Eateries – Less Beaten Paths of America

18Nov 2024 by David Kravetz

2023: Year in Travel and Other Stories – Part 4 – North Central Tennessee – August 2023

Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Books, Car Art, Eateries, Family Travel, Ice Cream Places, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Less Beaten Paths Books, Murals, Offbeat Places, People Shots, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Sasquatch Art, Selfies, Tennessee, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Unique Places, US Highway 127, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Welcome Signs, Yard Art

[caption id="attachment_38779" align="alignnone" width="640"] Cookeville, Tennessee[/caption] In August 2023 we made another kayak/hiking trip to North Central Tennessee. While my wife kayaked, I visited an old high school friend in Cookeville, Tennessee. It also happened to be the weekend of the famed US 127 "World's Longest Yard Sale" which covers 690 miles through six states. I took advantage of grabbing a few shots. Sadly, my favorite motel, The Jordan Motel in Jamestown was both booked solid for that weekend and was also consumed by dozens of folks selling their wares in the yard sale. Cookeville is a fun little town. A few murals, some cool railroad stuff and a few other things that make it a cool place. [caption id="attachment_38780" align="alignnone" width="474"] Cookeville Proud Mural[/caption] [caption id="attachment_38773" align="alignnone" width="471"] Another Cookeville,…

15Nov 2024 by David Kravetz

2023: Year in Travel and Other Stories – Part 3 – June and July

Adventure, Antique Shops, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Books, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Burger Joints, Cross Country Road Trips, Farmland, Geologic Formations, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Murals, Museums, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Monuments, National Parks, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Tennessee, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 31, US Highway 70, Wanderlust, Waterfalls, Welcome Signs

The month of June 2023 kicked off a very busy couple of months of travel including some big road trips and a long-awaited and long overdue trip to Florida and the Gulf Coast (see post here). The month started off with a visit to Grayson Lake State Park in Kentucky and the area around it including Carter Caves State Park. We had visited both of these places in the past, so I am not posting much from that first week. However, in mid-June Julianne and a friend went kayaking near Magnolia, Kentucky While they did, I made my to Hodgenville, Kentucky and the Lincoln Heritage areas nearby. Hodgenville has a couple of nice Lincoln statues in the town square. And they have a fairly well known hole in the wall…

14Aug 2023 by David Kravetz

2023 Gulf Coast Road Trip: A Breakfast Surprise in Houma

Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, People Shots, Selfies, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places

Home Sweet Houma mural in Houma, LA In July we took a 3001 mile road trip through ten states over eight days. We visited many local eateries along the way - I take road trips with an “Eat Local” philosophy. Bayou Country Café in Houma, LA We spent the fourth night of our trip in the fabulous city of New Orleans. But we wanted to get on the road early and get down to Houma for breakfast. Houma is one of the main places for the filming of the History Channel’s “Swamp People” and is in the heart of Cajun country. We had hoped to find a good “Cajun” place for breakfast. Inside the Bayou Country Café After looking at options, we decided on the Bayou Country…

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…

24Jun 2023 by David Kravetz

Planning a Road Trip Sumoflam Style: 2023

Adventure, Alabama, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Books, Bucket List Trips, Burger Joints, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Mississippi, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside America Books, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Unique Shops

If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there. - George Harrison As summer approaches we all get excited about travel of some sort. For me, it is a long road trip on back roads that I look forward to. There is so much to see in this great country of ours. And, despite my having been to all 50 states, there is so much I have yet to see and experience. I am going to share my travel planning secrets and methodologies in this post. Have traveled well over 2 million road miles in my 66 years -- including a few years as a tour guide and charter bus driver. In all of those miles I have learned a few things. And, of course, I…

01Jun 2023 by David Kravetz

The Bears of Kentucky Hwy 11 (and other fun stuff)

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Books, Burger Joints, Family Travel, Geologic Formations, Kentucky, KY Highway 11, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Offbeat Places, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Sasquatch Art, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Staycations, Tourist Traps, Unique Places, Unique Shops, Welcome Signs, Wood Carved Bears

