A Trip Less Ordinary: Unique Adventures

Published on Sep 26, 2003

America's Byways® have far more to offer than beautiful scenery. If you've got a taste for the unusual, try one of these unique adventures!

Take a trip back in time along the Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Highway! Besides numerous museums and active dig sites along the way, this Byway also offers you the chance to follow the tracks of ancient dinosaurs left behind in sandstone, and explore a "dinosaur garden" of 18 life-sized dinosaur replica statues. At the Dinosaur Quarry Visitor Center, history is close enough to touch! See actual dinosaur bones still embedded in a 200-foot wall of rock or watch a real paleontologist preparing dinosaur bones for museums.

Or leave your troubles on the ground and take to the air in Albuquerque! Both El Camino Real and Historic Route 66 pass through this city known widely as the "Balloon Capitol of the World". Albuquerque's clear, temperate weather allows for year-round hot-air balloon rides, and in October the city plays host to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Nothing can match the sight of hundreds of balloons rising together in Mass Ascensions, or the beauty of the Balloon Glows, as the burners of countless balloons light the night sky with color and flame. The Special Shapes Rodeos, where balloons shaped like dragons, motorcycles or dinosaurs float overhead, are sure to bring a smile to your face.

Blast off at the Kennedy Space Center found along the Indian River Lagoon Scenic Highway! Gain a greater appreciation of the space program as you take part in educational and hands-on exhibits, or board a full-scale replica of the space shuttle Explorer. Take the once in a lifetime opportunity ask an astronaut a question. Tour the rocket garden or get a view of space yourself on one of the centers five IMAX movie screens.

Tired of driving? Then leave the driving to someone else and take the ferry when you travel Alaska's Marine Highway. With more than 8,000 miles of routes this all-water Byway offers a multitude of unique experiences. See whales, active volcanoes, glaciers, fjords, and sea lions from the deck! And the adventure doesn't end when the sun goes down. Just book your own cabin on the ferry or pitch a tent or roll out a sleeping bag on the upper decks, lay back, and watch the dancing northern lights.

Take a chance and step outside the ordinary. You'll never forget the adventures you'll have.

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