Cities and Towns – Less Beaten Paths of America

03Mar 2025 by David Kravetz

2024 in Review: Favorite Murals and Street Art

Arkansas, Big Cities, Books, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Eagles, Graffiti Walls, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Missouri, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, Selfies, Street Art, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wall Art, West Virginia

[caption id="attachment_40078" align="alignnone" width="640"] Having fun with Groucho in Richmond, Indiana[/caption] As many of you already know, I am a big mural and street art enthusiast. In 2024 I took well over 500 photos of murals on my various road trips through about 15 states. This will be my first post of three or four mural posts, with this one focused on my most favorite finds in the year. I am always amazed at the creativity of mural and street artists. There is so much out there and such a variety of art to be found. From unique graffiti to massive portraits of famous people to representing history in art. There is seemingly no end to what can be found in even the smallest of towns to the corners of…

18Feb 2025 by David Kravetz

2024 in Review: Roadside Attractions – Part 3 – Whimsical and Unique Roadside Attractions

Adventure, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Big Cities, Books, Car Art, Cross Country Road Trips, Dinosaurs, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Horse Art, Horses, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kansas, Kentucky, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Missouri, Museums, Mythical Creatures, National Monuments, National Parks, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, Sculpture Parks, Selfies, Tennessee, Texas, Tourist Traps, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Unique Shops, West Virginia, Wood Carved Bears

MORE WHIMSY FOUND ON THE ROAD This is the final post for unique roadside attractions from 2024. This one is a hodge-podge of interesting attractions and even a few "seasonal" things that were whimsical and fun that I found along the roads of America. [caption id="attachment_39633" align="alignnone" width="452"] Goofing around with the Welcome Bear at Brizendine Brothers Nature Park in Greenville, Kentucky[/caption] Slack Plaza Sculptures - Charleston, West Virginia Two 16-foot-tall whimsical musicians (plus a smaller dog) were installed in Charleston's Slack Plaza in December 2021. Sculpted by Pittsburgh artist James Simon, they were created to show off West Virginia's Appalachian music history. [caption id="attachment_39370" align="alignnone" width="422"] Charleston Slack Plaza Banjo player and dog[/caption] [caption id="attachment_39362" align="alignnone" width="437"] Charleston Slack Plaza fiddle player[/caption] Brother Morgan - Giant Warhammer Figure -…

05Aug 2023 by David Kravetz

2023 Gulf Coast Road Trip: The Overview

Adventure, Alabama, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Beaches, Big Cities, Big John, Birds, Books, Bridges, Brown Pelican, Bucket List Trips, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Cities and Towns, City Skylines, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Florida, Found Metal Sculptures, Georgia, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Highways and Roadways, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kentucky, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Muffler Man, Murals, Museums, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Monuments, Nature and Scenery, Offbeat Places, Peter Wolf Toth, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Street Art, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Uniroyal Gal, US Highway 98, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Water Towers, Welcome Signs, Whispering Giants, Whispering Giants, Wood Stork, Yard Art

[caption id="attachment_37550" align="alignnone" width="640"] On our way for a fun road trip! Autumn in the front with me and Chelsea and Jorge in the back.[/caption] I was thrilled to finally get in a good road trip in July 2023. My last multi-day road trip took place back in October 2022 when I traveled Route 66 in Illinois to celebrate by 66th birthday. The July 2023 was taken south to the Gulf Coast, then along the coastal highways and eventually into New Orleans. From there were went on to Houston, Keller and Uncertain, all in Texas, before heading back to Kentucky. All in all, we traveled 3001 miles over an eight day period and traveled through ten different states. I say we as on this trip I was accompanied by my…

27Nov 2022 by David Kravetz

Route 66 in Illinois – Celebrating 66th Birthday

Adventure, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Big Cities, Books, Bucket List Trips, Burger Joints, Cities and Towns, City Skylines, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Highways and Roadways, Hot Dog Places, Illinois, Interstate 55, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Muffler Man, Murals, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Monuments, Nature and Scenery, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Quirky Things, Restroom Signs, Restrooms, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Street Art, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Unique Shops, US Highway 30, US Highway 40, US Highway 60, US Highways, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Water Towers, Welcome Signs, Yard Art

[caption id="attachment_35900" align="alignleft" width="300"] Sumoflam on Route 66 in Illinois[/caption] Everyone knows that Route 66 is considered to be America's most iconic highway. Known as the Mother Road, there have been songs written about it, TV shows that feature it and hundreds of groups that travel it. To me, US Route 66 is really just another US Highway, but, due to its pop culture status, it is a fun highway to travel. As 2022 kicked in, it was my hope that I could use my 66th birthday on October 4 as an excuse to travel the entire length from Chicago to Santa Monica. As is typically the case, things don't always go as planned and/or hoped for, and such was the case for my 2022 Route 66 plan. Nevertheless, I…

16Nov 2022 by David Kravetz

New Murals in Cincinnati – 2022

Big Cities, Books, Graffiti Walls, Less Beaten Paths Books, Murals, Ohio, Selfies, Street Art, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wall Art

[caption id="attachment_35832" align="alignleft" width="300"] Sumoflam at the Cincinnati Toy Heritage mural, Nov 2022[/caption] It has been a while since I posted photos of murals in Cincinnati. My previous post that included a number of murals was in 2014 (See it here). Like many larger cities, Cincinnati has an organization dedicated to the promotion of public and theirs is called ArtWorks. ArtWorks has been around since 1996 and, since that time, has completed more than 14,000 public and private art projects in its 26 years, including more than 230 permanent outdoor murals. This post will feature a few of them that I captured on November 6, 2022. It by no means even comes close to all of the murals to be found in the Cincinnati Metro area. [caption id="attachment_35849" align="alignnone" width="700"]…

