NPR Road Trips: Roadside Attractions

Prairie Dog Town in western Kansas. The Elvis Is Alive Museum in Wright City, Missouri. The Velvet Museum (“Velveteria”) in Portland, Oregon. A 13-foot Styrofoam scale model of Stonehenge. The Largest Ball of Twine in Cawker City, Kansas…or is it in Darwin, Minnesota? Roadside attractions are the staples of the American road trip. Many are slowly disappearing from our highways and byways. Are they culture or kitsch? Are their creators artists or obsessives? Listeners are invited to pull off the road and experience the delightful icons and oddities decorating our natural landscape.

 

Track Listing:

1. Introduction by Noah Adams
   
2. Destination: Time Capsule
3. Unraveling the Story Behind a Big Ball of Twine
4. Roadside Attractions Fading from Landscape
5. Riding Seattle’s Space Needle
6. Missile Museum Sparks Cold War Memories
7. Present at the Creation: Burma Shave Signs
8. Backyard Folk Art Thrives in Michigan
9. Is There an Age Limit on Road Trips?
10. Cypress Gardens, Essence of Florida
11. Preacher Selling Elvis Museum on eBay
12. At Velvet Museum, Get in Touch with Kitsch
13. Finding Faith Along America's Highways
14. Blue Chevrolet

Audio Samples:

Destination: Time Capsule


Unraveling the Story Behind a Big Ball of Twine


Roadside Attractions Fading from Landscape


Blue Chevrolet