Road trips are one of our favourite past times as a family. The journey is can be just as fun as the destination if you know how to do it right.
Road trip stops are vital to making a road trip successful. This is why you need to select the best road trip stopping points to get the most out of your trip. Don’t settle for roadside service centres or standard fast-food restaurants on your trip.
Go for a Swim in a lake, river or at a beach
Stopping for a swim on a road trip is a great choice. This is especially true on a hot summer day. The cool water can be just the refreshing wake-up that everyone needs. Kids can also burn off some energy before heading back to the car.
We always keep swim clothes easily accessible in the car so that if the opportunity arises, we can jump in the water. However, there have been multiple occasions where we have just jumped in clothes and all.
Last week we were taking a small road trip and stopped at a short waterfall hike. Our daughter decided to take the plunge into the pool that had formed under waterfall clothes and all. I should add that it is currently the middle of winter! It is times like these that make memories for a lifetime.
Hot springs are also one of our favourite stops on a road trip. Whenever we are back in New Zealand we stop at at least two on our trip from my husband’s hometown to my hometown.
Check out your route on your road trip and see if you can spot some fun places to swim. If you have younger children splash pads in towns along the way might be another option to look into.
Enjoy Short Hiking Trails
Hiking trails are a perfect place to stop and stretch your legs on a long road trip. Aim to find a hike that isn’t too strenuous and not too long. A 30-60 minute hike is generally the perfect length.
We use the AllTrails app to help us find hiking trails. It has been the perfect addition to our adventuring app collection. The app works by finding trails nearby and giving you a rating and series of information points about the trail. You can also search by location ahead of time if you wanted.
We find this app particularly useful as you filter the hikes to only include easy family-friendly hikes and hikes that are pet friendly. This is important to us as we often have our labrador Jimmy along for the ride. He is old and a bit of a sook who doesn’t like to be left behind.
Taking advantage of a short hike along the road trip also gives you a chance to get out and experience a new area and often nature areas different from your local hiking trails. This is especially true if you are doing a cross-country road trip. The landscape changes so drastically along the way.
Visit Areas of Historical Significance
Generally, visiting areas of historical significance is a way to add a little culture and education to the road trip. Do a little research before you head off about some of the little towns you will pass through. Or places that have some historical significance. It helps the areas come alive and adds something unique and special to the road trip stop.
A lot of little towns have a huge about of historical back story. I love finding out little bits of information that I can tell the kids about before we arrive in the area. It helps us all to really appreciate the place and enjoy the stop so much more.
When we were living in Victoria we took a road trip visiting the painted silos. Each of these incredible silos is located almost in the middle of nowhere. However, their locations were chosen due to their historical importance. We absolutely loved reading all about the history of the town and the significance of the artwork painted on the silos. Now we make sure to stop at any silos we see while we are out travelling.
Have Lunch in a Botanic Gardens
Lunch in a gorgeous location is one of the best reasons to stop on a road trip. Botanic gardens offer the perfect backdrop for a relaxing picnic lunch and a place to stretch your legs.
One of our go-to road trip lunches is a bag of bread rolls, deli meat, cheese and coleslaw from the store. It is cheap, easy and delicious. Whenever we go on a road trip this is usually what we grab for lunch and save the restaurants for dinner.
What we really love about botanic gardens is how they are often divided into different areas to explore. We actually had our wedding photos taken in the Hamilton Botanic Gardens in New Zealand. These are the most stunning gardens I have been too and we always make an effort to stop and explore whenever we fly home.
Burn Some Energy at Parks and Playgrounds
Parks and playgrounds are the best places to stop on a road trip if you have children with you. Children have a lot of energy and being cooped up in a car for hours is going to have them begging to get all the wiggles out.
In our experience, children start to fight and whine on road trips when they need to get out that energy. The fighting stops almost immediately once they have been able to have a run-around and get some fresh air.
There are some incredible parks and playgrounds to explore that you would usually never get the chance to visit. Check out this post about the 50 best playgrounds in the USA. Personally, our favourite has to be number 45, Brooklyn’s Playground in Pocatello Idaho.
