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The Impossible Road Trip

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Member Reviews

This book is great if you enjoy reading articles off the website "Only in Your State". There are so many weird and unique roadside attractions that are visited in this book. I hope to be able to encounter many of them. Living on the opposite coast of the majority of my family I have often had to make cross country journeys in my beaten up Toyota Corolla and I am always looking for more new attractions to stop at in order to stretch my legs.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

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I enjoyed this arm chair travel book to kitschy roadside attractions. The book highlights a few attractions in all 50 states. The photographs and short description are a good starting point to plan your road trip. Some places are missing and it would be nice to have more detailed information on the locations. But what is here is a lot of fun. The writing is good and I liked it that the author included the recent status of the attractions. Enjoy the travels

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A fun look at the weird roadside sights throughout America. Loved the photos and wished there were more. It was a bummer that some of these crazy places/things no longer exist, but neat that they are captured in books like this. For the ones that do still exist, it would've been nice to include some directions or addresses for those of us who want to seek them out.

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A visually pleasing look at US road trip attractions with something for everyone. It was a refreshing escapism read during this pandemic for a British roadtrip fan who hasn’t been able to ‘cross the pins’ for a couple of years.

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While we all look forward to another pandemic winter (not!), many of us will dream of future vacations. If your idea of fun is seeing businesses shaped like giant dogs, picnic baskets, or train cars, The Impossible Road Trip is the perfect escapist treat.

Surveying three unusual attractions in each of the fifty states, there is something for everyone here. There are kitschy buildings, circus-level oddities (i.e., a mermaid skeleton), unique sculptures, and historic sites included here. I’m not sure that many will inspire a road trip to see them in person. However, if I ever visit Washington, D.C., I am touring the Home of the Supreme Council with its sphinxes with the head of George Washington. I may also head over to nearby Alexandria, Virginia to see the George Washington Masonic National Memorial. It has replicas of The Pharos of Alexandria lighthouse, the Temple of Solomon, Solomon’s throne room, and the Ark of the Covenant. Who knew about any of those attractions? Not me, at least.

The Impossible Road Trip is a fun way to see America from your sofa. It would also make a great coffee table book for your overnight guests to browse through while waiting for you to make breakfast. 4 stars!

Thanks to Motorbooks, Quarto Publishing Group, and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

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For fans of Atlas Obscura and Roadside America, we now can add “The Impossible Road Trip: An Unforgettable Journey to Past and Present Roadside Attractions in All 50 States” by Eric Dregni to the list of guides we need on our road trips. And with the pandemic still blocking most travel plans, this is the perfect armchair trip to enjoy before the world goes back to normal.

This is a collection of the wild and wacky roadside attractions that one can find on the backroads of America (and yes, lots of this seems like a uniquely American tradition), usually the obsession of a single outcast individual that eventually gets embraced and expanded upon by the local community. Mr. Drengi does a good job of describing the attraction as well as the history/context that led to this display. For some reason, most of these seem to be huge fiberglass models of something local: large fish, Paul Bunyan, Big Boy, dinosaurs, bison, etc. There are also unique buildings: wigwam hotels, giant shoes, milk bottles, railcar diners. And then finally we have the weird roadside attractions or commercial ads: Cadillac Ranch, balls of twine (with visions of Clark Griswold), huge termites, giant baseball bats.

Mr. Dregni approaches all of this with a sense of humor, but also with a genuine fondness for those who follow their dreams. So enjoy the photos and descriptions. The collection is grouped by region of the country, allowing one to plan side trips to experience the true American roadtrip.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Quarto Publishing Group – Motorbooks via NetGalley. Thank you!

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This was an entertaining little read! Not all of the spots highlighted really would float my boat, but I'm sure everyone can get something out of them. The pictures were the highlight for me; the overviews provide a nice little summary of each, and would definitely help anyone planning a road trip decide whether or not to stop.

Florida's Solomon Castle, Louisiana's St. Valeria of Milan, Nebraska's Carhenge, Arizona's London Bridge, and Area 51 particularly stood out to me as potentially worth visits if I'm in the area.

I'll admit I was a little bummed the author hadn't personally visited all the places included, but oh well. Still a fun high-level overview!

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

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This is the perfect book to get before a big road trip! Or the perfect gift for the friend who loves to travel. The book is broken down by regions. So many cool, odd places I’d never heard of and will definitely be checking out soon.

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This book was quirky and showed some interesting things off the beaten track in the 50 states of the USA and found it overall interesting

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Thank you NetGalley, Eric Dregni and Quarto Publishing Group for the ARC of The Impossible Road Trip. This is my personal review.
I really enjoyed this book a lot. It gave me several ideas for stops when I am on my next road trip. I have been to several of the ones listed and it was great to see them included. One of my favorites was The Corn Place in Mitchell South Dakota. I have made that stop every time I am going in that direction on my way to Mount Rushmore.
My favorite part of a road trip is when I see a sign for an attraction I have never heard of, and this book has added to my list of things to look for next trip.
This book will be put in the car for our next adventure!

