Roadside Attractions: Cool Cafés, Souvenir Stands, Route 66 Relics, & Other Road Trip Fun

by Brian Butko, Sarah Butko

Hit the open road for fun and wackiness as the Butkos visit offbeat attractions from coast to coast--dinosaur parks, miniature golf courses, populuxe motels, vintage amusement arcades, classic diners illuminated in neon, and even the world's largest ball of twine. More than fifty fellow authors and artists offer stories about their favorite attractions or recall memorable trips. Visitor information is included to help plan quick visits or an entire road trip.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

160 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2007

About the author

My 2024 resolution is to become more active on Goodreads! My most recent book is about Isaly’s Dairy and its Klondike bar. I’m also quite proud of “Luna: Pittsburgh’s Original Lost Kennywood” and “Kennywood: Behind the Screams.” Other books explore diners, roadside attractions, and the Lincoln Highway.

I’m working now on a book about the daring women and men of Bettis Airfield and other early Pittsburgh aviation stories. Big Kennywood book #3 is also underway, and I’m 95% finished with my first novel, a paranormal mystery inspired by a nearby quarry and surrounding woods.

Reviews

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

A recent visit to my first ever Route 66 roadside attraction - the Blue Whale is Catoosa - inspired me to check out this eBook from my library. The little book is filed with roadside visit ideas. I continually flipped between this book and my Google Maps app, flagging attractions to visit someday.

A word of warning, I found several attractions that they mentioned are now permanently closed. This speaks to the poignancy of the fading history of our 20th Century popular culture. Experience these attractions before they are gone forever.

While the content for each attraction is very brief, the scope is huge. I would say every state in the continental United States is represented here. I even discovered some places nearby that I never knew existed!

If you like to make quick stops during road trips to see the quirky, the cheesy, or the pop historic, this book is well worth your time.

[Brian Grouhel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an interesting little book which I let take far too long to finish! It is full of fascinating little places and anecdotal stories from people who had been there in childhood. So much too along all the major and minor routes across the USA. It is just the kind of book that makes you want hop in the car and hit the road!

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book could have been better, but of course for that it would have to be longer. What we have here is a whole bunch of various roadside attractions crammed into a small book. So for that the writing is very cramped and descriptions of the various attractions is sparse. However the photos and sidebars are very interesting. So for a glimpse at these attractions this book fits. For a more descriptive look at roadside attractions look elsewhere.

[John Orman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many attractions and oddities listed in this book, from Route 66, Lincoln Highway, and many other highways and byways. Many places I had never heard of, so was able to add them to my itinerary for several upcoming roadtrips.

Very useful for the roadtripper!