Crime Doesn't Pay; Crime Death Cars Do

A crime, a pursuit, an ambush, a hail of lead — from a time when breaking the rules had consequences. The new Alcatraz East museum shines a guard tower's spotlight on some classic rule-breakers: outlaws and maniacs. The attraction's popular "Sinister Vehicles" gallery inspired us to revisit our recent travels and assemble The 6 Death Cars of Bonnie and Clyde. The doomed duo was killed only once, but their Death Car was so popular with rebels-at-heart Americans that it had to be cloned.

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Glore Psychiatric Museum

Are you the family eccentric? Do your friends think you're a little off? Be happy you're not living in 1947, or you might have had a forced rendezvous with Mr. Electroshock at the Glore Psychiatric Museum. Story

Civil War Tails: Miniature Catfight

This attraction answers the question no one asked: What would the Civil War look like if it had been fought by tiny cats? Twin sisters Rebecca and Ruth Brown spent years building an intricately detailed parallel universe at their Civil War Tails attraction. Story

Fantasy Slumbers

Sometimes a comfortable bed and clean bathroom just aren't enough after a long day of driving and adventure. At the Don Q Inn, you can sleep in an igloo, or a Viking ship, or soak in a hot tub on the moon. Story

Perfect Bones: Museum of Osteology

Jay Villemarette figured out how to remove perfect bones from dead bodies, and shares his favorite skeletons in his Museum of Osteology. See tiny hummingbirds, a giant whale, and a surprising number of humans. Bonus: flesh-eating beetles at work. Story

Who Is This Big Guy?

Possibly America's least-publicized folklore hero, Johnny Kaw once plowed the Mississippi Riverbed with Paul Bunyan's face, and even has an impressive giant statue in his hometown. But he isn't known much outside of Kansas. Story

Time Served in Squirrel Cage Jail

On a long list of terrifying lockups, the Squirrel Cage Jail was one of the worst. Prisoners would use the rotating cage to snap off their arms and legs just to get out. Now it's open for tours, and just as horrible as the day it closed. Story

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City Pages: Local Travel Hotspots

Our city pages and maps make it easier to find our stories on the best attractions in and around metropolitan areas. Favorite Quirky City Sights links are in the right column of state pages (not all cities; we'll add more in the future).

• New Orleans, Louisiana: The American city that's most unlike America, New Orleans serves up a gumbo of destinations devoted to voodoo, Mardi Gras, and graveyards where the bodies are buried above ground.

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Trunkations: The Roadside Blog

We visited Gatlinburg to see the aftermath of its calamitous fire, and assessed the value of America's most powerful wax dummies at Gettysburg's closed Hall of Presidents and First Ladies.

Our forecast for 2017: more attractions, more reasons to travel, and an uncharacteristically dark day in August.

Finally, a look at the hairy beast that some believe will bring us all together.

Check out the latest Trunkations posts.

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Avoid hogging the death car lane!
The RoadsideAmerica.com Team