If you were planning the all-American roadtrip and wanted to see the full range of the American experience from the Grand Canyon and Mount Rushmore to Carhenge and the world’s laregst ball of twine, what spots would be on your Must See list?
Metropolis, & pose with the statue of Superman.
You already mentioned my favorite: Carhenge.
Others would include the Crazy Horse Memorial (which is a shitload more impressive than Mt. Rushless), Rapid City’s Reptile Gardens, and Cabela’s in Sydney, Nebraska.
Just to make this post helpful, he’s referring to the real town of Metropolis, Illinois:
Well, since the Great Lakes should be on your list, if you stop in Metropolis you could stop in (or at least drive through) Wilmington (IL) to see the Astronaut at the Launching Pad diner. He’s one of the original Paul Bunyan guys, repainted. Been standing out there for as long as I can remember, and he’s on part of the original Rt. 66, so there’s a bit more americana for you.
The original Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant (Sanders Cafe) in Corbin, Kentucky.
(Incidentally, I always check out Roadside America for ideas whenever I plan a road trip.)
(Hmm. I see BBV Lou already mentioned that.)
And you gotta see the Arch in St. Louis, of course.
The Strip next to Bagnell Dam at Osage Beach, Missouri. It looks like something out of the 1930s.
For that matter, the Las Vegas Strip.
The Catsup Bottle water tower in Collinsville, IL.
And while you’re in southwestern Illinois, it couldn’t hurt to check out the Piasa Bird.
On a semi-serious note, you should come through Philly – not only the Liberty Bell and all that, but the statue of Rocky by the Art Museum steps, The Mutter Museum, The Mummer Museum, cheesesteaks and hoagies, etc.
The Everglades
And of course, the Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum in Gatlinburg, TN.
If you wander into North Dakota by accident, you can always stop to see the world’s largest buffalo in Jamestown.
My vote goes to The Museum of Questionable Medical Devices.
you can find 'em all at: www.roadsideamerica.com
neatly organized by category of your favorite roadside oddies:
Muffler Men
2-Story Outhouses
Big Bovines
Big Fruit
Big Coffee Pots
Mega-Messiahs
Mystery Spots
Shoe Trees
Smiley Water Towers
Stonehenges (that’s right, folks…it’s plural)
Tiny Churches
Transparent Gals
White Squirrels
Well, I would start up in Acadia National Park, Maine. Work your way down to Boston with all the Freedom Trail historical shit there. Head west to Sturbridge, MA. Go south to Mystic, CT (maybe stop at Foxwoods or Mohican Sun casinos).
Continue down I-95 to NYC. Then Philly, Jamestown, VA, and finally Washington, DC. After that someone else can take over.
South of the Border so you can buy fireworks.
Take the Circle Line cruise around Manhattan. Visit the Empire State Building, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
See Niagara Falls.
While you’re driving through California, don’t miss Lake Tahoe and Yosemite
Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Monument Valley.
Gateway Arch, Golden Gate Bridge, Fenway Park
Blue Ridge Parkway, Pacific Coast Highway, Beartooth Highway
You must dig Wall Drug and see Rock City, certainly.
Yellowstone NP, Golden Gate bridge, Disneyland, a drive along the Oregon coast, the San Diego zoo.