America’s interstate highways are great for covering vast distances, but if you want to delve into the heart of the country, you need to turn off and onto the roads less traveled.
Here, we’ve highlighted five of the most seductive journeys: road trips that lay the soul of the nation bare.
One delves into Virginia’s rich musical history, connecting you with the birthplace of country music; another allows you to soak up the charm of the Old South, via some epic beaches; while the “Loneliest Road in America” offers a chance to explore time-capsule ghost towns and otherworldly desert landscapes.
Over in Missouri, you can stop off at the hometowns of some of America’s greatest thinkers and innovators, while our final route immerses you in a tranquil landscape with not a stoplight or billboard in sight.
1. Virginia's Heritage Music Trail — The Crooked Road
The drive vibe: A cultural backroads driving trail that winds through the Blue Ridge and Cumberland Mountains with stops that celebrate how Virginia gave birth to country, bluegrass, and old-time music.
Length and route: Around 330 miles — using two main arteries, routes 58 and 23 — starting in the town of Rocky Mount and ending to the west at Breaks Interstate Park. Non-stop drive time is around seven hours, but it's recommended to allow three to four days to take in the noteworthy sights and to time the trip with concert dates.
Key sights: The first essential pitstop (if driving east to west) is the Floyd Country Store in the town of Floyd. This remarkable venue is a genuine store selling everything from hand-dipped ice cream to kitchenware. But it’s so much more. Since the 1980s, it's been a hub for experiencing authentic Appalachian music, with regular jam sessions and dances.
Great music, from bluegrass to country blues, can also be heard at the Blue Ridge Music Center near Galax, an hour to the west.
Next comes sacred ground — the town of Bristol, which straddles the border of Virginia and Tennessee. Here, the Birthplace of Country Music Museum celebrates the 1927 Bristol Sessions, recordings by 19 acts including the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers credited as the "Big Bang" of country music (with the studio technically on the Tennessee side, housed in the Taylor-Christian Hat Company building).
Round out the itinerary with visits to the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons, where the first family of country music is from and the last place Johnny Cash ever performed, and the Ralph Stanley Museum in Clintwood, dedicated to the life and career of the bluegrass pioneer.
Where to stay along the way
The gigantic glowing guitar at the entrance to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol is a clue that music is at the heart of this property. Inside, you'll find myriad music memorabilia and a venue — Hard Rock Live Bristol — that hosts top acts.
2. U.S. Route 17 — The Coastal Highway
The drive vibe: An inspiring trip along a historical north-south highway built in 1926 that runs parallel to the Atlantic, taking in one of America’s most epic beaches, beautiful coastal cities, evocative ruins and cypress swamps. Take your time and soak up the seductive charm of the Old South.
Length and route: Total distance is around 1,200 miles, with U.S. 17 linking Winchester, Virginia, with Punta Gorda in Florida, often meandering through small towns. The non-stop wheels-moving time is 20 to 25 hours, but a trip of five to seven days will allow you to enjoy the fruits of the journey fully.
Key sights: Two irresistible stretches of sand beg to be ticked off. If traveling north to south, first up will be Virginia Beach, recognized by Guinness World Records as the longest pleasure beach on the planet. The second is the Grand Strand, anchored by the resort city of Myrtle Beach — a strip of golden granules that stretches for 60 miles.
Further south, in Mount Pleasant, Gullah artisans sell traditional coiled grass baskets on a stretch of road leading up to the two-and-a-half-mile-long Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, which provides a spectacular entrance to Charleston, the crown jewel of the route.
Here, you can wander quaint cobbled streets, sample Lowcountry specialties such as she-crab soup and shrimp and grits, and learn about the city’s past at the Old Slave Mart Museum.
In northern Beaufort County, visit the hauntingly beautiful Old Sheldon Church Ruins — the shell of a church burned during both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War — then continue south to Spanish-moss-draped Savannah, Georgia, before detouring to heavenly islands such as Jekyll and St. Simons.
Where to stay along the way
The Spectator Hotel in Charleston has inviting Art Deco-inspired rooms and a hidden cocktail bar.
3. U.S. Route 50 — “The Loneliest Road in America"
The drive vibe: Isolation. But in the best possible way. In 1986, this section of Route 50 through central Nevada was famously derided by Life Magazine as having "no points of interest", with drivers warned they would need "survival skills" to navigate it. Nevada's tourism board cleverly turned the insult into an advantage, embracing the route's solitude and marketing the highway as an opportunity to explore "time capsule" ghost towns and rugged landscapes.
