This summer my mom and I moved across the country. We left the small town in Pennsylvanian where I grew up and headed west to Portland, Oregon. Instead flying to our new home, we decided to pack up our SUV and drive west. With our two dogs in the back and everything we needed for the trip packed, my mom and I set off without looking back. Driving across the country is exhausting and boring at times, but it is also so much fun, and I think an experience that everyone should have. On the trip I get got to see and experience things that I never would have seen before and will probably never see again. As someone who grew up on the East Coast, I had never saw Middle America. Driving through the Midwest really opened my mind to how other people in the country lived. One great thing about driving across country is all the interesting things you get to see, and although we didn’t get to see the largest ball of twine, here’s a list of things that we did see that I think everyone will enjoy!
1. Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum: Orrtanna, Pennsylvania
Mister Ed’s is a cute place to stop, its right off the highway so you wont have to stray too far from the beaten path and is a great place to take a break from driving. Outside they have a lot of cute statues of elephants and even have a nice little outdoor park where we could walk our dogs. Inside of Mister Ed’s is a cute little candy shop where you can get snacks for the long drive ahead of you.
2. The World’s Largest Ball of Stamps: Boys Town Nebraska
The World’s Largest Ball of Stamps is a cute place to stop. It’s in the back of a small museum/gift shop. Right next to the ball of stamps you can get international stamps for a penny each. Boys Town its self is interesting too. It is its own little town right inside of Omaha and used to be a school for orphaned boys and it still has a school today.
3. Carhenge: Alliance Nebraska
Carhenge is a park filled with sculptures made out of old cars, the most famous of which is made to look like Stonehenge. Carhenge is a great place to stop and spend some time, the sculptures are really amazing to witness. I think the best part about Carhenge is that there is no rhyme or reason for its existence. The man who made it merely did it for fun.
4. Yellowstone National Park: Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho
Yellowstone is a can’t-miss stop on any road trip and is honestly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. It is full of breath taking sites. This is really a place where I could have spent hours, but unfortunately we didn’t get as much time in the park as I would have liked, and you have to be careful when going with dogs because they have to stay in your car in most places in the park. Even though we couldn’t see as much of the park as I would have liked it is beautiful even to just drive around. I would definitely go back.
If I haven’t convinced you already, it’s time for you to schedule a road trip across the country to explore some of the quirky, exotic and interesting sites to see in Middle America!