As 2020 begins, I’m busy making plans for upcoming road trips. I have a goal in 2020 of visiting 52 sites I have never been to before, one for each week. Along with that, there are several places I have been to before, that I’d like to be able to revisit. I have 7 weeks available to take for vacation this year, so I’m hoping to be able to log a lot of miles this year.
In an effort to share some of these plans with you, I’ve created a couple of lists, one for the top ten new sites to visit, and one for the top five I would like to return to. The lists are not ranked in order, they are alphabetically listed. Each one links to a website to learn more about the location
Top Ten New Sites
Armstrong Air and Space Museum, Wapakoneta, OH
I’ve driven past this location probably 25 times in my life, and have never visited. That changes this year.
Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary, Petros, TN
We just learned of this site recently. It is a former state prison that is now open for tours.
Kennedy Space Center, Titusville, FL
Home to NASA launches since the 1960’s, the facility is now being jointly used by NASA, SpaceX, and Boeing. Tours are available along with a museum and several other sites.
Oklahoma City National Memorial, Oklahoma City, OK
The tragedy that took place in OKC deeply moved me, and I’ve always wanted to visit this memorial.
Riverside Memorial Park, Jacksonville, FL
This cemetery is the final resting place of several members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, including Ronnie Van Zant.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, OH
Have wanted to visit since this opened, but am happy I’ve waited so that many of my Rock and Roll heroes have been enshrined.
Space Center Houston, Houston, TX
Home of NASA Mission Control, and primary training ground for our nation’s astronauts.
Wellborn Muscle Car Museum, Alexander City, AL
This is one of the largest and finest collections of Mopar Muscle anywhere in the country.
White Sands National Park, White Sands, NM
This site was recently declared our nation’s newest National Park.
Wright Cycle Complex, Dayton, OH
It seems hard to believe as many times as I have been to Dayton, but I have never visited this site.
Top Five Returning Sites
Within Akron are the historic Goodyear Headquarters, the Goodyear Theatre, and the Goodyear Air Dock. I last visited these sites about 35 years ago.
Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, MI
One of the finest museums in the world. Only visited once, in 2007.
Jimmy Carter National Historic Site, Plains, GA
Site of Jimmy’s campaign headquarters in a historic train depot. Last visited in 1991.
Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, Muscle Shoals, AL
I’ve visited this facility a couple of times, but not since Beats completed a full restoration of the facility to return it to it’s former glory.
Pro Football Hall of Fame, Canton, OH
I last visited here in 1997, from what I understand, it has changed quite a bit.
Road Trip Songs of the Week
For this week’s Rock song, we’ll go with No Easy Way Out by Robert Tepper. This song was part of the Rocky IV soundtrack, and played during the movie when Rocky went on a fast drive thinking about Apollo’s loss.
Our Country song this week is a great classic hit. CC Waterback, by George Jones and Merle Haggard!
Photo of the Week
This week’s photo was taken a few years ago at the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville. The kids thought this was pretty awesome, as it reminded them of the three wheeled car from the Mr. Bean shows. We also always enjoy when Top Gear uses a three wheeled car for anything, as they love to flip them over.
That’s it for this week, see you next time!
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