Length and route: The full coast-to-coast Route 50 trip is over 3,000 miles, but the "Loneliest Road" section in Nevada is around 400 miles and is usually driven east from Baker to Carson City in the west. Non-stop, that's a six-and-a-half-hour trip. Take five days or so to let the seclusion work its stress-busting magic.
Key sights: Linger in the extraordinary Great Basin National Park. It's home to 5,000-year-old bristlecone pines, the spectacular Lehman Caves and the 13,060-foot Wheeler Peak. It's also a world-class stargazing spot.
Then head to Ely in Pony Express Territory and take a ride on the 19th-century Nevada Northern Railway. Explore an 1860s station in Austin featuring original Wild West-style false-front architecture that hides the building's true size.
Take lots of detours in the territory around these towns, as it's peppered with those fascinating lost-in-time ghost towns.
At Sand Mountain, a vast Sahara-style dune 25 miles east of Fallon, a tranquil sunset walk beckons. Afterwards, stop for coffee or a bite to eat at Middlegate Station, a rustic rest-stop dating to 1859.
A few miles away is the bizarre Shoe Tree, a cottonwood adorned with hundreds of pairs of shoes dangling from its branches.
Before reaching Carson City, visit Frey Ranch Distillery, where all the whiskey ingredients are grown on the premises.
Where to stay along the way
The charmingly careworn Hotel Nevada & Gambling Hall dates to 1929. Rooms are themed after famous guests, from Gary Cooper to Jimmy Stewart, and the hotel operates a 24-hour casino.
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4. U.S. Highway 36 — The Way of American Genius
The drive vibe: Momentous history brought to life. You'll discover more about the thinkers, writers and innovators who lived along the route, including Mark Twain and Walt Disney, and how their ideas left a lasting mark on America.
Length and route: The "Way of American Genius" is a 200-mile stretch of U.S. 36 across northern Missouri, from St. Joseph near the Kansas border to Hannibal on the banks of the Mississippi. It's a four-hour drive non-stop, but plan a trip of two to three days to allow time to enjoy the fascinating "genius stops" along the way.
Key sights: The genius stops come thick and fast.
Chillicothe is the self-proclaimed "Home of Sliced Bread", where pre-sliced loaves were sold from 1928, and Marceline is the boyhood hometown of Walt Disney that nurtured his vivid imagination. The downtown area inspired the Main Street USA neighborhoods found at Disney theme parks — and retains its wholesome charm.
Visit the Walt Disney Hometown Museum to find out more about the world-famous animator's formative years.
In Kirksville, visit the Museum of Osteopathic Medicine, which stands on the site where Dr. Andrew Taylor Still founded the nation's first osteopathic medical school in 1892.
The endpoint of the trip, Hannibal, is where Mark Twain grew up. The beloved Mississippi River town inspired many of his greatest works, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Where to stay along the way
Garth Woodside Mansion Bed and Breakfast in Hannibal — once the home of John Garth, a close friend of Mark Twain — is today a glorious Victorian retreat featuring ornate woodwork, period furnishings, and lush gardens.
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5. The Natchez Trace Parkway
The drive vibe: Tranquility. This is a road less traveled, with not a single billboard or stoplight in sight. The Parkway was established to commemorate and preserve the history of the "Old Natchez Trace", a route used by Indigenous peoples, early settlers, and soldiers through Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee.
Length and route: The 444-mile route runs between Natchez in Mississippi and the intersection with Tennessee State Route 100 near Nashville — the point designated as Milepost 444. A 50mph speed limit means a non-stop drive time of around 10 hours, but take two or three days to wallow in the serenity.
Key sights: Divert at Milepost 10.3 to discover the Emerald Mound, a pre-Columbian ceremonial mound constructed by the ancestors of the Natchez people. It’s the second-largest ceremonial earthwork in the U.S., and visitors can climb to the top for awe-inspiring views.
Other key stops include the Mount Locust Stand tavern (MP 15.5), which dates back to the early 1800s; the Sunken Trace (MP 41.5), a centuries-old sunken section of the original trail that cuts through verdant woodland; and Jackson Falls (MP 404.7), a wonderfully scenic picnic spot near the Parkway’s northern end.
Finally, don’t forget to stop at the iconic Loveless Cafe, just beyond Milepost 444.
Where to stay along the way
The Monmouth Historic Inn in Natchez is set on a 26-acre estate with meticulously nurtured gardens. Every room is en suite and furnished with antiques.
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