Travel guides for odd and fascinating RV Short Stops

By Julianne G. Crane
During this time of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and need for social distancing, now is the perfect time for researching those interesting and odd RV Short Stops to visit after this particular crisis is over.

Pick up a couple travel guides during this planning stage for your future RV road trips. Here are a few that focus on the unusual, off-the-beaten-path, and fun places along America’s highways. Many of these are available on Kindle or online through your local library.

Totally Wacky Roadside Attractions

For the younger RVer, consider Totally Wacky Roadside Attractions, by Pamela Chanko (paperback, 32 pages, 2017). Part of the Rookie Amazing America series, 1st and 2nd graders “love reading about the cool and crazy roadside attractions that can be found across America.”  Published by Children’s Press, this book includes ways to search out wacky places like a giant peanut or a museum shaped like an elephant.

Less Beaten Paths of America: Quirky and Offbeat Roadside Attractions

A whimsical guide that is worth a mention is Less Beaten Paths of America: Quirky and Offbeat Roadside Attractions by David C Kravetz. (Paperback and Kindle)

Travel the back roads of America and you never know what you will come across. “Americans have come up with all sorts of quirky and unique attractions,” says Kravetz. “Many towns use these or creations of their own to draw visitors to their communities.”

Kravetz is a “freelance travelographer and focuses on the normal, the wacky, the wonderful and the quirky things of this wide world.” His travel blog, Less Beaten Paths, has nearly 400 posts about “offbeat and back roads travel.”

Watch it Made

Learning how things are made is fascinating. Touring factories and breweries are also fun diversions. A perfect resource to find those places is Watch It Made in the U.S.A: A Visitor’s Guide to the Best Factory Tours and Company Museums, by Karen Axelrod and her husband, Bruce Brumberg. Or go to factorytour.com.

Places are conveniently listed by state and include costs, hours of operation, if reservations are needed, disability access, if there are “freebies,” and driving directions. Always call ahead to confirm current information.

Off the Beaten Path

For the blue line highway folks, Off the Beaten Path spotlights 1,000 of the United States’ frequently overlooked must-see destinations.

The Reader’s Digest hardback is 384 pages, and currently about $20 online. The book includes museums, historic inns, castles, rock formations, dinosaur trails, pontoon boating, parks, lakes, wildlife sanctuaries, and zoos.

— Julianne G. Crane
Read more of Julianne’s RV Short Stops posts here.
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