Planning a US road trip this year? Here are some lesser-known historical places you can visit in 2026

Picture this: you’ve got a trunk full of bags, snacks in the backseat, and good sing-along playlist all set for your next U.S. road trip. The only problem? You’ve already seen the most popular tourist destinations along your route and aren’t sure what to do when you need to detour or stop. This year, explore the following lesser-known historical and educational sites to experience the culture hiding in every nook and cranny of the continental U.S.!

Northeast

1. The Waterfront Museum (Brooklyn, New York)

There is no shortage of history and education in America’s most populous city, but if you travel down to Red Hook, Brooklyn, you’ll find a museum like few others: this one’s housed upon a 1914 barge. Here, the Waterfront Museum highlights Brooklyn’s maritime culture from the Lighterage Era—a period from 1860-1986 in which barges helped transfer cargo between ships in this bustling harbor—and supports the thriving visual/performing arts culture of Brooklyn. 

• Weir Farm National Historic Park (Wilton, Connecticut)

Any National Park is sure to be a treat, but the Weir Farm has the privilege of being the only American National Park dedicated to American painting. This park, once the home and studio of Impressionist J. Alden Weir, exhibits paintings of Weir and other artists and allows you to step into the art by viewing the same landscapes that inspired him. During the summer, check to see if there are any open studio dates for the Farm’s artists-in-residence.

• MASS MoCA (North Adams, Massachusetts)

Far from Boston’s more pronounced educational sites, this Massachusetts museum for contemporary art dedicates itself to all forms of art, including those that “defy easy classification.” In terms of visual arts, its exhibits focus on “large-scale, immersive installations” that are right at home in this museum’s open architecture. Even more, there are plenty of exciting events in the performing arts and community engagement spheres—so you’re bound to find something exciting no matter when you arrive.

Southeast

1. Okracoke (Okracoke, North Carolina)

In addition to being a beautiful island off the coast of North Carolina, Okracoke is a must-see for anyone who has ever harbored an affinity for pirates—or even just loved the Pirates of the Caribbean films! Notorious pirate Blackbeard (once named Edward Teach) called this island his temporary home and was one of his most frequented stops. Today, you can trace the history of piracy along the East Coast at several museums (Teach’s Hole Blackbeard Exhibit, Ocracoke Preservation Museum, North Carolina Maritime Museum) and scenic points across the island.

• Tomb of the Unknown Slave at St. Augustine Catholic Church (New Orleans, Louisiana)

Among the plentiful history of New Orleans sits a Catholic Church—the oldest African-American parish in the U.S.—and within it, sits a memorial Tomb of the Unknown Slave. According to its plaque, parishioners dedicated this shrine to “the memory of nameless, faceless, turfless Africans who met an untimely death in Faubourg Tremé” and to all enslaved people buried in unmarked graves across the United States. This is a worthwhile visit while in New Orleans to acknowledge the history of violence against the African and Black Americans who have contributed so much to Louisiana culture.

• The Hemingway Home and Museum (Key West, Florida)

Whether or not your student has encountered Hemingway texts in school, this museum nestled at the tip of Key West offers tours of the estate of this seminal American novelist. However, I’ll take this opportunity to highlight a lesser-known aspect about this historical figure: his cats! Hemingway was once gifted a white six-toed (polydactyl) cat, which he named Snow White. Today, nearly 60 polydactyl cats roam the grounds of the Hemingway Home and Museum—descendants of Snow White. So, you can learn some literary history while also snuggling with a sweet six-toed kitty.

Midwest

1. St. Louis City Museum (St. Louis, Missouri)

This unique museum describes itself as an “indoor, outdoor, underground playground,” but don’t overlook its educational and cultural significance. Originated by two classically trained sculptors, the City Museum hosts four floors and a rooftop of installations, architecture, and contemporary art—and it just so happens to also have slides, tunnels, twists, and turns. Its architecture features reclaimed materials from all over St. Louis, which you can learn more about via a guided tour. This is a perfect place to engage in the educational power of play—for all ages!

