The National Park Service finalized a new visitor use plan for Cumberland Island on August 28, 2026, amending rules that had stood since 1984. Its visitor cap rose from 300 to 700. But it’s still a cap. The other seven stops on this list follow rules that have nothing to do with any ferry cap….
A storm two ridges over can turn an Arkansas swimming hole dangerous before a single drop of rain falls where a swimmer is. These are the Arkansas swimming holes that turn dangerous after the first fall rain. 1. Mulberry River The Mulberry River runs shallow enough by late summer that the Forest Service’s page for…
Florida’s population swells by more than 5 percent every winter, and the surge always starts the same week: The week the seasonal rentals reopen. Locals feel it fast. These are the things Floridians notice the week seasonal rentals switch to high season. 1. Traffic Thickens Overnight Interstates carry a different crowd the week the season…
A family pulls off Route 14 in New York’s Finger Lakes with a five-stop itinerary printed from someone else’s blog post. The first stop already disappoints them. New Yorkers who grew up making this same drive could have told them which stops to skip and why. These are the Finger Lakes stops New Yorkers say…
You’ve seen the Route 66 photos enough times to feel like you already know the stops. Then you pull over in Oklahoma and discover the picture left out a pretty good story. Recognizing a landmark isn’t quite the same as knowing what you’re looking at. These are the Oklahoma Route 66 stops that aren’t what…
North Dakota’s population reached 799,358 people as of July 2025, an all-time high for the state. Even so, much of the state is seemingly empty. Long stretches of two-lane highway connect the state’s towns, and a driver can cover fifty miles without a single reason to slow down. These are the North Dakota drives that…
Nevada has over 600 ghost towns scattered across the state, more than any other state in the country, according to the state’s tourism office. Not all of them are worth seeing. These are the Nevada ghost towns that aren’t worth the drive. 1. Wahmonie Wahmonie never got the chance to become a proper ghost town…
South Dakota’s tourism office says the 61st annual Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup drew thousands of spectators on September 25. Several roadside stops nearby had already shut down for the season. These are the South Dakota roadside stops that close before anyone expects. Storybook Island Storybook Island closed its gates for the year on September…
Texas has more state-permitted billboards than every state except one, according to Scenic America’s count of roadside signs. Along the highway, the signs for a single stop can start miles before the exit, each billboard promising something bigger than the last. Not every promise survives the exit. These are the Texas roadside stops that aren’t…
You don’t drive to the Catskills in October because you want to spend more time in your car. But pick a town on name recognition alone, and your fall getaway can start feeling like a very scenic errand. A famous destination doesn’t always deliver the weekend you pictured. These are the Catskill towns we’d skip…
