Poll Question: How many hours would you drive just to see a roadside attraction that sounds exceptional?
If you trust reports in the news media, Americans are cutting back on long driving trips this summer because of the high cost of gas. But we suspect that many families giving up on travel plans may have had only mild interest in their intended destination in the first place. It’s easy to economize by blowing off a trip to a corporate water park so you can hang out around the backyard pool. Not so easy however, finding a substitute for the World’s Largest Ball of Stamps or miniature golf in a funeral home. For the oddball attraction fanatic, the road trip is still all-important.
In our latest poll, 52% of respondents would drive three or more hours to see an exceptional roadside attraction. Surprisingly — we thought we were the only ones — more than a quarter of you — 26% — would drive all day to reach a unique and rewarding place.
On the less zealous end of the spectrum, 1 out of 5 of respondents would drive less than an hour to see something remarkable (even for these sprinters, there is often an offbeat attraction within 60 miles — just check out Map-a-City and see what’s in the vicinity).
A 2-hour trip garnered 26% of the total — and two hours out to a destination is a typical day trip plan (not including stops at interesting landmarks along the way). There’s plenty to see in a 2-hour radius of practically anywhere in the US.
Note: Our poll wording may have been too vague. It’s possible some of the responses are how far someone would detour off an already jam-packed road trip….
This is true, I would drive all day to see something interesting. I have to admit, however, that the high gas prices keep me from driving around aimlessly in search of the undocumented sites that might exist.
What sad times are these when people will limit how far they will drive to see something interesting. I like to hop on my motorcycle and go for weeks at a time on quests to find things that are a bit.. off kilter. Hell, it is 3 days to Carhenge from here, and it was well worth the trip just to do the “Dwarf Dance” in the middle of it while Spinal Tap’s “Stonehenge” played on the boombox.
I’m going CRAZY!! I *LIVE* in my car when I can. Not like a homeless person, just because I love to drive. I drive a 98 Jeep Cherokee Limited (the nicely loaded one) but the car gets only 12-14 mpg, which is worse than a Hummer. A tank of gas costs me $75 now. Problem is, I LOVE the car.
Driving, the way I do it, is therapeutic. I look for back roads and small towns or local places like a beach or an unusual landform, but definitely head for the back roads, forest roads and fire roads. Not like a Roadside Attraction (which I also love) but a nice afternoon escape. Despite the cost, I still take a drive every couple weeks, costs like $150 to do it, but open road and my Tom Petty or Boxmasters CDs on at top volume is STILL cheaper than a weekly shrink visit…
If the gas doesn’t start coming down soon, I might have to sell my beloved Jeep and get a more economical 4X4 (that’s all I’ll drive).. That or buy a Vespa scooter to get 80 mpg and cruise all the TIME!
The spectrum of the Poll results is pretty amazing to me. We are “retired” and can’t/won’t drive to sites in our home State of Michigan; at least not until we purchase a foriegn built auto that gets decent mileage. We will save our gasoline cash for our annual trek to Florida. I won’t even take my fishing boat out to fish, when I can buy Canadian fish in the local market cheaper. And the lawn can go to that Hot place until I get a ‘Mow or Pay’ warning from the Township.
If you trust reports in the news media, Americans are cutting back on long driving trips this summer because of the high cost of gas. But we suspect that many families giving up on travel plans may have had only mild interest in their intended destination in the first place. It’s easy to economize by blowing off a trip to a corporate water park so you can hang out around the backyard pool. Not so easy however, finding a substitute for the World’s Largest Ball of Stamps or miniature golf in a funeral home. For the oddball attraction fanatic, the road trip is still all-important.
June 27th, 2008 at 9:01 am
This is true, I would drive all day to see something interesting. I have to admit, however, that the high gas prices keep me from driving around aimlessly in search of the undocumented sites that might exist.
June 27th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
What sad times are these when people will limit how far they will drive to see something interesting. I like to hop on my motorcycle and go for weeks at a time on quests to find things that are a bit.. off kilter. Hell, it is 3 days to Carhenge from here, and it was well worth the trip just to do the “Dwarf Dance” in the middle of it while Spinal Tap’s “Stonehenge” played on the boombox.
June 28th, 2008 at 4:06 am
I’m going CRAZY!! I *LIVE* in my car when I can. Not like a homeless person, just because I love to drive. I drive a 98 Jeep Cherokee Limited (the nicely loaded one) but the car gets only 12-14 mpg, which is worse than a Hummer. A tank of gas costs me $75 now. Problem is, I LOVE the car.
Driving, the way I do it, is therapeutic. I look for back roads and small towns or local places like a beach or an unusual landform, but definitely head for the back roads, forest roads and fire roads. Not like a Roadside Attraction (which I also love) but a nice afternoon escape. Despite the cost, I still take a drive every couple weeks, costs like $150 to do it, but open road and my Tom Petty or Boxmasters CDs on at top volume is STILL cheaper than a weekly shrink visit…
If the gas doesn’t start coming down soon, I might have to sell my beloved Jeep and get a more economical 4X4 (that’s all I’ll drive).. That or buy a Vespa scooter to get 80 mpg and cruise all the TIME!
(anybody got six grand they don’t need??)
June 28th, 2008 at 7:37 am
The spectrum of the Poll results is pretty amazing to me. We are “retired” and can’t/won’t drive to sites in our home State of Michigan; at least not until we purchase a foriegn built auto that gets decent mileage. We will save our gasoline cash for our annual trek to Florida. I won’t even take my fishing boat out to fish, when I can buy Canadian fish in the local market cheaper. And the lawn can go to that Hot place until I get a ‘Mow or Pay’ warning from the Township.