A Cross-Country Car Excursion - Atlas Obscura Lists

A Cross-Country Car Excursion

A road trip through American history, engineering, and art.

Summer road trips come in all different forms: Cruising in a convertible with the top down or crammed into a minivan loaded with luggage and screaming kids. No matter what your vehicle, no summer road trip is complete without a stop at the roadside attractions that line America’s highways. You could see the world’s largest [insert vegetable here] or ball of yarn, or one of the many that provide a glimpse into American history. Some are museums, others are standalone relics of the past. This is most evident in the various car museums and automotive graveyards that await curious travelers. Many of these contain pristine artifacts of engineering and craftmanship, the likes of which are not often seen on the open road. Others are rusted and dilapidated but have withstood the test of time. A few are now works of art.

Passing through Elhart, Indiana, certainly requires a stop at the RV/MH Hall of Fame. Elkhart is responsible for producing around 80 percent of the RVs in the United States. The hall of fame houses an array of Airstreams, Winnebagos, and the Earl Travel Trailer (built in 1913, it’s is the oldest surviving RV). Travelers who find themselves in Humble, Texas, can take a journey Back to the Future at the Delorean Museum, which was established after Stephen Wynne purchased the remaining 1,800 cars made popular by the 1985 film. The museum actually shares its showroom with the main Delorean facility. From the gold-plated Cadillac of legendary soul singer Isaac Hayes to a collection of Corvettes that fell into a sinkhole, take a trip with us down the nation’s highways to see some classic rides.