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All your state loyalties are fed in with this tidy, coffeetable-worthy book stuffed with pictures! Nostalgia, little kid memories and the "I've-been-there" feels will rise to the surface, I promise. Tripping you, the author takes you state by state, and you'll see roadside attractions you drive by every day or ones just a few miles away you didn't even know about. The ones you've not yet seen? You'll be googling and planning your next road trip as you look up from the pages of this book and yell to no one in particular in the next room, "Hey, guys! I know where we are going on our next road trip!"

Full of whimsy, a big dose of weird national pride without one bit of [current] politics in it (such a nice rest), this book was exactly right to read and appreciate this week before national gratitude is observed. We really do need to be grateful for all of it, right? The weird and wonky right along with all the rest, right? (Could also be titled "Weird Things Our Ancestors Got Up To". . .just my 2 cents.)

This book? Get it. Read it. Plan your trip. On your mark, get set. . . .GO!

A sincere thanks to Eric Dregni, Quarto Publishing Group - Motorbooks, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review. #TheImpossibleRoadTrip #NetGalley

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I can not wait to go on my next road trip after reading Eric Dregni's "The Impossible Road Trip."

This beauty of a travel book brilliantly describes eclectic road side attractions in every state in the US. Clear pictures bring to vivid life the entertaining descriptions and history of these monuments to fame and fortune. Entries include a hotel only accessible with scuba gear, replicas of famous historic European buildings, all kinds of massive statues - including Paul Bunyan, the Big Boy, fish, dinosaurs, donuts, and pink elephants, whimsical architecture including castles and a massive two story picnic basket, space ships, a 6-7 story baseball bat, the world's biggest balls of twine, the worlds largest tire, carhenge, my favorite - the Wigwam Motel, and so much more including a little known place called Wall Drug...

Drengi's selection is excellent. I firmly agree with the four that I have actually visited. I look forward to visiting others on this list! This book will be valued and enjoyed by those that appreciate the Altas Obscura.

I thank the publisher, author, and illustrator for kindly providing me with an electronic review copy. Happy Trails!

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If you don't want to browse the @atlasobscura website in the bathroom, The Impossible Road Trip by Eric Dregni might be more convenient. A well-illustrated (comparative sizes of Paul Bunyan statues?) and fun collection of travel trivia.

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I wanted to read this book for the nostalgia an I was not disappointed. Granted only a handful of the stops were ones I had visited, but the others were just as cool! Wishing we had driving far further for our vacations when I was a child…so many of these would have been cool to see as a child. Some, I will put on list for future stops, but not all of them are still around. Memories and kitsch go hand in hand.

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If you like roadside art or oddities this is a book for you. With over 150 attractions from across the United States there is something for everyone. There are Giant Paul Bunyan's, buildings in various shapes, unique tributes to fish and other critters. I've traveled in 47 of the 50 states and was surprised to find I've only seen 17 of the attractions listed. (I think it hurt a little that I live in the west.) The book give some details about why the attraction is there or who built it along with a photo and the city or place to find it. If I had one suggestion it would be geographical coordinates become some sites could be hard to find even if you get to the right town. This isn't something I would probably buy for myself but I would eagerly check it out for a library and read. Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for a temporary eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Such fun! This guide to America's kitschiest road-side attractions is ordered by region and features a wonderful variety of giant oddities and gleeful tourist traps. Giving equal weight to a two-story outhouse and the Gateway Arch, readers will enjoy this irreverent exploration of the strange things one can find on the byways.

Each attraction has colorful, detailed photographs as well as an interesting article about its history and significance. This would be a great gift for travel buffs and fans of classic Americana.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

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I received an advance copy of, The Impossible Road Trip, by Eric Dregni. I really enjoyed this book. There are so many road side attractions I have never seen or heard of before.

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With Covid 19 still ravaging the world, there’s no better time than to hop in your car for a little vacation, rather than risking exposure in a small metal tube in the sky. Dregni takes readers across the country, stopping to visit some of the lesser well known oddities in our country. Divided into regional sections, this is a great book if you’re planning a road trip or just longing to. Filled with photos and information, Dregni showcases America at it’s quirky, weirdo best

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Fun road trip book! I have personally seen some of these spots during my cross country road trip. So many weird but interesting spots that are worth checking out. It's missing "The Thing" museum in Arizona. The Wall Drug in South Dakota is awesome! Make sure you stop there on your way to Mount Rushmore/Badlands. Also, be careful if you decide to visit the "South of the border" right on the border of NC and SC, that place is super creepy and who knows what's going there (I live in NC). I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

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So much information packed into one book and presented through beautiful pictures about places we most likely miss on a road trip. I loved seeing Lucy the Elephant mentioned as I used to drive by her all the time and marveled at her existence. I can't wait to take this on the road to visit the "Coldest Spot in the Country" in Montana or the "Big Brown Jug" in Oregon or just about any of the many quirky monuments throughout the country. Added bonus is the short history written about each of these stops. Very excited to check these places out!

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