"Rock Star" road tripper checking in! Self-proclaimed anyway! Road trips and visits to all 50 states are my game. Find your next road trip destinations here. Fill your bucket list with fantastic US journeys. I love road trips and spare no effort in making my travels and experiences inviting for members of the road-tripping family! Pick a trip you want to take, or get inspired to plan your own. - - The Driveby Tourist (or call me Stan!)
Check out this post about the Gunsmoke Trail in Hays, KS. Here's the link. It's part of the Gunsmoke Trail around Kansas which includes Abilene, Dodge City, and Wichita. The Trail is becoming quite a tourist attraction in Kansas! Check it out when you're in Kansas, even if you're just driving through! Until next time... Stan Here's the link to the overview of all four of the cities involved. ,
Travel and novels get you into American history. While driving Route 66, some of the museums you visit along the way display scenes that may represent The Grapes of Wrath. It’s about a family in Oklahoma who lose everything. The Dust Bowl of the 1930s yielded little to no crops. They lose their land. The family reads about “the land of plenty” in California. They, along with thousands of others, go west. The book details their struggles along the way with no money, deaths, auto breakdowns,...
Because it’s there! Sac City, IA, is home to the world’s largest popcorn ball. They made it to celebrate the history of popping corn grown in the area. Initially, their popcorn ball was removed from the record because the Indiana State Fair made one larger. Theirs was 6,510 pounds, eclipsing the Sac City former record of about 5,000 pounds. In 2016, Sac City residents decided to reclaim the record. Their efforts weighed 9,370 pounds and were twelve feet in diameter. The record still stands...
A b, Why, it’s Grand Island, of course! That’s one of the taglines the tourism group uses in their promotions. I’m attending a travel writers conference presented by the Midwest Travel Network. It’s an annual conference, and Grand Island won the bid for this year’s event. (#MWTRAVELCON25) Along with presentations by DMOs (Destination Marketing Organizations) and other travel writers, the Grand Island group showed us their town. While many places in town draw visitors’ attention, here are a...
Why on earth would you go to Nebraska? Well, I’ll be in Grand Island, Nebraska, for most of the week. I’m attending a travel writers and bloggers conference. It’s put on by the Midwest Travel Network, a group that promotes tourism in the 12 midwestern states. Just hang on a minute, there’s much to see in each of our states. Personally, I’ve spent nearly a year in aggregate time in Nebraska. Granted, most of it was for work. Which one would you say is the "Ultimate Flyover State?" However,...
I just completed a post for the Gunsmoke Trail in Wichita. Check out the post, and I welcome comments. Here's the link to the post. If you would like to revisit the overview of the Gunsmoke Trail around Kansas and in other towns, click here. I'm still working on Dodge City and Hays. Wichita and Abilene are complete. Thanks for your interest Until next time.... Stan
How many people do you know who’ve visited all 50 US states? I understand that 1 – 2% of Americans have done so. Many don’t believe it’s worth visiting some states, typically the Midwestern states. I’m fortunate to live in Minnesota, which many people want to visit! As a Great Lake state, there are many things to do and see here. Weirdly, many mention the Mall of America. It’s just a big mall, with some entertainment included. Like the indoor amusement park, now named Nickelodeon Universe....
How many people do you know who’ve visited all 50 US states? I understand that 1 – 2% of Americans have done so. Many don’t believe it’s worth visiting some states, typically the Midwestern states. I’m fortunate to live in Minnesota, which many people want to visit! As a Great Lake state, there are many things to do and see here. Weirdly, many mention the Mall of America. It’s just a big mall, with some entertainment included. Like the indoor amusement park, now named Nickelodeon Universe....
Here are two new posts. The first one is about my visit to Abilene, KS. The small city received a designation as one of the best small historical towns in America! Here's the link to that post. The second post is about Dwight Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States. His presidential library is in Abilene, his hometown. Here's the link to the Eisenhower post. I'll continue to post more about my trip, which I called "Presidents & Parks." I visited 20 presidential sites, including...
Hey there, road trip fans and curious explorers! If you’re cruising through New Mexico, swing by Alamogordo to see the World’s Largest Pistachio—a quirky roadside attraction that’s hard to miss and impossible to forget! 🚗🛣️ I visited here in March of 2025. It’s a fun stop, similar to many of the “World’s Largest objects.” Here's the World's Largest Pistachio!!offers Standing tall at a (not so) impressive 10 feet, this giant pistachio sculpture celebrates the region’s love for this tasty,...