This Hidden Texas Canyon Turns Into A Colorful Fall Paradise Every Autumn
Texas in fall? Yes, we are talking about actual red leaves. Deep in the Hill Country, bigtooth maples can turn bright red, orange, and gold…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 15, 2026
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Gideon Hartwell
389 Articles
Pennsylvania
This Small Pennsylvania Town Is Famous For Wild Elk, And Fall Is The Best Time To Visit
The first time you hear a bull elk bugle, you may wonder what on earth just made that…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 15
Vermont
This Historic Vermont General Store Has Been Selling Hard-To-Find Classics And Nostalgic Favorites Since 1946
“They still make that?” You may say it more than once here. A candy you remember from years…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 14
Washington
This Legendary Washington Chili Bowl Has Been A Local Institution Since 1958
“Half-smoke” sounds like somebody forgot to finish giving instructions. It is actually lunch. The sausage has been part…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 14
New Jersey
10 Historic New Jersey Lighthouses With Beautiful Waterfront Views Worth Exploring
Before phones could tell you where you were, the coast had giant blinking towers for that job. Subtle?…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 13
Hawaii
10 Beautiful Hawaii Coastal Walks With Stunning Ocean Views For Every Kind Of Explorer
Do your walking shoes want an easy day or a little drama? Hawaii can handle both. One coastline…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 13
Pennsylvania
10 Fascinating Pennsylvania Caves And Caverns With Incredible Underground Wonders
The hills are hiding something. From the road, everything looks perfectly normal. Farms, small towns, wooded slopes. Then…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 12
Maine
9 Stunning Maine Lighthouses Worth Discovering On A Scenic Coastal Drive
If the road ends at the ocean, do not turn around yet. That may be exactly where the…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 12
Massachusetts
This Historic Massachusetts Clam Shack Claims To Have Invented Fried Clams And Still Serves Them The Original Way
Here is a pretty good argument for experimenting with the fryer. In 1916, freshly shucked clams went into…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 11
Connecticut
This Connecticut Restaurant Serves Famous Steamed Cheeseburgers From Metal Drawers And Locals Can’t Get Enough
This burger gets a steam bath before you do. Instead of hitting a hot grill, the beef cooks…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 11
Arizona
This Arizona Observatory Lets Visitors Look Through Telescopes Once Used To Chart The Moon’s Surface
Some telescopes have a view. This one has a résumé. The old refractor has been pointing skyward since…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 10
Arkansas
This Arkansas Cafe Sources Nearly Everything From Local Farms And Turns It Into Southern Comfort Food
You can tell a lot about a cafe by what it refuses to outsource. Here, the ingredients do…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 10
Wyoming
This Wyoming River Sends Rafters Through Wild Rapids With The Tetons Rising In The Distance
Do you want the river to behave, or are we letting it get a little wilder? That is…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 9
Rhode Island
This Rhode Island Island Has No Traffic Lights And That’s Exactly How Locals Like It
Here is a rare Rhode Island luxury: nobody can run a red light because there are no red…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 9
South Carolina
This South Carolina Oak Tree Is Believed To Be Around 400 Years Old And Its Branches Touch The Ground
If trees had elbows, this one would need a lot more room. Most oaks seem interested in reaching…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 8
New Hampshire
This New Hampshire Lake Has Been Home To Mount Washington Cruises Since 1872
Some boats have a route. This one has a family tree. Passengers have been cruising this lake under…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 8
Nebraska
This Nebraska Field Has A Stonehenge Replica Built Entirely From Old Cars
At some point, somebody looked at a field full of old cars and thought, “Stonehenge.” The remarkable part…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 7
Arizona
This Arizona Restaurant Claims To Have Invented The Chimichanga And Still Serves The Original Recipe
Some kitchen accidents get cleaned up. This one ended up famous. The family behind this longtime Tucson restaurant…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 7
Kentucky
This Kentucky Cave System Is The Longest Known Cave In The World And Rangers Are Still Mapping New Passages
Here is the wild part: nobody has finished drawing the map yet. More than 426 miles of passages…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 6
Maine
