attractions

The Big Peach Butt and other attractions

Knowing you want to go on a road trip is one thing; finding interesting routes and attractions along the way is another.

Like everything else, there are Web sites devoted to descriptions of tourist attractions along popular and less popular cross-country routes.

Roadside America is a site dedicated to weird attractions along the nation's highways. The site is extensive, with links to descriptions of strange attractions in every state, news for tourists, events along the way, people, pets and places.

Take the Peachoid water tower off I-85 in South Carolina, for example. According to the Web site, the one-million-gallon water tower was repainted in the early 1990s so it would look less like a big orange butt and reduce "rubbernecking fatalities."

Of similar interest is the Hall of Immortals, which includes pictures and explanations of each member and their offbeat accomplishments. There was the man from California, for example, who was dubbed the King of Toilet Seat Arts for his renderings of celebrity portraits and political symbols on porcelain potties.

And animals will not be cheated out of their fame. The Pet Cemetery chronicles the stories of some of man's most notable four-legged friends.

If looking for something a little less offbeat, Road Trip USA is a site linked with Moon Travel. The page and information on it actually comes from the book,"Road Trip USA," by Jamie Jensen. The page features 11 ready-made road trips along old U.S. highways, five running east and west, six north and south. The routes avoid "soulless" interstate highways for more scenic and historic drives.

Descriptions are given of notable attractions along each route, such as the California coastal redwoods and a museum in the southern town where Bonnie and Clyde met their demise.The site has a survival guide for

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Check out these Web sites to find the funky flavor of road-side assistance you've been looking for:

Roadside America
Road Trip USA

major cities along the routes, with information on how to get around, where to go and where to stay.

It also has a list of recommended travel links and one for interesting travel reading. "Flattened Fauna: A Field Guide to Common Animals of Roads, Streets and Highways," is one such book.

Unfortunately, there are more destinations and attractions in America than these two sites can possibly cover.

But whatever the destination, whatever the route, Jensen had some words of advice, "Get in your car, turn on the radio, roll down the windows -- and drive."