19Apr 2022 by David Kravetz

Towns of America A to Z: The N Towns #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Books, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Buildings, Barns and Houses, California, Cities and Towns, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Farmland, Giant Things, Highways and Roadways, Illinois, Indiana, Japan, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Mississippi, Murals, Nagasaki, National Parks, Nature and Scenery, Nikko, North Dakota, Ocean Scenes, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, People Shots, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Tennessee, Town Names, Train Bridges, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Unique Shops, US Highway 20, US Highway 61, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Washington, Welcome Signs

Whether Naughty or Nice, its always fun to travel the back roads of America to discover interesting places. Viewing Natural scenery on Narrow roads can be Nourishing to the soul. Obviously, on my trips I do come across sites that may be Nutty or Notorious or even Nostalgic. I hope you find this post Noteworthy despite some sense of Normal. ENJOY THE READ! ENJOY THE RIDE! NICE, CALIFORNIA I choose to be nice and never be naughty, Therefore, I was excited to make my way into the beautiful area known as Nice in California. And we'll start it off with a big Welcome to Nice!! [caption id="attachment_32576" align="alignnone" width="700"] Welcome to Nice - California[/caption] NEAH BAY, WASHINGTON [caption id="attachment_32028" align="alignleft" width="300"] Welcome to Neah Bay, Washington[/caption] Neah Bay represents the…

12Apr 2022 by David Kravetz

Towns of America A to Z: The J Towns #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alaska, Alligators, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Big Cities, Bison, Books, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Buffalo, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Burger Joints, City Skylines, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Giant Things, Indiana, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Mountains, Murals, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Monuments, National Parks, Nature and Scenery, New York, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, People Shots, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Train Bridges, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 287, Virginia, Wall Art, Welcome Signs, Wyoming

I am all Jazzed to present you with some J towns to jump to on your road trips. This post will be Jam-packed with some joyful places so I hope you just have a jubilant time. There are not a lot of J Towns that I have been to, but the ones for this post were the best of the bunch. ENJOY THE READ! ENJOY THE RIDE! JOLLY, TEXAS [caption id="attachment_29444" align="alignleft" width="195"] Jolly, Texas[/caption] Let's kick it off on a happy note with a visit to Jolly, Texas. This is practically a truck stop town off of US Highway 287 southeast of Wichita Falls. Only has a population of about 170 jolly old souls. I made a stop because of the Jolly Travel Center, a fairly large…

09Apr 2022 by David Kravetz

Towns of America A to Z: The H Towns #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Big Cities, Big John, Books, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Burger Joints, Canada, Church Signs, Cities and Towns, Cross Country Road Trips, Distilleries, Donut Places, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Himeji, Ice Cream Places, Illinois, Japanese Castles, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Michigan, Muffler Man, Murals, National Parks, Nature and Scenery, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Peter Wolf Toth, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Random Thoughts, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Sheltowee Trace, Signs and Billboards, States and Provinces, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Toy Collections, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Unique Shops, Uniroyal Gal, Utah, Wanderlust, Water Towers, Waterfalls, Welcome Signs, Whispering Giants

Happiness is another A to Z post. Today I post about places that begin with the letter H. As with all of my posts, I have been to all of these places and all of the photography is mine as well. I never write about places I haven't personally visited. And why not start with something Happy? I'll take you to Hell and back on this post, but you will leave with some Hope and Happiness, among other things. ENJOY THE READ! ENJOY THE RIDE! HAPPY, TEXAS [caption id="attachment_27700" align="alignleft" width="300"] Happy is that way (notice it is the opposite direction from Hell -- see below?)[/caption] There are only three towns named Happy in the United States, and I have been to two of them, which are both featured here. …

07Apr 2022 by David Kravetz

Towns of America A to Z: The F Towns #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Bridges, Church Signs, Cities and Towns, Covered Bridges, Dragons, Elephants, Family Travel, Farmland, Fuji City, Giant Things, Giraffe, Japan, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Mountains, Murals, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Parks, Nebraska, Offbeat Places, Ohio, People Shots, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Restroom Signs, Restrooms, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, South Carolina, Texas, Tourist Traps, Unique Eatery, Water Towers, West Virginia

Another day, another A to Z post. Today I post about places that begin with the letter F. As with all of my posts, I have been to all of these places and all of the photography is mine as well. I never write about places I haven't personally visited. You even get a visit to Japan in this post! And a good place to begin with the F places are towns that have the name Friend in them. There is also sorts of FUN and FANCY in this F Tour. ENJOY THE READ! ENJOY THE RIDE! Friendly, West Virginia [caption id="attachment_34758" align="alignleft" width="236"] Friendly, West Virginia[/caption] I have been to Friendly a few times. It is a small town that was established in 1898. The Parkersburg and Ohio Valley…

04Apr 2022 by David Kravetz

Towns of America A to Z: The C Towns #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Animals, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Canada, Car Art, Cebu, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Illinois, Iowa, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kentucky, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lewis and Clark Sites, Lighthouses, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Murals, National Parks, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Philippines, Place Names, Post Offices, prairie dogs, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, South Dakota, Tersier, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Welcome Signs, West Virginia

It's another year and another opportunity to provide a fun VIRTUAL road trip. For the 2022 A to Z Challenge, I will be taking you, the readers, to some of the many places I have visited. Almost every little town to every big city has something unique to offer visitors. I hope to take you to some of these places across the United States, and even to Canada, the Philippines and Japan on some select posts, for a virtual trip to see places you may not know about. Today's post covers a number of towns and cities that begin with the letter C. These are all over the place, including the Philippines and Canada!! I have been to dozens of towns that begin with the letter C, but here is…

Category: Cities and Towns