This Maine National Park Has Miles Of Carriage Roads Built To Keep Cars Out
Your car is not invited. Honestly, that may be the best thing about these roads. Instead of traffic…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 6
Wisconsin
This Wisconsin Farm Market Turns October Weekends Into A Full-Blown Harvest Tradition
If you are telling everyone, “We’ll only stay an hour,” I admire the confidence. The corn maze alone…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 5
South Carolina
This South Carolina Countryside Turns Surprisingly Beautiful Once October Colors Take Over
Here is my kind of October problem: the view keeps making you pull over. You think you are…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 5
Tennessee
This Tennessee Diner Serves Breakfast Favorites And Keeps A Secret Menu Most Out-Of-Towners Never Know About
A secret menu is a lot less secret when they hand it to you. Still fun, though. Breakfast…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 4
North Carolina
This North Carolina Lakeshore Has So Many Snake Sightings That Visitors Are Watching Every Step
This is one of those places where the view deserves your attention. So do the next three feet…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 4
Michigan
10 Blue-Collar Michigan Restaurants Serving Huge Portions At Surprisingly Affordable Prices
If the plate arrives and you can still see plenty of table, you may have ordered wrong. These…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 3
Virginia
This Virginia Adults-Only Spa Retreat Has Soaking Pools And Enough Relaxation To Fill An Entire Day
Your to-do list can manage one afternoon without you. Bring a swimsuit instead. This adults-only Virginia wellness club…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 3
North Carolina
This North Carolina Old-School Cafe Has Been Frying Catfish The Same Way For Generations
You know the moment. You sit down convinced you want one thing, then somebody mentions fried okra and…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 2
Michigan
This Rural Michigan Cheese Shop Has So Many Local Varieties It Is Worth A Special Trip
You can absolutely walk in planning to buy one cheese. I just would not brag about that plan…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 2
Tennessee
This Enormous Tennessee Secondhand Store Is Packed With Bargains Worth The Drive This Fall
The most tempting sentence in a thrift store is, “I’ll just check one more section.” Sure you will.…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 1
Virginia
10 Coolest Restaurants In Virginia Every Serious Foodie Should Try This Fall
Here is one fall rule I can get behind: let dinner choose the exit. A beautiful drive is…
By Gideon Hartwell · Oct 1
Indiana
This 40-Year-Old Indiana Supper Club Keeps Friday Nights Old-School With Perch And Frog Legs
What kind of Friday dinner makes you choose between perch and frog legs before you even sit down?…
By Gideon Hartwell · Sep 30
Michigan
This Michigan Smoked Fish Market Is A Roadside Favorite And Regulars Keep Coming Back
A bag of chips can ride shotgun quietly. Smoked whitefish has more presence. That is worth remembering at…
By Gideon Hartwell · Sep 30
Alaska
This Alaska Trading Post Sells Everything From Bear Spray To Homemade Fudge Under One Roof
You know a roadside stop has personality when a talking moose is part of the shopping experience. That…
By Gideon Hartwell · Sep 29
Montana
This Remote Montana Hot Spring Sits Deep In A Mountain Valley Far From The Crowds
Let me sell you on the drive before we even get to the hot springs. Leave Dillon behind…
By Gideon Hartwell · Sep 29
Wisconsin
This Wisconsin Historic Village Lets Visitors Step Inside Buildings Preserved From Another Era
Imagine liking an old farmhouse so much that moving it seems easier than saying goodbye. Wisconsin actually did…
By Gideon Hartwell · Sep 28
North Carolina
This North Carolina Waterfront Town Has A Walkable Downtown Made For Exploring On Foot
Walk ten minutes here and the afternoon can change centuries. One direction gives you boats, docks, and water…
By Gideon Hartwell · Sep 28
Pennsylvania
12 Pennsylvania Small Towns With Main Streets That Still Look Almost Exactly Like They Did Decades Ago
Park the car. If the next hour disappears before you remember where you left it, the downtown is…
By Gideon Hartwell · Sep 27
Wisconsin
10 Strange Wisconsin Roadside Attractions You Have To See To Believe
Wisconsin roadside rule number one: if the thing beside the highway is absurdly oversized, you are probably stopping.…
By Gideon Hartwell · Sep 27
Maine
This Maine Island Has Miles Of Car-Free Roads Explored By Bicycle And Horse-Drawn Carriage
Forty-five miles of road and not a traffic jam in sight. That already sounds like a vacation upgrade.…
By Gideon Hartwell · Sep 26
California
This California Desert Town Transforms After Sunset When Its Neon Signs Light Up
By sunset, one old neon sign starts acting like it owns Route 66. During the day, this desert…
By Gideon Hartwell · Sep 26