In sheer size and importance, the Mississippi River has few equals. Hundreds of years ago, Native Americans used it for trade and travel, with the Hopewell Indian culture becoming the most advanced society in early North America. The French sent trappers down its banks after coveted beaver fur. F...

The mighty Mississippi was the lifeblood of many Missouri townsfor over a century. The Missouri Great River Road is a route withstories to tell and a history to preserve. Civil War History andthe movement west are just two of the great American stories thatthe byway has to tell.The man who character...

The Historic National Road runs from the Appalachians to Illinois through the state of Maryland. The portion of the road that travels through The Old Line State connects Baltimore and Cumberland and is steeped in history all the way.This Byway originates at Inner Harbor in Baltimore and travels west...

"...and they come into 66 from the tributary side roads, from the wagon tracks and the rutted country roads, 66 is the mother road, the road of flight." -- John Steinbeck in "The Grapes of Wrath".Route 66 means different things to different people, but freedom is a common theme. For families like t...

The Illinois River Road Scenic Byway preserves the natural river country along the banks of the Illinois River, allowing modern visitors to travel the same route as the early French explorers: les Voyageurs. The Byway parallels the Illinois River Country Nature Trail, a chain of over one hundred li...

In 1912, the idea of roads as fast transportation did not exist in America. Dirt roads spread out from settlements at random, some not leading anywhere, and travelers found it easier to take the train to the next town over. Dust blew over the roads when the weather was dry; when the weather was we...

The Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Route provides an expansive view of the floodplain where the Mississippi, Missouri, and Illinois River join together to flow to the ocean. Rich in historic significance and natural beauty, the junction of these mighty rivers demonstrates both American river cu...