• Pullman National Historical Park (Chicago, Illinois)

Located on the southern half of bustling Chicago, the Pullman district illuminates the history of one of the first planned industrial communities in the United States as well as its significance as a turning point of labor organizing and labor law. Here, learn about the 1894 Pullman Strike and its nationwide impact (including the designation of Labor Day) as well as the creation of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in 1925, the U.S.’s first all-Black labor union. If you’re visiting the City of Chicago, this stop is certainly worthwhile.

• Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum (Auburn, Indiana)

Got a car buff among your travel party? Check out Indiana’s Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum to visit nine “automotive themed galleries” highlighting the design and engineering of diverse car types. This museum, which dedicates itself to preserving the history of and inspiring the future of the automotive industry, boasts over 120 cars within a gorgeous Art Deco building built in 1929.

Southwest

1. Gruene Hall (New Braunfels, Texas)

Packed your dancing shoes? Visit Gruene Hall, the oldest continually operating dance hall in Texas, for a unique concert-going experience. This 6,000 sq ft building, built in 1878, hosts live music every day. For a treat, check out Honky Tonk Thursdays—free performances platforming emerging Texas-based country artists—or get involved with Swing Dance Lessons. Please note that Swing Dance Lesson participants must be 21+ or accompanied by someone 21+ to leave and return. 

• Bisbee (Bisbee, Arizona)

Step into western history by visiting the small town of Bisbee, a mining town founded in 1880. It once boasted a population of over 20,000, drawn to the town for its thriving industry and natural resources of copper, silver, gold, zinc, lead, and manganese. Check out the Mining & Historical Museum to learn more about this aspect of America’s history, or dig even deeper (pun intended) with a Mine Tour!

• Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument (Mountainair, New Mexico)

Named after the salt deposits that first drew colonial Spaniards to the region, the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument represents a long history of Spanish-Indigenous-European contact, conflict, and culture in the Southwest region. Alongside interpretive trials and monument headquarters sit three distinct pueblos: Abó, Quarai, and Gran Quivira. All exhibit the lives of the Tompiro, Tiwa, and Spanish people who lived there and settled there: here, see houses, mission structures, ranchero structures, churches, and more. 

West

1. Manzanar (Independence, California)

One of ten Japanese internment camps operated by the United States government during WWII, the Manzanar National Historic Site acknowledges the history of this internment. Out of the 110,000 people of Japanese descent detained in such camps, Manzanar processed about 11,000 of them. Here, tour exhibits illustrating life at Manzanar and view an award-winning short film illuminating this history. 

• B Reactor National Historic Landmark (Hanford, Washington)

Hanford, Washington marks the site of the world’s first full-scale plutonium production reactor—an invention crucial to the United States’ development of atomic bombs. Here, at the B Reactor National Historical Landmark (part of Washington’s Manhattan Project National Historical Park), learn more about those involved with the B Reactor and the Manhattan project at large through their Pre-Manhattan project Historical Sites tours and Atomic Explorations. For extra credit, check out the other three sites of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in New Mexico and Tennessee to learn about those regions’ contributions to the Manhattan Project.

• Ancestral Puebloan Dwellings (Bluff, Utah)

Nestled alongside Bears Ears National Monument—a historic tribute to the Indigenous Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, Ute Mountain Ute, and Uintah-Ouray Ute tribes—sit three significant Ancestral Puebloan sites accessible to anyone with hiking boots. Firstly, there is the Mule Canyon Interpretive Site, which features a village dated to 1000-1150 CE and educational signs sharing information about the daily lives and culture for those who lived here. Then, visit granaries with a stunning fire-like illusion at the House on Fire or view an example of a cave dwelling at the Butler Wash Overlook.

Bonus Site!

Here’s a bonus bit of history you’ll be sure to encounter on any road trip: the interstate highway system! As you drive along, you’ll be experiencing what some call the “Greatest Public Works Project in History.” Check out this site for articles exploring the history of the American highway system.