When you think of great American Road Trips, some iconic
drives come to mind: the Pacific Coast Highway, Blue Ridge Parkway and Route
66. But America is filled with awesome
American Road Trips you may not even know about. Here are a few ideas:
Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Scenic Byway (Virginia/Pennsylvania)
·
Designated by Congress as the 99th
national scenic byway, this 180-mile swath of land is Where America Happened.
From Gettysburg, PA to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello in Charlottesville, VA,
this corridor contains more American History than any other region.
·
The byway serves as the artery to lots
of destinations, including:
o For
History Buffs, Nine Presidential Sites and More Civil War Battlefields than any
other part of the country (in addition to the African American, Native
American, Colonial, and other historic sites located along the road)
o For
Outdoor Enthusiasts, 13 National Parks are located here that allow for hiking,
biking, canoeing, fishing and much more (including the Appalachian Trail)
o For
Culinary Afficianados, over 100 wineries, craft breweries, and distilleries
blanket the bucolic countryside. Not to mention the unique and wonderful
downtowns that host award-winning restaurants (including James Beard finalists
and a current Top Chef Masters contender)
www.hallowedground.org.
o November
marks the 150th anniversary of one of the most famous American speeches,
President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and 2014 marks the 200th anniversary of
the National Anthem (written by Francis Scott Key, who is from and buried
within our National Heritage Area).
Alaska’s Seward Highway
·
127-mile highway connects Anchorage and
Seward, Alaska, and is designated a
National
·
Provides access to world-class skiing
in winter and downhill mountain
biking in summer at Alyeska Ski Resort, the
town of Girdwood, 2.5 mile Anton
Anderson Memorial Tunnel to Whittier, Kenai
Fjords National park and some of
the best fishing an angler will ever
experience.
·
General sites along the Seward Highway include
kitesurfers, beluga whales, dall sheep & moose daily.
·
Access by side road to the 2.5 mile
Anton Anderson tunnel to Whittier, which is shared with the railroad. Vehicle
wheels actually straddle the train tracks.
·
Access to amazing halibut fishing in
the world as well as sightseeing (glaciers, whales, sea lions etc) boat tours
complete with fresh seafood smorgasbords out of Seward.
·
World class skiing at Alyeska and/or
downhill mountain biking.
Civil Rights Road Trip (Alabama)
·
Includes Montgomery and Birmingham,
Alabama with side trips to Selma and Tuskegee.
This trip is mainly on
Interstate 65 and uses Montgomery, AL as the overnight hub from which
Birmingham, Selma and Tuskegee can all be reached within about an hour or less.
Travelers on the Civil Rights Road
Trip will see/experience:
a. The home where Martin Luther King, Jr. lived from 1954 – 1960, during which he
led the Montgomery Bus Boycotts
b. Where
Rosa Parks boarded the bus then tour the Rosa Parks Museum which is located in
the place where she was arrested. In the museum the story of the boycott is
further explored and archives of this important early protest are kept.
c. Walk
across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma in the footsteps of the brave civil
rights foot soldiers of Bloody Sunday
d. Visit
the airfield where the Tuskegee Airmen were trained to fly
e. Go
inside the 16th Street Baptist church, the site of horrific bombing
that killed four girls.
f. Enjoy fresh, regional cuisine &
vibrant nightlife in Montgomery’s walkable entertainment District.
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