There’s no better summer travel tradition than a road trip. Pack up the car, steer toward the open road, and let the miles fly by as you roll to your destination. The old saying is true. Half the fun—and in most cases, more—is getting there.
National, Natural Treasures
Glacier National Park in Montana. Mick Kirchman/Unsplash
This route connects some of the country’s most beautiful national parks. Begin way up at Glacier National Park in Montana, winding along the Continental Divide on Going-to-the-Sun Road. Then continue south to Wyoming at Yellowstone, where you can marvel at geothermal wonders such as the Old Faithful geyser as well as wildlife, including buffalo and grizzly bears. You won’t quite believe your eyes when you see the jagged, craggy summits of the Grand Tetons farther south—or the desert treasures at Arches, Zion, and Bryce Canyon in Utah.
Driving the Deep South
Beale Street in Memphis, Tenn. Tetra Images/Getty Images
This route will take you from the mountains to the coast, and you’ll be carried along by the area’s music and culture. Start at the hazy peaks of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and head east to Nashville, home of the Grand Ole Opry, where some of the country’s biggest stars perform on the regular. Next stop? The live shows, blues, soul, and so much more, along Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Then head south, along the bends of the big river on the Mississippi Delta, to the Big Easy. New Orleans has so much to offer, from the French Quarter to the Garden District. Grab a po’ boy and enjoy.
Trace the Pacific
The Umpqua Dunes, Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. John Elk/Getty Images
Start in San Francisco and make your way all the way up to Seattle. Your first leg? Crossing the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. Then continue north, where you’ll drive under towering redwoods, including one particularly huge one you can drive your car right through, the Klamath Tree. Farther north, enjoy the rugged cliffs and sea stacks, plus the otherworldly landscapes at Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. Celebrate your arrival in Seattle with a trip to the top of the Space Needle, built for the World’s Fair in 1962. It was once the tallest building west of the Mississippi.
History and Beauty in the Northeast
Faneuil Hall, a popular marketplace and shopping center in Boston. Maremagnum/Getty Images
Begin in Boston, one of America’s oldest cities, where you can feel the history, whether you’re revisiting Revere’s Midnight Ride or following the Freedom Trail. When you leave Massachusetts and enter New Hampshire, dip your toes in the ocean before heading to the heights of Mount Washington. The famous Auto Road will take you all the way to the mountain’s nearly 6,300-foot summit, or you can ride the cog railway to the top. Then continue along the coast into Maine, to postcard-perfect Bar Harbor, which is famous both for views from Cadillac Mountain and for the most delicious summer treat—lobster rolls.
Midwest Is Best
Navy Pier, on the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago. Bob Krist/Getty Images
America’s Rust Belt has reinvented itself. Now there’s so much to do, see, and drive all across the Midwest. Start with the three rivers in Pittsburgh, and a ride on the funicular at the Monongahela Incline. Then cross a couple of yellow bridges and head north, tracing the undulating edge of the Appalachian Mountains. When you reach Lake Erie, make a left and spend a little time in Cleveland. Two must-do activities are a visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and riding or walking parts of the Towpath Trail, along the old Ohio and Erie Canal. After a stop in Detroit’s Greektown, head to the shores of Lake Michigan, where you’ll finish the trip along the waterfront parks in Chicago.
Atlantic Adventure
The charming architecture in Charleston, S.C. Leo Heisenberg/Unsplash
Charleston, South Carolina, feels like a trip back in time. It’s a perfect starting point for this road trip, a place where you can ride in a horse-drawn carriage past Rainbow Row and take the boat out to Fort Sumter, where the Civil War began. A little farther south, Savannah, Georgia, is a city that you need to see to believe. Home to 22 green and lovely squares, plus plenty of Victorian architecture, the city’s founding dates back to 1733. As you continue south, things get more tropical—along the sands of Amelia Island and Daytona Beach in Florida. Walk the cobblestones in St. Augustine, Florida. Then look to the skies at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, which has long been NASA’s primary launch site.
This article was originally published in American Essence magazine.
