Gearing up for a road trip from Boston to Texas. I plan on going through PA, WV, KY, TN, OK and AK. Any thoughts on must-sees? I am particularly interested in wild life, National Parks, and indigenous restaurants/sites. One of the people on the trip is handicapped and so hiking is out of the question. Thanks

Where in Texas are you going?

The route you describe falls between the Google Maps/Mapquest routes for West Texas (PA-OH-IN-IL-MO-OK-TX) and for Dallas/Austin and similar locations (PA-MD-WV-VA-TN-AR-TX). Routes to the coast go even farther south (PA-MD-WV-VA-TN-GA-AL-MS-LA-TX).

What about your proposed routing appeals to? That might help with the recommendations.

We've done this trip several times (btw NorthEast & Dallas), but we didn't have much time to sightsee because we were moving. However, some of the places we enjoyed are:

Louisville
Memphis (stopped at Graceland but got there too late to visit)
Hope Arkansas (you can visit Bill Clinton's boyhood home)

If you have never visited them, I would think Gettysburg and the Pennsylvania Dutch country would be two places to put on your list.

Well, if you are road tripping, you already know that you ought to get off the interstate and onto the no doubt parallel US highway an hour or so before lunch or you will be doomed to the food available at exits.

Arkansas and Tennessee used to have wonderful state park systems with lodges and cabins that made a nice change from highway motels.

If you find yourself in a nice smaller town, stop by the public library and ask the librarians what you ought to see and where you ought to eat. They are great places for a relaxing reading session (current newspapers) and they will have free internet and (usually) wifi.

You might consider dropping further south initially via I81/I77, then through Georgia, Alabama (Birmingham/Montgomery), Mississippi (Jackson), Louisiana, and then across to Dallas.

We will end in Dallas to visit with family.

That you for the info. We have done the coastal trip from MA to FL several times and wanted to touch on other states without getting too far off track. KY appeals for the potential of stopping at some horse farms. We also need to stop off in OK City to visit a friend. Other than that we had no set reason for taking this route. Just hoping to explore. I have seen 49 of the 50 states but want to revisit as many as I can foregoing the typical tourist sites.

How are you getting back? Same route?

Most likely taking same route home but nothing is set in stone. Total trip to ne no more than 14 days.

Why do that? There are a number of ways to get there--or back. Choose one for one, and another for the other.

Gretchen, I will only have 7 days of driving both ways in total. I did not think that gives me enough time to go home a differnt way. I figured I could double back and stop at things I missed or did not have time for.

Here's some places to rest between Memphis and Dallas.

For outstanding BBQ stop at Roadside BBQ @ Exit 271 off I 40 In W Memphis, AR. Get off I40 at Exit 241A/B and go S on North Washington Street in Forrest City, AR to The Ole Sawmill Cafe. It's open for breakfast, lunch or dinner and serves outstanding country food. Get off on the S side of I40 on N Washington and go about 2 blocks to Ole Sawmill Cafe on your right. A good place to stop on I40 is Gene's BBQ and Family Restaurant @ Exit 216 in Brinkley, AR. Get off I40 on the S side on N Main St. and go about half a mile and you will find Gene's on the right serving outstanding country food. There's a lot more than just BBQ so stop by Gene's for sure even if you rest up and get a cold drink. Craig's BBQ in Devall's Bluff, AR is outstanding. Get off I 40 at Exit 183 at Carlisle, AR on Highway 13 and go S to Nick's BBQ in Carlisle, AR. Get off I 40 at Exit 175 at Lonoke, AR and go S on Highway 31 to E 8th Street and go to Pruett's for good BBQ.

I would not stop in Little Rock, AR unless you just want to. If you need to stop get off I 30 at Exit 133 and go N on Geyser Springs Road to Sim's for good BBQ. At Exit 116 at Benton, AR you will find outstanding road food at Ed & Kay's Restaurant on the N side of I30 for lunch and dinner. On up the road at Arkadelphia, AR you will find good hamburger's at Hamburger Barn or good country food for breakfast or lunch at The Honeycomb Restaurant at Exit 73.

If you want real family country food then get off I30 at Exit 222 in Texarkana, TX and go to Bryce's Cafeteria for the best home cooked food in America. It's just off I30 at Exit 222 and very convenient.

One of my favorite road stops is Ramage Farms Country Store at Exit 208 for good road food. The restaurant is an old building just off the N side of I30 and has all sorts of food stuff to purchase to take home. They serve outstanding BBQ, sandwiches, combo plates and steaks. Stop by if just to rest and get a cold drink. It's worth the effort to visit the old store. Stop at Nana's Diner in New Boston, TX. Get off I30 at Exit 201 on N Center St. and get a good country meal at Nana's which is right off I30. Get Off I30 at Exit 127 on Shannon Road in Sulphur Springs, TX and go to Burton's Family Restaurant for great road food at breakfast, lunch or dinner. This is a typical diner and nothing is fancy about it but the food which is not expensive. It's next to the Best Western and convenient for quick access to I30.

Roadside BBQ @ 196 Arkansas 147, West Memphis, AR 870 - 733 - 9208.
The Ole Sawmill Cafe @ 2299 N. Washington St., Forrest City, AR 870 - 630 - 2299.
http://olesawmillcafe.com/
Gene's Barbecue and Family Restaurant @ 1107 N. Hwy. 17, Brinkley, AR. 870 - 734 - 9965.
Craig's BBQ @ Rt. 70, Devalls Bluff, AR. 501 - 998 - 2616.
Nick's Bar B Que @ Hwy. 13 N., Carlisle, AR. 870 - 552 - 3887.
http://www.nicksbq.com/
Pruett's Bar B Que @ 108 E. 8th St., Lonoke, AR. 501 - 676 - 2622.
Sims BBQ @ 7601 Geyer Springs Road, Little Rock, AR 501 - 562 - 8844.
Ed and Kay's Restaurant @ 15228 Interstate 30 N., Benton, AR 501 - 315 - 3663.
Hamburger Barn @ 2813 Pine Street, Arkadelphia, AR 870 - 246 - 5556.
The Honeycomb Restaurant @ 710 Main Street, Arkadelphia, AR 870 - 245 - 2333.
http://www.honeycombrestaurant.com/
Bryce's Cafeteria @ 2021 Mall Dr., Texarkana, TX 903 - 792 - 1611.
http://www.brycescafeteria.com/
Ramage Farms Country Store @ 901 Main St., Hooks, TX 903 - 547 - 6187.
http://www.ramagefarms.com/
Nana's Family Diner @ 1026 North Center St/, New Boston, TX 903 - 628 - 0700.
Burton's Family Restaurant @ 1505 Shannon Rd E, Sulphur Springs, TX 903 - 885 - 5976.
http://www.burtonsfamilyrestaurant.com/