Road Trip! 50 Great American Places by Brent D. Glass

If you are a road tripper who always wants to stop at historical markers, you must read 50 Great American Places by Brent D. Glass.  Mr Glass is the Director Emeritus of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, colloquially known as America’s Attic.  His book is more than a list of travel destinations.  Rather, he describes each of the 50 sites beautifully and explains its importance, placing it in the context of the entirety of United States history.  The book is arranged in chronological order, starting with the Cahokia Mounds (built between 1050 and 1200) in Illinois and ending with the Mall of America in Minnesota (which opened in 1992).  Many of the sites Glass chose are surprising but interesting.  For example, in a section titled Schoolhouse and Fieldhouse that highlights Manhattan and Lawrence, Kansas, he touches on the Morrill Acts which created land grant colleges, James Naismith, the inventor of the game of basketball, and Brown v Board of Education, which ruled school segregation unconstitutional.  The book is a quick read and would provide great inspiration for planning your next road trip.