If you want to get across northern Iowa quickly and efficiently, by all means take four-lane U.S. Highway 20. Advocates for the highway worked for about 60 years to get it widened to four lanes as a way to grow the economy of the northern tier of the state.

But if you want to take a leisurely road trip, see some unique sites, and enjoy some food and beverages, there is a part of the highway that is perfect for that, too.

The original U.S. Highway 20 was laid out in 1926, and much of that first route is still intact.

The Historic Route 20 Association, a national group, is encouraging people to get out and explore the original sections of the highway. Bryan Farr, the founder and president of the group, recently visited Fort Dodge to talk about some of the ways it is working to call attention to all the cool stuff along historic Highway 20 in north central Iowa. The plans include a kind of scavenger hunt that challenges travelers to visit 42 sites. Local sites on the scavenger hunt list include Main Street in Duncombe, the Fort Museum and Frontier Village in Fort Dodge, Moorland Pond, Rainbow Bridge Park in Rockwell City, the Highway 20 mural in Lytton and the world’s largest popcorn ball in Sac City.

Most of those sites are in smaller towns where merchants and restaurant owners would welcome visitors.

For more information, travelers can look for an upcoming new tour guide with maps, and a passport in which travelers can collect stickers from 37 sites along the route.

Visiting all the sites on the scavenger hunt sounds like an intriguing way to spend a weekend. We encourage people to hit the road and see all that the communities along the historic route have to offer.