top of page

Hitting the Road- Road Trippin' Through the years

“The Great American Road Trip” – This was the concept that was approved to begin building an exhibit around. For every special exhibit that I design for the California Automobile Museum, I work with our volunteers to take a broad topic and make it entertaining and interesting, as well as practical for our museum. Not an easy task, but a fun one for me!

ree
Come get an up close look these awesome cars and the nostalgic items that go with them!

The heyday of the road trip in the United States was in the post-war era from the 1950s into 1970s. Obviously, nostalgia was going to be a large part of the equation. Station wagons and roadside attractions were a must! Old maps and suitcases are perfect! But what do all of these MEAN to our visitors and to the history of the road trip in California and all of the United States?


ree
Even though the cars were all chosen, we had to add this gorgeous Ford Falcon Squire to the display!

In the end, it was decided that we must go beyond nostalgia and do our best to showcase the variety in types of road trips and the different experiences that people have.


ree
This all-original VW camper is always ready to hit the road for a trip!

I was surprised to find an unexpected mix of resources for this exhibit. Many published books on road trips are about reliving the fun on Route 66 and are full of gorgeous photographs but not much about larger cultural history or research. Thankfully, I was able to find a few really amazing academic books including two that I would highly recommend (listed below if you are curious!) and a surprisingly large number of online sources with well-research history on road trips.


ree
It is not a road trip without plenty of roadside signs! Who remembers Burma-Shave?!

An essential part of telling the story of the road trip is how different American populations experienced road trips. In this exhibit, we specifically feature the history of African American travelers and how gender roles worked on road trips. Both of these topics are important and largely underappreciated for their impact on American and automotive culture.


ree
The Museum already had one event on "The Green Book" this year because it is such an important part of American history! And it is also an important story in this exhibit.

I feel that it is particularly important to learn about the experiences of Black families going on road trips and the discrimination and dangers they faced. We are fortunate that at this time, there is more research and awareness of this topic and things like The Green Book that we were able to build this exhibit around.


ree
There could probably be a whole exhibit around this iconic route!

The road trip is a vast and fascinating history that we can only scratch the surface of in this display. Road trips are intertwined with many other topics in American history, and dozens of fascinating topics could not be given the depth and attention they deserve. Some of the stories I would love to dig into more at the Museum are the building of our road’s infrastructure, creature of comfort in cars, women drivers and their independence, driving and vehicle safety, minority experiences with the automobile, peripheral industries such as service stations, AAA and other services and guide books, and so many many more!


ree
These Shasta trailers are iconic road trip and camping mobiles!

As with every exhibit that I design, I want the visitor to be able to engage with what we are showing. The fun of the nostalgic objects throughout the exhibit (a Chatty Cathy doll! a transistor radio! old cameras!) are one great way to do this. But what about actually interacting with the exhibit? We encourage visitors to fold maps on display, flip through books about road trips (including a copy of The Green Book), send a postcard to a friend, and design their own roadside attraction.


ree
I love this wall and the collection of real memories it represents!

I was surprised at how much I absolutely loved one particular part of the exhibit, after it all came to together. Before the exhibit opened, I put a call out for members of the Museum to submit photographs of their families on road trips. And boy, did I get some amazing pictures! Copies of these hundreds of photos have been attached to a large wall in the exhibit, bringing real life and people to the display, ranging from the early 1900s to the present day.


ree
My brother and me on a road trip circa 1993 after climbing Mount Lassen!

All of this makes me want to take another road trip! I do have six U.S. states I haven’t been to yet….



Two books I highly recommend for a deeper dive:

Are We There Yet?: The Golden Age of American Family Vacations by Susan Session Rugh

Divided Highways: Building the Interstate Highway, Transforming American Life by Tom Lewis


This Hitting the Road exhibit is open now through February 25. Admission for the museum is Adults: $10, Seniors, Military, Students: $9, Kids older than 5: $5, Kids younger than 5: Free. We are open Wednesday through Monday form 10am-5pm.

376 Comments


GAU BE
GAU BE
12 minutes ago

vin88 là một nhà cái cá cược trực tuyến nổi bật tại Việt Nam và khu vực châu Á, được biết đến với mục tiêu “Uy tín – Minh bạch – An toàn

Like

weeklyfilippa
4 hours ago

five88 là một nhà cái trực tuyến hoạt động trong lĩnh vực cá cược thể thao, trực tuyến và các trò chơi khác. Với mục tiêu mang đến trải nghiệm cá cược tốt nhất cho người chơi

Like

Lisle65139
10 hours ago

Xoilac TV là website xem trực tiếp bóng đá chất lượng HD, không quảng cáo. Xôi Lạc TV phát sóng Ngoại Hạng Anh, Champions League, La Liga, V-League, World Cup, Euro miễn phí có bình luận tiếng Việt hấp dẫn. 489/12 Mã Lò, Bình Hưng Hoà A, Bình Tân, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh


Like

Hải Yến
Hải Yến
a day ago

Với tầm nhìn phát triển bền vững, fb88.day đang ngày càng khẳng định vị thế thương hiệu trong lĩnh vực giải trí trực tuyến.

Like

lien57945
a day ago

https://mibet.jpn.com/ là một nền tảng cá cược trực tuyến uy tín, đa dạng về các loại hình giải trí như thể thao, casino, xổ số và các trò chơi đổi thưởng hấp dẫn. Với giao diện thân thiện, dễ sử dụng cùng hệ thống bảo mật cao cấp, Mibet mang đến trải nghiệm mượt mà và an toàn cho người chơi. Đặc biệt, Mibet thường xuyên cập nhật các chương trình khuyến mãi hấp dẫn và hỗ trợ khách hàng 24/7, giúp người dùng yên tâm tận hưởng niềm vui giải trí mọi lúc mọi nơi. Nếu bạn đang tìm kiếm một địa chỉ cá cược trực tuyến chất lượng, Mibet chính là lựa chọn không thể bỏ qua.

Like
bottom of page