Strange/Interesting Places for a Summer-long Road Trip?

May 31, 2009 6:26 AM

Where can my friends and I go on a summer-long USA road trip in a similar vein to Burning Man or 24 Hours of LeMons?

I'm thinking about getting a group (10 people or so) together to go on a mega-roadtrip for summer 2010 or 2011 (June-August). Burning Man and 24 Hours of LeMons are both options, but what else could we go to? Anywhere in the country is open to debate. On a related note, does anyone have any logistics ideas for how to pull this kind of thing off? We're all in college, and trying to keep this relatively low-budget.

posted by jkoby to travel & transportation (2 comments total)

The corn cob palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. It's a building who's facade is completely covered in corn cobs, and they re-design the murals on it every year. Not really a destination, but something odd to break up the monotony of the plains.

As for keeping the costs down, tent camping could be the way to go. If you search, you can find cheap campsites all over (at least in the west and midwest). To get a shower, you can use one at a truck stop, or spring for the occasional motel. As long as you eat groceries and skip restaurants as much as possible, the costs stay low.
posted by cronology at 2:57 PM on May 31

Let each person pick one place they'd really like to go, then see how many of them you could hook together on your road trip. Each person is responsible for gathering information, finding out about attractions, sharing their interest with the others. The re-enactment of Custer's Last Stand at the Little Big Horn (with Crows standing in for Sioux) in Montana -- side trip to the corn cob palace, world's biggest bird feeder. Georgia O'Keefe's home in New Mexico -- side trip to Carlsbad Caverns. The Microsoft campus in Washington -- side trip to Aberdeen, home of Kurt Cobain. New Orleans, after Katrina. Disneyland with the fake Venice Beach, and the real Venice Beach -- side trip to the Redwoods. Harper's Ferry, Antietam, Gettysburg. Choose places that will come alive to you, that aren't packaged and pre-chewed and sold to you. (Sadly, Burning Man is becoming just such an overhyped experience.)

Two things are obvious from my list: I live on the West Coast, and I've got to get out of town soon.
posted by kestralwing at 5:20 PM on May 31