American Road Trip Talk

Meet Erika Nelson, Pretty Smart Cookie and Creator of the World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things Traveling Roadside Attraction and Museum, trains her visionary eye on quirky attractions of Seattle and environs.

Local historian and preservationist Mary Truitt details the remarkable history of Vandalia, Illinois as a crossroads of 19th Century America, a town rich with Midwest history and a significant location for the study of Abraham Lincoln’s early public life. 2019 is Vandalia’s Bicentennial with lots of celebrations planned, peaking from June 13-16.

Dr. Cori Convertito, Curator of Collections for the Key West Art & Historical Society, presides over a treasure trove from her office at the Custom House, flagship of four renowned museums in town and an interpretive center of local culture brimming with “southernmost” heritage. Cori shares her insights on a wealth of displays celebrating the freewheeling character of a unique American city under the shimmering sun.

Austin, Minnesota is home to Hormel Foods and the colorfully interactive SPAM Museum that welcomes many thousands of loyal consumers each year to a veritable shrine that celebrates a product introduced to Depression Era families and American soldiers in World War II, thereafter gaining a global reputation as one of the most versatile food items ever.

Veteran travel writer Amy S. Eckert introduces first-time visitors to the Motor City while helping Detroit residents explore their hometown in the full bloom of its cultural rebirth with an engaging and indispensable guide to enjoying all that Detroit has to offer.

Gary Mantz and Suzanne Mitchell recount their visit to the MSI in Chicago, site of world-class exhibits and home to technological marvels from classic locomotive engines and a Boeing 727 airliner to a WWII German U-Boat captured by the U.S. Navy in time to assist with planning the D-Day Invasion. Special thanks to Robert Klara for his American Road Magazine article, “Down To A Science.”

Jay Follis, Marketing Director of the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan surveys North America’s Largest Auto Museum. The scope and beauty of the collection located on a 90-acre campus are breathtaking. The Museum tells the history of America through the automobile so plan to stay half the day and enjoy vintage dining too.

Author, artist and photographer Tony Craig details the venerable history of country stores in North Carolina and then with equal passion guides listeners into the highly competitive (and lucrative) culture of duck decoy artistry.

Tom Cotter is a bucket-list “highway and byway” dreamer who envisions extraordinary road trips and then looks for ways to make his dreams come true. Hear his story of traveling the length of the Lincoln Highway in a classic Ford Model T speedster.

From Troll Hunts to a massive LEGO display this spring and summer, the Morton Arboretum 25 miles from downtown Chicago offers a destination for nature lovers and day-trippers with exercise and environmental education on the brain. Lots to see, do and learn!

Inspiring Automotive Enthusiasts is the trademark and mantra of Mark Greene whose passion for classic automobiles and the adventures to be had in them can be traced back to his car-crazy boyhood and a surprise visit to the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas.

Erika Nelson, roadside attraction warrior and consummate curator of The World’s Largest Things, returns to share her insights into the Big Tire in Michigan, The House on the Rock in Wisconsin and American Gods, a STARZ network series for the road-tripper in all of us.

Host Gary Mantz and his well-traveled guest Suzanne Mitchell reminisce about their “Great American Road Trip of 2017” from Sarasota to Seattle and back including details of amazing places they encountered.

Holly Barker and her partner Tully Garrett rescued and lovingly restored the legendary Launching Pad restaurant on Route 66 in Wilmington, IL. The massive Gemini Giant statue is the guardian of this grandly reopened treasure featured in the Spring, 2018 issue of American Road Magazine.

Artist Tony Craig shares tales from his prolific career in Disney cartoon and digital animation/production, now entering a third decade; he also reveals a passionate gift for preservation of roadside Americana through his exceptional watercolor art.

Lecompton, Kansas is known as the “Birthplace of the Civil War and Where Slavery Began to Die.” The desperate, even vicious political and military saga of the free-state vs. slave-state division that led to the Civil War is explained in detail by Paul Bahnmeier, President of the Lecompton Historical Society.

A highly regarded artist and photographer, Jerry McClanahan shares his love for and vast experience of Route 66 dating back to the family treks of his childhood nearly six decades ago up to the present. The Mother Road is deep in his soul and lovingly rendered in his popular artwork, commissioned by people around the world.

This episode offers a decidedly peculiar assortment of The World’s Smallest Version of The World’s Largest Things, an incredible traveling roadside attraction. Special attention is given to what curator Erika Nelson calls “some of the best offbeat sites in Washington state.” Erika’s versatile brainchild fascinates crowds from coast to coast.

Greater Miami’s Coral Castle, rated one of the Top 35 museums across the U.S. by TripAdvisor, is featured. The unique complex built by Edward Leedskalnin (working alone!) comprises one of the most mystical and scientifically baffling wonders of the modern world. Ken the Tour Guide shares his expertise and some local history.

Join Thomas and Becky Repp as they team up with Gary Mantz to bring you a new road trip adventure each week. American Road Trip Talk is your chance to discover the backroads that embody true Americana. As the owners and producers of award-winning American Road magazine, Thomas and Becky want your future road trip to be both interesting and exciting. By teaming up with veteran radio broadcaster, Gary Mantz, they offer up valuable road trip planning information.