Road trips are woven into the fabric of America’s history and directly tied to the creation of roadside attractions from the unusual to the breathtaking. At 2,559 miles, I-40 is one of the longest and most popular interstates in the country and connects the East and West coasts. I-40's history is also connected to the legendary Route 66, the one time mecca of roadside attractions that turns 100 in 2026. With centennial celebrations planned across the country (more on that be

Santa Fe, N.M, dubbed “The City Different,” lives up to its nickname. From historic sites and deep rooted traditions to a vibrant arts...

Fifty thousand years ago, a meteorite hurtled through space heading straight for Earth and what is now Northern Arizona just outside Winslow. Traveling 26,000 miles per hour and weighing 300,000 tons, the iron-nickel meteorite crashed with a force 150 times greater than an atomic bomb. The resulting impact crater is as deep as the Washington Monument is tall, almost a mile wide and available for viewing everyday at Meteor Crater & Barringer Space Museum. Considered the best

There is a special carnivore that only lives in an area stretching out from Wilmington, N.C., and nowhere else in the world. It’s a...

“Thank you, thank you very much.” This oft-spoken phrase by Elvis Presley ran through my head after touring Graceland Mansion. Even as a fan, I wasn’t sure a visit to Elvis’ Memphis, Tenn., home would be worth the hype, but it was. In fact, it exceeded my expectations. A visit to Graceland is actually a home tour combined with an entertainment complex featuring museum-quality, curated exhibits. Together they perfectly capture American culture during Elvis' reign as the King o

If you have a child who has proclaimed their desire to write and make movies since the age of four, then at some point you find yourself driving across the country with said child sitting next to you. And so it was for me and my oldest son, Jack. We loaded the car and hit the road, I-40 specifically. As North Carolinians, I-40 with its eastern end point in Wilmington, N.C., is a direct route to Barstow, Calif., its western end point. Then, it's just a hop, skip and jump along

Williams is a small Northern Arizona town that’s big on nostalgia and Americana. As soon as we drove into town, it didn’t take long to figure out that's what Williams is all about. We were greeted by a large arc proclaiming “Gateway to the Grand Canyon.” Children were playing baseball adjacent to a large American flag. Families were eating ice cream as they walked along the sidewalk. Vintage train cars were parked on nearby tracks. There were numerous markers, signs and mura