Road Trip America: A State-By-State Tour Guide to Offbeat Destinations

by Andrew F. Wood

The heightened stress of traveling by air these days has encouraged more and more families to pack up the minivan and hit the road. Ramble along America’s highways and byways with ROAD TRIP AMERICA, a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1888054743
• ISBN13: 9781888054743
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Collectors Press
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Find the roadtrip any where you go

History buffs and pop culture fans will love this nostalgic look at the fascinating monuments, restaurants and other fun and quirky sites found in the United States. It would be fascinating to look at the historic photos found in Road Trip America: A State-By-State Tour Guide to Offbeat Destinations and then take a road trip to see the appearance of that site in modern times. No matter what state - or states - that you want to visit, author Andrew F. Wood has fun and offbeat recommendations of places to see and enjoy. You could plan a day trip, complete with a picnic lunch, and tour your own state following Wood's suggestions or you could create an entire vacation itinerary using this book as inspiration. I'd suggest that, when using this book, you take along a quality road map, as this book doesn't provide specific directions. I'd also recommend that you take along a highlighter to keep track of which sites you were able to visit - and then plan another road trip to see some more.

A FUN, KITSCHY TRIP!

One thing I'm sorry I missed out on by not being born about 10 years earlier is the fun and excitement of the family road trip and the wonderful, strange, and Kitschy roadside attractions so popular in the 50's and 60's. In this small but fun book, author Andrew F. Wood takes readers on a state-by-state journey to some of the weirdest and wackiest attractions one can find traveling the highways of America. As Wood points out, many of these are kept alive only by the love of their owners, long after their heyday has passed. The book is arranged in alphabetical order by state and in addition to noting some of these attractions, each state also has a "Did you know" fun little fact or bit of trivia about it. Wood's book is not meant to be a complete guide to all roadside attractions, but rather a nation-wide sampling of some of the zanier things to see as you visit each state. Some notable stops along the way include: Holbrook, AZ where you can find one of the last remaining teepee motels called the Wigwam Motel, along the famous Route 66. Giant statues have long been popular attractions for motorists and this book lists many interesting ones to see including one of comic strip hero Steve Canyon along I-70 in Colorado. Or in Collinsville, Illinois, you can see the world's largest Catsup bottle. In Dyersville, Iowa, you can visit the baseball field made famous in the film, "Field of Dreams" or visit the home of Bufford Pusser in Adamsville, TN, who was immortalized in the 1970's cult classic, "Walking Tall". For those who like their attractions a bit spookier, there is the Voodoo Museum in New Orleans' famous French Quarter, and you can get your picture taken in an authentic gas chamber at the Wyoming Frontier Prison Museum. Michigan features Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum and Cawker City Minnesota is home to the world's largest ball of twine, at a massive 40' feet tall. The book is loaded with fast food firsts, such as the locations of the first KFC, Wendy's, White Castle, and more as well as numerous tiny towns...even a tiny world...that can be visited. This is a fun, fascinating trip through America that many of us never see and that is quickly disappearing from the landscape. It's obvious that Andrew Wood has a tremendous passion for the subject matter. Get out on the road before it's too late! Reviewed by Tim Janson

Fun romp through the States

Forget about the big attractions, like Disney, this short book offers the unique and more personal attractions. Perhaps your interested in the first McDonald's (California), the first Steak-N'-Shake (Illinois), or White Castle (Kansas), or maybe Kentucky Fried (In Kentucky of course!). Maybe your interested in the biggest ball of twine (several states boast of this), or miniature models of towns. Each of the fifty states is introduced by a "Greeting from" postcard (but at less than 1 1/2" by 2 1/4" I wish these would have been bigger). The appendix identifies many of these from Curt Teich Postcard Archives that collectors will recognize. There are pictures of unique hotels, cottage courts, and such as "Wigwam village", and I would have enjoyed having these pictures/cards dated. Readers of this will also enjoy his Motel Americana web site.

not just another Sunday drive.....

A wonderful guide to the quirky and fun, off-the-beaten path family road trip