, you can hit [Little Wild Horse Canyon](http://www.climb-utah.com/SRS/lwh.htm) right next to Goblin Valley. Whatever route you decide to take, look for native rock art along the route, there should be at least one interesting panel only a short detour away. The 4-corners area is lousy with them. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-advise-me-on-a-vacation-plan-grand-canyon-to-southeast-ohio/567451/17 "2011-01-14T01:52:42Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > What about the John Ford landscape sort of thing. The big Mesas and such? I’d like the kids to see those. And get some Route 66 time in. Monument Valley is where you want to go for John Ford’s west. Route 66, or remnants of it, can be found alongside I40 (the longest unbroken stretch is west of Grand Canyon between Seligman and Kingman). There is an embarrassment of riches in the Grand Circle. The trouble is, it’s so BIG. You can’t see everything. I’ve been out there a dozen times and there are still places I want to explore. You might be well served to pick 2 or 3 places you _ **really** _ want to see, and plan your route accordingly. There will be plenty of interesting spots in between to easily fill out your itinerary. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-advise-me-on-a-vacation-plan-grand-canyon-to-southeast-ohio/567451/18 "2011-01-14T14:45:59Z")
Monument Valley is something I’d like to see, truly. But starting in the Canyon and the spaces out there mean I have to decide early whether to go south through Tucson and the New Mexico and Texas or north through Utah and Colorado. Lady Chance would like to see Mesa Verde again but I fear the drive east from Colorado. I did Nebraska last year and found it underwhelming. I think Kansas couldn’t have much in the way of interesting stops, either. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-advise-me-on-a-vacation-plan-grand-canyon-to-southeast-ohio/567451/19 "2011-01-14T15:19:17Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > There’s very little of Route 66 left, most of it was overwritten by the freeways. You’ll see signs for the historical Route 66 mostly following the business routes through cities by the freeway. That’ll really slow you up, and except for some sections in Albuquerque where they have old style roadside motels and so on, is nothing but a sea of McDonalds and the like any more. You do have to seek it out, but there may be more left than you think. I’m not really up on the particulars these days, but there are myriad books and websites on Route 66, if this happens to interest you. So much depends on what you like to do. I’m a Minor League Baseball nut, and Albuquerque, Amarillo, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Springfield MO, and Indianapolis all have teams. Not to mention St. Louis for MLB (but get tickets in advance). I really like the new Busch. There’s no way I wouldn’t fit a ballgame or three somewhere in this trip. But that’s me. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-advise-me-on-a-vacation-plan-grand-canyon-to-southeast-ohio/567451/20 "2011-01-14T15:37:18Z")
I’ll speak up on behalf of Kansas and Hutchinson’s [Cosmosphere](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_Cosmosphere_and_Space_Center). An excellent little museum that chronicles the history of rocketry and space exploration and does an excellent job of connecting the dots that explain why the postwar space race developed the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. I stood in the museum and cried reading about Laika. I’m such a sucker. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-advise-me-on-a-vacation-plan-grand-canyon-to-southeast-ohio/567451.md?page=2)