No two camping adventures are alike, especially in the booming business of U.S. outdoor travel.
05.05.2024 - 23:31 / lonelyplanet.com
There is a sense of humor around every corner when you're driving in the USA. How else to explain those wacky, way-out-in-left-field roadside attractions you’ll stumble upon? Sculptures made of cars, energy vortexes and oversized household items are just the beginning. Here are our favorite offbeat stops.
In 1974, the late, local eccentric millionaire Stanley Marsh planted 10 Cadillacs (vintage 1949 to 1963) headlights down in a deserted stretch of dirt outside Amarillo – and then moved them further out in 1997 to escape town encroachment. The reason? He said he constructed what has come to be known as Cadillac Ranch (I-40 between exits 60 & 62) in a salute to Route 66, using cars he considered to represent the golden age of car travel.
The accepted practice today is to leave your own mark on the art by drawing on the cars. Bring spray paint in case other visitors haven’t left any around. Occasionally, the cars get a makeover, like when they were all painted pink in honor of breast cancer awareness. To get here, park along the south feeder road a couple of miles west of Loop 335, and walk the well-worn path. As cool as it sounds, there’s a sort of forlorn feel to the place.
There’s much ado about which ball of twine actually holds the record these days, but why not pay your respects to the original that started all the fuss? Behold the World’s Largest Ball of Twine in Darwin, 62 miles west of Minneapolis on US 12. To be specific, it’s the “Largest Built by One Person” – Francis A Johnson wrapped the 17,400lb whopper on his farm over the course of 29 years. Gawk at it in the town gazebo. Better yet, visit the museum beside it and buy your own twine ball starter kit in the gift shop.
Head into downtown Scottsboro, Alabama, on Hwy 279 and follow the signs to the Unclaimed Baggage Center. Wait…is that your iPhone? The one you left in the seat pocket on that flight from Poughkeepsie? Probably. This Macy’s-sized retail space is the end of the line for the majority of unclaimed bags in the US. After 90 days, the airlines send your lost luggage here. It takes thrift shop-level patience, but there you'll find Tumi luggage, Kate Spade bags, Bruno Magli loafers, cameras, laptops, golf clubs – you name it – all for a fraction of retail.
A tourist trap par excellence, this drugstore in South Dakota is famous for its roadside billboards that start advertising “free ice water” several states away, but it's a surprisingly worthy stop. They really do have 5¢ coffee, free ice water and enough diversions to warm the heart of schlock-lovers everywhere. Don’t miss the animatronic dinosaurs.
This favored stop in Homestead is one man’s kitschy do-it-yourself testament to lost love. Latvian immigrant Ed Leedskalnin dug up over
No two camping adventures are alike, especially in the booming business of U.S. outdoor travel.
Finally, temperatures are rising, making it enjoyable to stroll through the sunny streets of Paris while visiting some galleries. At least, that’s what Vogue France suggests this May. From the first solo exhibition in France of American artist Gwen O'Neil to the unforgettable works of painter Marc Chagall, the editors of Vogue France have selected these as the must-see exhibitions in Paris (and elsewhere in France), presented in chronological order of their closing dates.
Private clubs such as Soho House, Zero Bond and Casa Cipriani cemented a long-held Manhattan tradition of the city’s elite clamoring for exclusive spaces. Of course, there will always be the old vanguard — like the Yale Club, Harvard Club and New York Yacht Club — but freshly unwrapped Centurion New York towers over many high-end hideaways from its lavish perch on the 55th floor of the One Vanderbilt building.
A majority of American adults (82%) plan to take at least one vacation this summer, according to The Vacationer’s recent travel survey. With that in mind, here’s a sampling of unique and unexpected summer escapes at you can find at centers and lodgings from the Pacific to Provence: creative and luxurious experiences to help you beat the heat and lean into the season. These may inspire you to find others to suit your summer interests—and go.
The popularity of zero-alcohol cocktails has significantly increased in recent years in Dubai, even as the city’s dining and nightlife scene shows no signs of slowing down. Whether it’s a result of most of the local population’s culture or shifting lifestyle preferences, there’s never been a better time to browse the non-alcoholic drinks sections of menus around town.
Savannah-based company expands its footprint into South Carolina.
Shannon Airport reaffirms its commitment to making it easy for passengers this summer.
If you're the sort of music fan who is happier watching the Coachella livestream on your couch than navigating the crowds, then you may be wondering how to enjoy the magic of live music without quite so many people.
With a prime downtown location, spacious residential suites with fully-stocked kitchens, a lively new cantina, and one of the best rooftop pools in the city, there’s a lot to love about the stylish Thompson Austin.
Christopher Columbus’s fortunes have changed over the past several decades. Monuments that once celebrated his memory have been toppled or spattered with paint. Disdain for his colonialist ways is unmistakable. But few interventions are as thoughtful as the art of Hew Locke.
The long-awaited third season of Netflix’s hit romance period drama Bridgerton is unveiled today (May 16), and fans of the series can now not only binge on the bodice-ripping romantic intrigues, opulent outfits, glamorous balls and lavish sets of the Regency era but also plan a trip to discover the locations around Britain where the smash-hit series was filmed.
The sun-drenched sepia photograph shows a dapper European, handkerchief in pocket, cigarette in hand, sitting among a row of men dressed in bisht and keffiyeh. The moment was captured during Jacques Cartier's first visit to the Persian Gulf in 1911, on his way back to London from Delhi—part of a sales trip encouraged by his father, Alfred, then the head of Cartier. The decline of the Ottoman Empire and the 1905 Persian Constitutional Revolution had flooded Europe's artistic centers with new influences, forging an aesthetic then known as “the Muslim arts.” Eager to learn more, Jacques spent four months traveling throughout Asia and the Middle East, rifling through bazaars and emporiums and mixing with high society.