25 Bizarre US Roadside Attractions You Won't Believe Are Real
Ten Cadillacs nose-down in a Texas field, an elephant you can walk inside, a hill where balls roll up. All real, all worth the detour.
The Dispatch
Family Travel
Family travel breaks differently than couples travel. Pickup time gets pushed an hour by the snack incident. The shortest route loses to the one with the rest stop with grass. The "quick" stretch from Indiana to Ohio is never quick. The posts here are written by people in the same boat. We cover destinations that genuinely work with kids, the gear that earns its space, the timing tricks that prevent meltdowns, and the meltdowns that happen anyway. No idealized travel-influencer photos. Just real trips, real ages, real bathroom emergencies.
11 posts tagged Family Travel. See all posts →
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Most Unique Roadside Stops in Every Region of the US
A six-story elephant, ten buried Cadillacs, and a troll eating a real VW: the pull-offs that beat any screen in the back seat.
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15 Fun Day Trips From Chicago (All Under 2 Hours)
Dunes, coasters, chocolate, Batmobiles, and a working Dutch windmill, all close enough to be home before the kids melt down.
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What Is the 3-3-3 Rule for Road Trips?
RV folks have been quietly using this pacing trick for years, and it's the reason their trips don't end in a minivan meltdown at mile 478.
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Best Road Trip Routes Out West: Where to Go for Stunning Scenery
Six western drives, ranked by what they actually deliver between the trailheads: ocean cliffs, red rock, alpine switchbacks, and one road Charles Kuralt called the most beautiful in America.
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Summer Driving Safety Tips: Keep Your Car Running Cool All Season
A driveway check, a jump pack, and one habit that's saved more kids than any dashboard alert.
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Classic Road Trip Games Every Family Should Know
The rules, the variations, and the honest shelf life of every car game your parents made you play.
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Budget-Friendly Weekend Trips From Chicago: Complete Guide
Five weekend escapes within 3 hours of Chicago, priced down to the gas tank, with the math to prove they're actually cheap.
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Cheap Road Trips From Chicago That Won't Break the Bank
Groceries are up, rent's up, and a "normal" family vacation now runs close to eight grand. Cheap road trips from Chicago are the workaround, especially since Illinois happens to be one of seven states where state park admission is free. Here's where to point the car.
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Best Road Trips From Chicago by Season: Year-Round Adventures
Here's a season-by-season guide to the best road trips from Chicago, with real drive times, what each spot does best in that window, and the stuff worth spotting out the window along the way.
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Fun Road Trips From Chicago for Families: Activities & Stops
A record 60.6 million Americans hit the road for July 4th 2024, and a huge chunk of them were families staring down two-to-six hours in the car. This is a rundown of the best family road trips from Chicago, with real drive times, two or three concrete kid hits per stop, and an honest take on the part most posts skip: what to do between mile zero and the parking lot.
