The Backroad Blog
The Great Lakes Tour: A Circle Road Trip Itinerary
The Great Lakes tour is a circle road trip route through the United States and Canada to scenic destinations along Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Ontario, and Erie. This guide will help you map the perfect itinerary with suggested food, lodging, hikes, waterfalls, cruises, lighthouses, and more outdoor activities.
Explore Civil Rights History in Memphis, Tennessee
Explore Civil Rights history in Memphis, Tennessee, with visits to the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, Clayborn Temple, Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum, and Beale Street.
Searching for Emmett Till: A Mississippi Delta Pilgrimage
We went searching for Emmett Till on a Mississippi Delta pilgrimage, and along the way we unearthed legendary bluesman Robert Johnson, walked a Tallahatchie bridge, slept in sharecropper shacks, and ultimately uncovered traces of the teen martyr whose death gave birth to the modern Civil Rights Movement.
Civil Rights & African American Heritage Trails in Washington, DC
Follow African American heritage trails in Washington, DC, on an itinerary that includes the National Museum of African American Heritage & Culture, the African American Civil War Museum, the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the Newseum, Ben’s Chili Bowl, and other Civil Rights sites.
Two Mississippi Museums Chronicle State & Civil Rights History
Backroad Planet joined Jackson photographer Ashleigh Coleman for a preview of two Mississippi museums: the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. Also on the itinerary, visits to the Smith Robertson Museum, the home of Medgar Evers, Bully’s Restaurant, and the Mississippi Supreme Court.
Brices Crossroads & Tupelo National Battlefield: Mississippi’s Final Stands
The Civil War comes alive when you tour the scenic heritage trails of Brices Crossroads and Tupelo National Battlefield, two National Park Service sites that commemorate Mississippi’s Final Stands of 1864.
Bulletholes & Bloodstains: A Battle of Franklin Tour | Tennessee USA
A photo-intensive guide for Tennessee travelers and Civil War buffs planning a Battle of Franklin tour. Includes visits to the Carter House, “The Widow of the South’s” Carnton Plantation, the Eastern Flank Battlefield Park, and the village of Leiper’s Fork.
Tour Scenic & Historic Sites in the City of Janesville, Wisconsin
The city of Janesville, Wisconsin, extends the invitation to study architecture on walks through historic districts, embrace tranquility at Rotary Botanical Gardens, travel the Underground Railroad at the Milton House Museum, and experience a Midwest dining tradition at the Buckhorn Supper Club.
Experience the Eclectic City of Beloit, Wisconsin
The city of Beloit, Wisconsin, is eclectic in every way! Experience this time-honored college town with its world class riverfront, authentic living history sites, farm-to-table cuisine, museums of anthropology & art, and the elegantly rustic Ironworks Hotel.
6 Practical Tips for a Journey by Train
Whether it be long or short, planned or unexpected, these six practical tips for a journey by train will help make the ride a pleasant, and even memorable experience.
Fun Things to Do in Rockford, Illinois USA
If you are looking for fun things to do in Rockford, Illinois, may I suggest Anderson Japanese Gardens, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Laurent House, Midway Village Museum, Rock Cut State Park, and the Coronado Performing Arts Center, for starters?
Take a Hike up Southern California’s Tahquitz Canyon
On a spring wildflower hike up Southern California’s Tahquitz Canyon, pause to visit ancient Native American sites, take in stunning views of Palm Springs, and refresh yourself in the cool oasis at Tahquitz Falls, a movie location for Frank Capra’s Lost Horizon (1937).