I-35 Between Minneapolis & Dallas

The Murrah Federal Building Bombing in OKC is close to I-35. The National Cowboy Hall of Fame is also in OKC. The better towns for antiques in Oklahoma I think are more near Tulsa than I-35. I live in Norman which I-35 goes through so wave hi as you drive by! LOL

Does I35 go through Des Moines? There is a very nice resale shop called Do Overz in Urbandale, Iowa. It’s a little west of DesMoines. Other than that, I don’t know, but have a great trip.

Where are you staying in DFW?

The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza is interesting. You must buy tickets in advance.

The cattle drive in the Fort Worth Stockyards is free everyday at 11:30 and 4:00. There are some places to shop and eat in the stockyards.

If you like the show Fixer Upper, head to Waco and visit their store. It’s an easy day trip from DFW.

Google things to see on I35 and there are several websites.

Where in KC mo are you staying?

Also...KC has the ONLY WW1 Museum in the entire US. It is freaking amazing! It has be to be insured for a billion dollars considering the amount of uniforms, artillery, tanks, propaganda inside. It is a must see.

I live in Dallas and my DD goes to school in Iowa, so we've made a chunk of this trip several times (and will again in August), but we don't take I-35 the entire way. I haven't found a whole heck of a lot to do along the way. We did go visit George Washington Carver's homestead and museum near Joplin, MO on one trip. It is worth a visit, but a fair jaunt off the highway and not on the I-35 route.

We ate a Slap's BBQ in KC. Tiny place, good food, and right off the highway. We missed an exit and kept crossing over the state border, so our map was saying "Welcome to Kansas," "Welcome to Missouri" over and over. I have found KC traffic to be surprisingly terrible, considering I've spent many years navigating Dallas rush-hour traffic.

Pecan Lodge is one of the go-to places in Dallas for BBQ (although I sadly have not made it there yet). It is in Deep Ellum, which is very close to downtown. At least in pre-pandemic times, Deep Ellum was fun to walk around in the day, with shops and galleries, cool wall art murals, and the Dallas robots, but it can be sketchy at night. We did DD's senior pictures there. Other recommendations in Deep Ellum are Buzzbrews, a diner run by a chef with great coffee and food, and Twisted Root for burgers.

You'll also be near the Arts District, with several good museums. The Perot science museum is excellent for all ages. The Dallas Art Museum is free except for special exhibits. The Crowe Museum has Asian artifacts and is really interesting. And the Nasher Sculpture Center is also there. I recommend all of them.

The Dallas World Aquarium is also in the same general area. It's a huge indoor rainforest and aquarium. I haven't been in years because I've got concerns about how their animals are acquired, but it is a fun place to visit.

The Holocaust Museum just had a major upgrade and reopening and is supposed to be amazing. I have not been yet, but it is on my list.

For shopping, there is a mostly indoor Farmers Market on the edge of the downtown area. It's more of a hip shopping market than a food market these days (honestly, I miss the old farmers market, but the new version is fun to shop). Lots of shopping options in the Knox-Henderson area in uptown, plus Chuy's for Tex-Mex, just a little north of downtown. Northpark Mall is the premier mall if you want to wander a little farther north of downtown (my kids call this the ducks and turtles mall because there is a fountain there with...ducks and turtles.) Right across the highway from Northpark is the flagship Half Price Books, which is an enormous used bookstore, and one of my favorite places to hang out.

Have a fun trip!

Memory Bound in Ankeny is well worth the stop. They are on Facebook and do a Facebook live every weekday at 9:30 (central time) if you would like to get a feel for the store before you stop. Taylored Expressions has very limited hours; check before stopping She is at tayloredexpressions.com and on Facebook. Reiman Gardens in Ames would be a good stop. It's not too far off I-35. I love the butterfly house there. Story City has an antique carousel (over 100 years old) if you are into something like that. It might be a bit of jaunt off I-35 though. Living History Farms in Des Moines is right off I-35. Not sure how long you have to spend, it would take about 1/2 day to go through that. Attached to Living History is The Machine Shed (restaurant). Meals are served family style and if you time it right you could get a hayrack ride. The gift shop is kind of neat to poke around through. Winterset is south of Des Moines, about 30 miles west of I-35. It is the birthplace of John Wayne and has several covered bridges in the area. Part of Bridges of Madison County was filmed there. Several quilt shops there too. Home of Fons and Porter if you are a quilter. I think the Northside Cafe is still open in Winterset. Used to have the BEST onion rings around. The Iowa Welcome center at the Lamoni exit would be a good place to stop and stretch your legs. Lots of Amish wares for sale, baskets, jams/jellies, quilts and such. The Precious Moments Chapel is at Carthage MO. It would be somewhat out of your way but so worth the drive if you have the time and/or collect Precious Moments.

Foodwise--Hickory Park in Ames is good. In Ankeny, Ankeny Diner is good (#3 breakfast is my favorite and their cinnamon roll french toast), Sorriso Grill is good (breakfast and lunch only), Fong's Pizza (my favorite pizza is Crab Rangoon). In Des Moines, Smokey D's is excellent. Fried pickles are great, my favorite sandwich is the burnt ends. At the Decatur City exit (about 60 miles south of Des Moines) a little place called The Barnyard. They use home raised beef. Hamburgers and cheeseburgers are great. They have great daily specials and usually have several kinds of pie. Family Table in Osceola is good. In Bethany MO is Toot-Toots. Used to have a huge buffet. Not sure if that is back yet or not.

Can't think of any antique places other than Brass Armadillo in Des Moines. There might be a couple antiques stores in Lamoni and Winterset but I'm not much of antiquer so I can't make any recommendations.

Happy trails--

I grew up in KC, but haven't lived there in a long time but still have family there. I was under the impression that downtown was getting better. My brother just bought a loft there and it looks like a great area. 

Depending on your funds, The Country Club Plaza area is a great place to stay. Or the Crown Center area. I wouldn't drive through to the KS side, but I'm a born and bred KCMO girl.     

supersoda has given you great recommendations.
I would add that you should contact each museum/restaurant/entertainment recommendation and determine just
what the rules are now. Reservations required? masks? etc. So much has changed/been adjusted during the
pandemic that you should follow up on all of these.

Since you are going to stay downtown, I would take a trip up to the top of Reunion Tower and enjoy the view
of the city from above. There is an observation deck there (or there was!)

I hope the trip is fun for all of your family.