A Father’s Day road trip, kids optional
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(CNN) — With obligations surrounding kids, partners and work, sometimes it’s hard to get away — actually, it’s hard pretty much all of the time. But fortunately, the one day a year that it’s dad’s turn to cut loose has come around again, so you can afford to go a bit crazy.
This Father’s Day, why not plan an adventure-fueled fantasy road trip?
Here are a few exciting, strange and fascinating stops and destinations to suit every dad, from artsy to outdoorsy and everything in between.
The natural world and also maybe not so much
Grand Prismatic Spring: Teton County, Wyoming
Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone, one of the world’s largest natural springs, has a rainbow of colorful rings that shift in hue as the temperature chages.
Courtesy Dan Hottle
It’s a shimmering rainbow pool that stretches out over the span of a football field. It makes for a fun road-trip stop as long as you don’t dive in — swimming in the hot spring is illegal and can lead to serious steam-related injuries.
Petrified Forest: Arizona
Petrified logs lie scattered across the sand, glimmering quartz in place of wood at their core. The rocks are beautiful, but visitors should keep in mind they aren’t souvenirs for the taking — the sight in and of itself is enough to warrant a drive west.
Centralia mine fire: Centralia, Pennsylvania
The site of one of the US’s worst coal-fire breakouts, Centralia, is now home only to desiccated buildings and cracked, graffiti plastered roads, and, of course, the fires burning below.
Take route 61, 54 or 42 to pass through the eerie ghost town for a most unusual experience and dinner stories galore afterwards!
Nuclear Waste Adventure Trail: St. Charles County, Missouri
Anyone can sightsee in Las Vegas or gape at the Grand Canyon’s golden valleys; however, climbing a cement mountain of entombed, highly toxic nuclear waste? Now that’s adventure.
Today people can climb the hilltop as part of this rather ghoulish attraction, and literally stand on the crest of nuclear waste mountain.
Bragging rights are the sole purpose of the trip, because really, how many people can claim to have done the same?
Art, road stops and other oddities
The president of Molossia, Kevin Baugh (a retired sergeant of the US Army) at Molossia’s Department of Customs, shows visitors around.
Republic of Molossia: Nevada
From a railroad to cemeteries, national parks to a bar and grill, it’s clear Molossia has most of the basics covered. You know, apart from actually existing. If you’ve never ventured outside the US, here’s your chance to do it closer to home — consider it the “international” option.
And yes, they will stamp your passport if you ask.
The Rockport Paper House: Rockport, Massachusetts
This house’s walls, furniture and doors are made completely of newspaper (insert Big Bad Wolf joke here). Built in 1922, the house is held together by flour, water and apple peels, which work together to plaster 100,000 newspapers to the building’s frames.
Carhenge: Alliance, Nebraska
Carhenge is a sculpture created by Jim Reinders as a replica of England’s Stonehange and a memorial to his father.
Courtesy Friends of Carhenge
Who needs Stonehenge? It’s really not all that hard to replicate, as proven by Carhenge art installation in Alliance, Nebraska.
Mimicking the formation of the actual U.K. Stonehenge with vehicles scavenged from farms and dumps, the sculptural piece consists of gray spray-painted cars piled on top of one another.
Admission is free, and the site is open every day during daylight hours.
Whether you’re a fan of art, a Nebraska native, or someone who’s just always wanted to see Stonehenge, take a trip to Alliance — if you squint, you might even be able to convince yourself it’s the same thing.
Eiffel Tower (no, not that one): Paris, Texas
Yes, there’s another Eiffel Tower located in Paris — Paris, Texas, that is. This watered-down replica of the famous French landmark may be a bit (or a lot) underwhelming in comparison, but it has a sense of humor, what with its big brown cowboy hat and all.
Who knows? Maybe you’ll even manage to fool some people into believing you finally took that Europe trip.
Bubblegum Alley: San Luis Obispo, California
Okay, so this one’s pretty gross. But for the more quirky adventurous spirits, a stop in San Luis Obispo to see an alleyway literally covered top to bottom in old gum might be a must.
The alley is a 65 feet long, and both visitors and locals have attempted to cover every square inch. The purpose of this attraction? Take a guess. Just be sure to bring your own gum.
The Classics
Mount Rushmore: Keystone, South Dakota
The Mount Rushmore National Memorial, the nation’s historic mountain face carving located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, features plenty of tourist-friendly activities.
It’s a place you have to visit at least once in your life, but if you also happen to be allergic to physical activity, this is probably a pass.
Times Square: New York, New York
Times Square in New York City is a famous hotspot for sightseeing and shopping, most noted for its New Year’s Eve celebration that can have crowds of up to a hundred thousand people.
DANIEL SLIM/AFP/Getty Images
If you’re in New York City, or even passing through, it’s worth a brief intermission to see the square in its full glory, either to shop at one of its dozens of stores, have a particularly amusing session of people watching or snag discount tickets to a Broadway show.
Liberty Bell: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Liberty Bell is the heart of Independence National Historical Park, where visitors can see the symbolic artifact and learn about it’s history.
All you have to do is grab tickets the day of your admission, or reserve them before hand for $1, but be warned that they go quickly.
The French Quarter: New Orleans, Louisiana
The French Quarter is an iconic cultural hotspot in New Orleans, Louisiana.
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