[caption id="attachment_37383" align="alignnone" width="485"] Highway 11 runs north of Slade and joins Highway 15 near Campton, KY[/caption] Kentucky Highway 11 runs from Maysville to Barbourville, KY. It is 182.5 miles in length and is planned to become a "macro-corridor" within Kentucky. This post only covers a small section of the highway as it runs through the world famous Red River Gorge National Geologic Area and through Natural Bridge State Resort Park and into Slade. This area is probably the most highly visited natural area in Kentucky and this section of Highway 11 is most certainly the most heavily traveled of anywhere along the nearly 183 mile stretch. Being a major tourist draw, especially near Natural Bridge, this section features numerous eating establishments, many cabin rentals, a smattering of gift shops…

18Jan 2023 by David Kravetz

2022: The Year in Travel – January thru March

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Graffiti Walls, Hiking & Biking, Hiking Trails, Ice Cream Places, Indiana, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lewis and Clark Sites, Murals, Offbeat Places, Pelicans, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Staycations, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 31, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Water Towers, Waterfalls, Welcome Signs, Yard Art

[caption id="attachment_35952" align="alignleft" width="300"] Welcome to Pontiac, Illinois[/caption] What a year 2022 was!! I started off the year in the midst of another COVID outbreak and high fuel prices. My hopes for much travel in 2022 weren't very high. I expected it would be a lean travel year, but it turned out much different than I had anticipated. By December 31 I had visited 14 states and driven nearly 21,000 miles. This included nearly 1,300 miles (out of a total of 2,400) of driving on Route 66 from Albuquerque to Chicago. I had actually dreamt of driving the entire length of Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica, CA in October, which was when I would celebrate my 66th birthday, but it wasn't meant to be. Nevertheless, I was thrilled…

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…

16May 2022 by David Kravetz

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

A to Z Challenge, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, California, Canada, Cross Country Road Trips, Delaware, Distilleries, Family Travel, Flowers, Ghost Signs, Graffiti Walls, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Missouri, Mountains, Mountains, Murals, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Parks, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Offbeat Places, Ontario, Oregon, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Sandhill Cranes, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, States and Provinces, Street Art, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Unique Shops, Volunteer Fire Departments, Washington, Welcome Signs, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Yard Art

Sadly, I didn't get all of these posted with the month of April, but I most certainly want to finish. I am like the guy in the 5K that shows up last....at least I will complete the race. So, the biggest list of town names in the alphabet is probably those that begin with the letter S. There are a load of towns and places, but I will limit them to a readable amount. I do have some fun names at the end. ENJOY THE READ! ENJOY THE RIDE! SANDWICH, NEW HAMPSHIRE [caption id="attachment_15115" align="alignnone" width="522"] Sandwich Historical Society - Sandwich, New Hampshire[/caption] [caption id="attachment_15107" align="alignnone" width="516"] Signposts in Sandwich, NH. No restaurants![/caption] Hungry? Maybe a sandwich? If so, don't visit Sandwich, New Hampshire as there is not a place…

26Apr 2022 by David Kravetz

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

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Antique Shops, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Bucket List Trips, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Church Signs, Cross Country Road Trips, Delaware, Dream Highways, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Frogs, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Mountains, Murals, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Monuments, National Parks, New Mexico, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Peter Wolf Toth, Place Names, Quirky Things, Random Thoughts, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Rocky Mountains, Route 66, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Stop Signs, Street Art, Street People, Tennessee, Tourist Traps, Unique Eatery, Vintage Neon, Washington, Welcome Signs, Whispering Giants, Whispering Giants, Wisconsin, Yard Art

Folks, I know I am behind on my posts, but I promise I have not forgotten!! I have been to Reminderville, so I cant forget. I've been kicked in tow different Rugbys and have been scared into catching up by a monster in Rhinelander! Actually, life has been pretty swamped, but I have so many places I want to introduce you to and the R towns really will add a chunk of fun to my sections of the A to Z Challenge! ENJOY THE READ! ENJOY THE RIDE! RUGBY, NORTH DAKOTA There are eight different towns in the United States named Rugby. Though I have only been to two of them, I would argue that they are the two best places named Rugby in the United States. Arguably, Rugby, North…

Category: Eateries