Issue Date: May 28, 2006 Ten Out-of-the-Way Places You Should Go Out of Your Way to See And the great thing is that you needn't travel far. Even America's largest cities boast amazing sites that many (even locals) often overlook. Journey with us and get off the tourist-beaten path. Road trip. Are there two more exciting words in the American lexicon? With its promise of adventure, a sense of jump-in-the-car spontaneity, the concept tickles the innate wanderlust of a nation of pioneers. Another national passion: individualism. These two great themes come together in our annual summer travel issue. Our list of destinations presents 10 out-of-the-way attractions that reward a journey of any distance. (We even included don't-miss-but-sometimes-overlooked attractions in three of the country's most-visited cities.) Diverse in substance and geography, ranging from the wonderful to the wacky, these gems are linked by a sense of outrageous individuality. Another thing these places share is an off-the-charts wow factor. Once you see them, they stay locked in your memory. As always, our biggest challenge was limiting the featured attractions to 10. After weighing nominations from staffers, travel professionals and seasoned veterans of family driving vacations, we cut down our master list to the best of the best. We hope you get out to see some of them this summer -- and perhaps discover a few unexpected delights of your own along the way. Club Ebony Indianola, Miss. More than a hundred juke joints dot the Delta's back roads, much as they did in the 1930s and '40s. In Indianola, you'll find one called Club Ebony. Look for faded green clapboards and a weathered roadside barbecue pit. A historic marker tells you the nondescript club has been operating since 1945. It lists some of the giants who have gotten down and dirty there over the years -- Howlin' Wolf, Ray Charles and native son B.B. King, who was born on a plantation here in 1925. Club Ebony serves a justly famous catfish dinner, but its real specialty is hard-driving music. David Lee Durham, whom some consider to be the last genuine Delta bluesman on Earth, rocks the joint with his True Blues Band on Sunday nights. This is the real deal, a juke junket not to be missed by blues travelers or anyone interested in American culture. |
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