Another playground that our children fell in love with was the Container Park Playground in Las Vegas. Las Vegas is not usually a short road trip stop destination but it was where we stopped for a night on a longer trip. We didn’t want to do all the busy city experiences and just needed a down day. We ended up spending eight hours here!
Stop at Interesting Tourist Traps
On the whole tourist traps can be a little gimmicky but they are usually a lot of fun to stop at. A neat little tourist spot can break up the road trip with a little excitement.
We tend to steer clear of the big tourist traps instead, opting for fun just off the highway places to visit. These stops usually take 30mins to an hour to enjoy before we are off on our trip again.
One tourist trap that we really want to visit is Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo Texas. Cadillac Ranch was created in 1974 as an art installation. It comprises 10 Cadillacs half-buried in the ground in the middle of a field. Tourists over the years have taken to spray painting the cars with their own artwork making the feature an ever-changing installation.
Every so often the cars are stripped back to allow for new layers of paint to be added. It is a quick stop and a great photo opportunity. If you do take spray paint be sure to be respectful of the area and take your trash with you.
Eat at Fun Restaurants and Cafes
Everyone has a food bucket list I am sure of it. If you are heading out on a long road trip then creating a list of amazing food places along the way is one of the best ideas out there. We do this on every trip we take and it has yet to disappoint.
Whether it is a famous apple pie from a tiny town in the middle of nowhere or a not so secret BBQ joint that has people lining up down the street you need to find some good places to eat. Chances are you are travelling these roads too often so take the opportunity to skip the usual fast food and opt for something new on your next road trip.
Not far from Cadillac Ranch which we just spoke about is The Big Texan Steakhouse. This is an iconic and famous steakhouse in Texas and is pretty high on my food bucket list. We would have been eating here last year if 2020 didn’t throw all our plans out the window. The kids will love getting their meal in a cowboy hat and drinking out of a boot.
It is also famous for its steak-eating challenge. Check out the video below to see a great behind the scenes of this famous establishment.
Visit a State or National Park
State and national parks are excellent road trip stops. Most parks include a multitude of hiking trails to choose from and have clean bathroom facilities. Although there is often a cost to enter these parks you can obtain annual passes for a very reasonable fee.
One of our favourite road trip stops a few years ago was at Canyonlands National Park in Southern Utah. We had been driving all day and arrived at the park around 4 pm. We took a short drive off the main highway and were treated with jaw-dropping views. We collected some junior ranger packs for our two eldest children and set off on a short 20-minute hike. Altogether we were in the park for 1 hour before we were back on the road to complete the last stretch of the journey.
Walk around a Museum
Museums are fascinating road trip stops. Small towns often have some of the most interesting museums around and the employees are incredibly accommodating.
Check if there are any museums along your road trip route. You will always come to learn something interesting and have things to talk about on the next leg of the trip.
Our kids really loved some of the dinosaur museums we have stopped at along with history museums.
Check Out an Old Cemetary
Old cemeteries are not the usual road trip stop but it is really worth considering on your next trip. Cemeteries are a snapshot of history and time and can be an easy way to spend a quick stop.
If you really want to take this a little bit further consider stopping at some cemeteries that home ancestors in your own family. I have been delving deep into my own family history recently and have a long list of cemeteries to visit next time we are in New Zealand. We will also visit a bunch of cemeteries while we are road tripping around Europe next year.
Even if you have no relatives in a cemetery it can be an interesting walk around reading the headstones. We used to do this often as kids.
Try Out Local Ice Cream Shops
As a general rule, everyone loves ice cream so it is an obvious road trip stop. There are adorable malt shops and ice creameries dotted all over the country. These are perfect for a quick, easy and delicious stop on your trip.
We love to rank our ice cream shops and you should too. Make an effort to stop at a bunch of different ice creameries along your road trip and give them a score. It is a fun way to make a long road trip exciting and memorable for everyone. Your ranking system doesn’t have to end just when the trip ends either, you can carry it on for years! You are going to need a notebook that lives in the glove compartment for this.
Top of our ice cream experience list goes to the Malt Shop in Ephraim Utah. I still think of that banana milkshake at least once a week and it’s been 4 years since I had it. That’s how you know it’s amazing. The customer service was impeccable too.
