The Lincoln Highway – Part II: Chicago to Cheyenne

Follow America’s first “good road” across the heartland – our 31st Anniversary Tour

Quick Information

Tour Ronald Reagan’s boyhood home, Mamie Eisenhower’s birthplace and Boys Town in Omaha
Visit The Great River Road Monument in Kearney, NE
Go in search of the Pony Express, the Oregon and Mormon Trails and other historic sites – lunch at Buffalo Bill State Park
Sports Leisure 31st anniversary celebration in Cheyenne
Round trip air, Sacramento/Chicago and Denver/Sacramento
Dine in funky roadside diners and the finest restaurants – 20 meals: 3 exp. cont. breakfasts, 1 brunch, 5 full breakfasts, 7 lunches, 4 dinners
Deluxe motorcoach transportation throughout the tour
Tour Director: Mark Hoffmann
2850/3200 Gold Passport Points

Trip Itinerary

Day 1

Arrive in Chicago around noon today. Our first overnight destination is Joliet, where both the Lincoln Highway and Route 66 cross through the city. Visit a wonderful museum featuring the old highways. Harrah’s Joliet (L)
Day 2

Our travels begin in earnest this morning. In Plainfield, Route 66 and the Lincoln share the same route for three blocks. The occasion is worth a picture stop. Harner’s Bakery in North Aurora is a must for those who need a mid-morning snack. In Dekalb, you’ll want a photo of the vintage Egyptian Theater. The town of Creston has beautiful murals and a slice of original road worth investigating. We’ll stop for a late lunch in Franklin Grove at the Lincoln Highway Coffee Shop. It’s right across from the Illinois LH Visitor Center, in a building just about as old as the road! Country Inn & Suites Rock Falls (L)
Day 3

President Ronald Reagan spent some of his early years in Dixon. The home has been restored to the period (1920-23) and we’ll enjoy a tour this morning. In Fulton, along the Mississippi, a touch of Holland commands our attention. Across the river in Clinton, the Smith Brothers General Store is worth a peek. There’s everything here you can image. Tonight, an optional casual dinner experience. It wouldn’t be the Midwest without loose meat sandwiches. Sorta like a sloppy joe without the sauce. We’ll dine at an authentic Maid Rite Sandwich Shop. Cedar Rapids Marriott – 2 nights (ECB,L,D)
Day 4

A leisurely day in Cedar Rapids includes a tour of Brucemore, a Queen Anne-style mansion that dates back to 1886. The National Czech and Slovak Museum is recovering from serious flooding this past spring, but you can be certain today will have a cultural twist to it. In the afternoon, head west of town to Youngville Station. They serve some fine pie here on Friday afternoons. It’s an old highway rest stop dating back decades. (B,L)
Day 5

Off across Iowa. The corn is just beginning to show itself. Soon, it will be “as high as an elephant’s eye,” or so they say. In tiny Tama is a unique bridge you’ll want to see, the finest on the highway in this writer’s opinion. There’s a fascinating tree house to explore in Marshalltown. Niland’s Corner is a long-standing eatery along the road and we’ll stop in for lunch. Boone was the birthplace of Mamie Eisenhower. Let’s stop and tour the home and see the bed in which she was brought into the world, shall we? In Woodbine, we’ll get pictures of some of the old brick pavement.

The road into Omaha is the original route, quickly bypassed to save some 40 miles. You’re staying right next to the Old Market area, so dozens of restaurants are within an easy walk. Doubletree Hotel – 2 nights (B,L,D)
Day 6

We pause for the second and final time in our travels to explore a Midwestern city. Omaha is the home of Boys Town, and we will visit this remarkable facility this morning before partaking in a late Sunday Brunch. If you enjoy organ concerts, we have special treat in store for you later. The day concludes with a gourmet dinner together. (B,BR)
Day 7

We’ll leave Omaha on the back road, the old road, headed for Columbus. We pass through Clark and Grand Island and Shelton, where we stop at the state LH Visitor Center. Grand Island has the only unaltered stretch of original pavement on the route. One of the most remarkable recently built attractions in the country is the Great River Road Monument across I-80 near Kearney. Inside, you’ll find a wonderland of history. AmericInn Kearney (B,L,D)
Day 8

The Oregon Trail, the Pony Express and the old Mormon Trail all cross our route today, as we zig-zag around corn fields, in search of history. In North Platte, at Buffalo Bill State Park, we’ll rustle up a barbeque lunch with all the trimmings. Finish the day just short of the Wyoming border. AmericInn Sidney (ECB,L)
Day 9

We’re headed into cowboy country. You can feel the change as you leave the great plains and head into the hills of Wyoming. We’ll be in Cheyenne in time for lunch, and an afternoon tour that has a definite cowboy slant to it. Tonight, we spend the final night of this leg of the journey in the historic Plains Hotel. It first opened in 1911, just three years before the Lincoln Highway became the first coast-to-coast road in the country. Today, it’s still operating at the busiest corner in Cheyenne. Enjoy your time in this timeless landmark this evening, and join us for a most special celebration, as Sports Leisure Vacations turns 31 years(or riding) in for the occasion. (ECB,D) old. A special guest or two is flying
Day 10

We leave the old road and travel south to Denver, where our evening flight will take us back to Sacramento. But before leaving Cheyenne, let’s capture a lot more of that cowboy hospitality this morning as we tour the beautiful capitol building and visit the Wyoming State Museum. Arrive in Sacramento about 10pm (current schedule). (B)